Oil job Gas work|Oil|Gas

An operation to restore a wellbore to its original diameter (occasionally, a wellbore will cave in).
API gravity	The industry standard method of expressing specific gravity of crude oils. Higher API gravities mean lower specific gravity and lighter oils.
Associated gas	Gas occurring in combination with crude oil, as distinct from gas occurring separately or manufactured from crude oil.
ASTM	American Society for Testing Material which establishes many of the technical standards used in the oil industry
Barrel	A measurement used in the oil industry for a unit of volume of oil or oil products equivalent to 158.978 litres or 42 US gallons. Abbreviated to "bbl".
Barrels per calendar day	Industry measurement of actual refinery throughput as opposed to designed capacity. Derived by dividing the number of refined barrels of oil by the actual number of days the refinery was in operation. Abbreviated to "b/cd".
Barrels per day	A unit of measurement used in the industry for the production rates of oil fields, pipelines, and transportation. Abbreviated to "bpd", "b/d" or "bbl/d".
Biodiesel	Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable, alternative fuel or fuel additive for diesel engines. It can be used in its pure form or it can be mixed with a petroleum-based diesel. Biodiesel can be made from a variety of products, including animal fats and virgin and recycled vegetable oils derived from crops such as soybeans, canola, corn and sunflowers. Widely used in Europe and available in the U.S., biodiesel is in the early stages of development in Canada.
Black oil	Crude oil or heavy fuel oil from the bottom of the refining process as opposed to "white" oil.
BOP/BOP Stack:	Blowout preventers/blowout preventer stack - an assembly of heavy-duty valves attached to the wellhead to control well pressure and prevent a blowout.
Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA)	A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and expansion of renewable fuels (ethanol, biodiesel) for automotive transportation. CRFA membership includes representatives from fuel marketing, fuel producing/processing, energy, agriculture, agri-business, forestry, engineering and environmental organizations. Visit CRFA¹s Web site for more information.
Carbon Dioxide	Carbon dioxide, a normal product of burning fuel, is non-toxic, but contributes to the greenhouse effect (global warming). All petroleum (hydrocarbon) fuels cause increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels because they represent the combustion of fossilized carbon. By contrast, using renewable fuels, such as ethanol, does not increase atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The carbon dioxide formed during combustion is balanced by that absorbed during the annual growth of plants used to produce ethanol.
Carbon Monoxide	A poisonous gas produced by incomplete combustion. Vehicles operating at colder temperatures (in winter months, during engine warm-up or in stop-and-go traffic) produce significant quantities of this deadly gas, which is of particular concern in urban areas. Research shows that transportation sources account for over two-thirds of this pollutant. In the U.S., many cities have mandated the use of "oxygenated" gasolines, such as ethanol blends, to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.
Casing:	Steel pipe set in a well to prevent the hole from sloughing or caving and to enable formations to be isolated (there may be several strings of casing in a well, one inside the other).
Catalytic Cracking	Refinery process using a catalyst whereby heavy heavy gas oil is converted to about 50% gasoline and 50% gases and gas oil for recycling.
Cementing:	Pumping a liquid slurry of cement, water and other additives behind a string of casing to isolate formations.
Completion/Completed:	The activities necessary to prepare a well for the production of oil or gas or the injection of water or gas into the reservoir.
Condensate	A term used to describe light liquid hydrocarbons separated from crude oil after production and sold separately.
Cracking	Refinery process whereby large, heavy, complex hydrocarbon molecules are broken down into simpler and lighter molecules in order to derive a variety of fuel products.
Crude oil	A mineral oil consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons of natural origin, yellow to black in colour, of variable specific gravity and viscosity
Distillation	The first stage in the refining process in which crude oil is heated and unfinished petroleum products are initially separated.
Downstream	The oil industry term used to refer to all petroleum activities from the processing of refining crude oil into petroleum products to the distribution, marketing, and shipping of the products. The opposite of downstream is upstream .
E85	There are two types of ethanol-blended gasoline in North America: low-level and high-level ethanol blends. High-level ethanol blends are often blended in a proportion of 85% ethanol with 15% gasoline, and are called E85. The small percentage of gasoline enhances engine starting in extremely cold weather. Currently in Canada, only low-level ethanol blends are widely available, in proportions of 5-10% ethanol blended with gasoline. Ethanol A non-corrosive and relatively non-toxic alcohol made from renewable biological feedstocks. It is used directly as fuel (most commonly in Brazil), or as an octane-enhancing gasoline additive (throughout the United States, Canada and Europe). In Canada, blends containing 5-10% ethanol in gasoline are offered by several companies throughout Ontario, Quebec and the western provinces. Blends of 10% ethanol with gasoline can be used in all gasoline-powered automobiles, without engine or carburetor modification.
Fish:	An object lost (or stuck) in the wellbore obstructing operations.
Fishing:	Operations to recover a fish.
Fuel oils	Oil that is heavy-distilled in the refining process. Frequently used for supplying energy to power stations and factories.
Gas oil	A medium-distilled oil from the refining process. Often used in diesel fuel.
Gasoline Standards	Gasoline quality in Canada is regulated by the provinces. National specifications have been produced by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) of the Government of Canada, and many provinces require that all gasoline meet CGSB standards. All ethanol-blended gasoline sold in Canada meets specifications enforced by the provincial governments, including specifications regarding volatility levels.
Hydrocarbons	Compounds containing only the hydrogen and carbon atoms. May be in solid, liquid or gaseous form.
Hydrocracking	High pressure version of catalytic cracking in the presence of hydrogen.
Injecting:	Injecting water or gas into the reservoir for the purpose of maintaining reservoir pressure, maximizing oil recovery and conserving resources.
Liner:	A length of casing suspended from the base of a previously installed casing string (a liner does not extend back to the surface of the well).
Liquified natural gas (LNG)	Natural gas liquified either by refrigeration or by by pressure.
Liquified petroleum gas (LPG)	A mixture of butane, propane and other light hydrocarbons derived from refining crude oil. At normal temperature it is a gas but it can be cooled or subjected to pressure to facilitate storage and transportation.
Logging:	Acquisition of downhole data using tools run in the well, usually on wireline.
Methanol	Methanol is an alcohol made from natural gas or biomass. It can be used directly as an automobile fuel (the automobile engine needs modification for this purpose), or as a gasoline-blending compound. When methanol is blended with gasoline, a co-solvent such as ethanol is required. Methanol is quite corrosive and poisonous. It is produced primarily as a derivative of natural gas. Octane Octane is a measure of how well a fuel resists premature combustion, or "knocking". Gasoline with too low an octane rating converts fuel to heat rather than power, making for less efficient fuel usage and reduced engine life.
Natural gas	Petroleum in gaseous form consisting of light hydrocarbons often found in association with oil. Methane is the most dominant component.
Operator	Term used to describe a company appointed by venture stake holders to take primary responsibility for day-to-day operations for a specific plant or activity.
Oxygenates	These are compounds, such as alcohols and ethers, which contain oxygen in their molecular structure. Ethanol is an example of an oxygenate. Oxygenates improve combustion efficiency, thereby reducing polluting emissions. Many oxygenates, such as ethanol, also serve as excellent octane enhancers when blended with gasoline.
Ozone	Ozone is formed in the air when hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide or nitrogen oxides react in the presence of sunlight and heat. This is of particular concern on warm, summer-like days when "smog" is prevalent. Ground level ozone causes human respiratory stress and damages many plants, significantly reducing farm crop yields and the health of trees and other vegetation. However, ground level ozone does nothing to increase ozone concentration in the stratosphere, which protects the earth from the sun¹s harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Particulates	Particulates are emissions of soot and particles of partially combusted fuel components. They are of particular concern in compression ignition (diesel) engines. Ethanol can dramatically reduce particulate emissions.
Perforate/Perforating:	Piercing the casing and cement using shaped explosive charges to provide a flow path for formation fluids.
Petrochemicals	Chemicals such as ethylene, propylene and benzene that are derived from petroleum
Polymerisation	Refining process which uses low temperature reforming to increase the octane value of gasoline
Pour point	The ability of crude oil to flow at low temperatures.
Producing / Production:	Flowing oil and/or gas from a well to the production systems.
Production Tree:	An arrangement of heavy duty valves and fittings installed on the wellhead to control flow from the well and/or to facilitate injection operations.
Reaming:	An operation to restore a wellbore to its original diameter (occasionally, a wellbore will cave in).
Refining	Refining is the process of converting crude oil into usable fuel products. A full description of refining and refining processes is available.
Refining margins	Refining margins are the difference in value between the products produced by a refinery and the value of the crude oil used to produce them. Refining margins will thus vary from refinery to refinery and depend on the price and characteristics of the crude used.
Reforming	Refinery process aimed at improving gasoline quality by changing chemical characteristics rather than breaking up molecules as in cracking.
Reserves	An economically recoverable quantity of crude oil or gas.
SABS	South African Bureau of Standards
Seismic kilometres completed:	The total number of kilometres of data recorded in a geophysical program.
Shut-in:	A well in which the valves in the production tree have been closed to cease production or injection operations on a well.
Sidetracking:	The operation of deviating a well around a fish.
Sour crude oil	Crude oil with a high sulphur content.
Specific gravity	A measure of thedensity of a material usually obtained by comparing it with water.
Spud:	The initial penetration of the ground or seafloor - the start of the drilling operation.
Suspension/Suspend:	The temporary cessation of drilling or production operations in a well.
Sweet crude oil	Crude oil with a low sulphur content.
Synfuels	Synthetically petroleum products produced from coal, or natural gas.
Terminal	Plant and equipment designed to receive and process crude oil or gas to remove water and impurities.
Throughput	The total amount of raw materials processed by a refinery or other plant in a given period.
Topping	The primary distillation phase of a refinery process, and by derivation, the type of refinery and its yield of products
Upstream	The processes of exploring for oil; developing oil fields; and producing oil from the oil fields. The opposite of upstream is downstream.
Viscosity	The resistance to flow
Well workover:	A program of work performed on an existing well.
Wellbore:	The hole drilled by the drill bit.
Wellhead:	Steel equipment installed at the surface of the well containing an assembly of heavy duty hangars and seals (the wellhead is used to support the weight of casing strings hung from it and to contain well pressure).
White oil	Lighter products from the top end of the refining process as distinct from 'black" oil.

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