Discover published sets by community

To 'spud' a well means to begin drilling a well in the seabed. It signifies the start of the drilling process at a new location.

A drilling derrick is a tower-like structure on a drilling platform that houses the drilling machinery. It provides the necessary height to stack sections of drill pipe as they are removed from the wellbore.

Heave compensation is a system designed to counteract the vertical movement of a drilling rig due to waves and swell, ensuring that the drilling process can continue smoothly.

A subsea blowout preventer stack is a collection of blowout preventers, valves, and other equipment that is installed on the seafloor to monitor and control the extraction of oil and gas from a well.

A mud logger is a technician on an offshore rig who monitors and records drilling activity, providing information about the geology of the well through examination of the drill cuttings.

Subsea completion involves installing wellheads and production equipment on the seafloor as opposed to on a platform or vessel, which allows for the extraction of oil or gas in deepwater environments.

Casing is a large-diameter pipe that is assembled and inserted into a newly drilled section of a borehole and is typically held in place with cement.

An FPSO is a floating vessel used in the offshore oil and gas industry that is designed to process and store hydrocarbons and offload them to shuttle tankers or transport pipelines.

A semi-submersible rig is a floating drilling unit that is partially submerged in water during drilling operations through the use of large, buoyant pontoons.

Dynamic positioning is a computer-controlled system that automatically maintains a vessel's position and heading using its propellers and thrusters.

A packer is a device that is used to create a seal between the outside of the production tubing and the inside of the casing or the wellbore itself.

A blowout preventer is a large, specialized valve used to seal, control and monitor oil and gas wells. It is designed to prevent blowouts, which are uncontrolled releases of crude oil or natural gas from a well.

A jack-up rig is a type of mobile platform that consists of a buoyant hull fitted with a number of movable legs, capable of raising its hull over the surface of the sea.

A liner is a casing string that does not extend all the way to the top of the wellbore but is hung from another casing string within the well.

Diverters are safety devices used in offshore drilling to divert the flow of drilling muds and cuttings away from the rig floor in case of a kick or blowout.

Drilling fluid, often called drilling mud, is used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. The three main purposes are to cool and lubricate the drill bit, carry cuttings to the surface, and provide hydrostatic pressure.

The mud circulation system in offshore drilling pumps drilling fluids from the mud tanks to the drill bit and back to the surface, where the fluids are cleaned and reused.

Drilling mud is a specially formulated fluid used in drilling operations to carry drill cuttings to the surface, lubricate and cool the drill bit, and maintain hydrostatic pressure to prevent well collapse.

A blowout is an uncontrolled release of crude oil or natural gas from a well after pressure control systems have failed.

A riser is a pipe that connects the offshore drilling rig to the subsea wellbore, allowing for the conveyance of drilling fluids, tools, and production fluids.

The topside of an offshore drilling platform refers to all the surface installations which include the drilling rig, production facilities, and crew quarters.

An ROV is an underwater robot that is used in offshore drilling operations to assist in equipment installation, maintenance, and repair tasks at depths that would be unsafe for human divers.

A wildcat well is an exploratory well that is drilled in unproven or little-known areas to find new reservoirs of oil or gas.

Directional drilling is the practice of controlling the direction and deviation of a wellbore to reach subsurface targets at different angles from the vertical.

In offshore drilling, a Christmas tree refers to the assembly of valves, spools, and fittings used to regulate the flow of oil and gas from a well.

Completion in offshore drilling refers to the process of making a drilled well ready for production, including setting the wellhead and installing the necessary equipment.

The wellhead is the component at the surface of an oil or gas well that provides the structural and pressure-containing interface for drilling and production equipment.

A drillship is a maritime vessel that is outfitted with drilling apparatus. It is most often used for exploratory drilling of new oil or gas wells in deepwater locations.

A subsea system is a complex of equipment and technologies used to explore, drill, and develop offshore oil and gas fields completely submerged underwater at the seabed.

Drill cuttings are the small pieces of rock that are produced as the drill bit breaks the rock to create a wellbore and are carried to the surface by the drilling mud.

A pig launcher is a tool used in pipeline maintenance that sends a cleaning device known as a 'pig' through the pipeline to clean it, inspect it, or separate different fluids within it.

A moon pool is an opening in the hull of a drillship or platform that allows for access to the water below, used for deploying tools and drilling apparatus into the sea.

Choke and kill lines are high-pressure pipelines that connect to the blowout preventer stack and are used to control well pressure during drilling operations.

An oil derrick is a similar structure to a drilling derrick, but is designated for extraction purposes. It supports the machinery used to lift the oil to the surface.

A TLP is a vertically moored floating structure normally used for the offshore production of oil or gas, which is anchored by taut vertical tendons connected to the seabed.