Salt of stearic acid that is a saturated, 18-carbon fatty acid.

Certain compounds, such as aluminum stearate, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, have been used in drilling fluids for one or more of the following purposes: defoamer, lubrication, air drilling in which a small amount of water is encountered.

A method of improved recovery in which steam is injected into a reservoir through injection wells and driven toward production wells.

The steam reduces the viscosity of crude off, causing it to flow more freely.

The heat vaporizes lighter hydrocarbons; as they move ahead of the steam, they cool and condense into liquids that dissolve and displace crude oil the steam provides additional gas drive.

This method is used to recover viscous oils.

Also called continuous steam injection or steam flooding.

The level to which fluid rises in a well when the well is shut in.

Flow of a fluid in which no turbulence occurs.

The fluid follows a well-defined, continuous path.

Two packers separated by a spacer of variable length.

A straddle packer may be used to isolate sections of open hole to be treated or tested or to isolate certain areas of perforated casing from the rest of the perforated section.

The fluid used when drilling starts at the surface, often a thick bentonite-lime slurry.

1. To move the drill stem up and down in the hole over a short distance without rotation.

   Careless execution of this operation creates pressure surges that can cause a formation to break down, resulting in lost circulation.

2. To force a wireline tool or tubing down the hole by using a reciprocating motion.
3. To begin drilling a well; i.e., to spud in.

A generic term to describe a retrievable service packer.

A portable cable-tool drilling rig, sometimes mounted on a truck or trailer.

An instrument to measure the amount of voltage needed to break down invert emulsions.

To guide the end of a pipe into a coupling when making up a connection.

1.

A tool placed on a drill collar near the bit that is used, depending on where it is placed, either to maintain a particular hole angle or to change the angle by controlling the location of the contact point between the hole and the collars.

See packed-hole assembly.

2.

A vessel in which hydrocarbon vapors are separated from liquids.

3.

A fractionation system that reduces the vapor pressure so that the resulting liquid is less volatile.

1.

A vertical arrangement of blowout prevention equipment.

Also called preventer stack.

See blowout preventer.

2.

The vertical chimney-like installation that is the waste disposal system for unwanted vapor such as flue gases or tail-gas streams.

To begin drilling; to start the hole.

Abbreviation: surface safety valve.