a large sealing device, installed above the ram preventers, that forms a seal in the annular space between the tubulars and the wellbore or, if no tubulars are present, in the wellbore itself
bird bath
used to store stands of tubulars on rig floor
blowout
an uncontrolled kick
blowout preventer (BOP)
a series of hydraulically or manually controlled components that are used to control the flow in the event a kick is taken
bumper block
used to protect the crown from contact with the travelling assembly
casing
a steel liner run down the wellbore and cemented in place
catwalk
an elevated platform at the bottom of the V-door where tubulars are placed to be lifted to the rig floor
centrifuge
a mechanical device used to remove solids from drilling fluid using centrifugal force
chiksan
high pressure steel line with swivel ends
chocks
wooden blocks used to prevent tubulars from rolling off pipe racks
core barrel
a tubular device run at the bottom of the drill string used to cut a core sample
cross-over
a tubular adaptor used to connect components of a drill string that have different thread connections
crown saver
an emergency device to stop traveling blocks from hitting the crown
deadman
anchor on the supply end of the drilling line
dogleg
a high-angle bend in the wellbore profile
float
a valve installed into the drill string to allow the flow of fluids through the drill string in only one direction
flow tee (flow nipple)
connects top of BOP to flow line, and directs drilled solids and fluid towards the shaker
hydraulicing
drill string moving up in wellbore caused by too much pump pressure in tight hole condition
iron roughnecks
a hydraulically operated device used to connect, torque and disconnect tubular connections
jarring
providing a hammering force to loosen stuck drill string from wellbore
keyseat
a groove worn in the side of a deviated wellbore from rotating drill string that will not allow tool joints to pass through
kick
an unplanned gas or fluid influx from a formation in the wellbore
lifting nubbins
threaded eyelets attached to tubular used for lifting it to the rig floor
megajoule (MJ)
the SI unit of service given by a drilling line when it moves 1000 newtons of load over a distance of 1000 metres
monel
non-magnetic tubular used for directional drilling
motor kills
emergency shutdown for motors
mud ring
a blockage in the wellbore caused by sticking of clays between the wellbore wall and the drill string
pop valve
pressure relief valve, that can be set to bypass circulating fluids at a desired pressure
shale bin
three or four-sided tank used to collect cuttings from the wellbore from shale shaker
sloughing
collapsing of the walls of the wellbore (also called caving)
snubbing
forcing tubulars into the wellbore using specialized equipment
stab
to guide the end of a tubular into a coupling or tool joint when making up a connection
stripping
raising and lowering drill string into or out of wellbore while under pressure
surface casing
first stage of casing from the surface to a pre-determined depth; installed to protect ground water, to isolate unstable formations, to provide means for well control, and to provide a platform for the BOPs
surface hole
a hole drilled to allow a shallow string of surface casing to be cemented in the ground. It is the first operation for drilling a wellbore
surging
an increase of pressure below the bit; occurs during downward movement of the string
swabbing
a reduction of pressure below the bit; occurs during upward movement of the string
tour sheet
a tour is a working shift for drilling crews. A tour sheet is the standard report that records each event that takes place at the well site
tubulars
any kind of pipe. Oilfield tubular goods include tubing, collars, casing, heavyweight drill pipe, drill pipe and line pipe
