Oil and Gas Terms Beginning with “F” — Page 3

The process of separating components of a slurry by leaving the suspended solids as filter cake on a filter medium while the liquid passes through. The process can be either static or dynamic. Read more →

The final flow sequence in a drillstem test. The initial shut-in period is usually followed immediately by an extended period of flow. The well is then shut in for the final buildup period. Data obtained during the… Read more →

The production rate just prior to shut-in for a buildup test. Read more →

The pressure determined at the formation face just prior to shut-in for a buildup test. This value is required to determine the skin effect. Read more →

The final buildup sequence in a drillstem test. The initial shut-in period is usually followed immediately by an extended period of flow. The well is then shut in for the final buildup period. Data obtained during this… Read more →

A particle size term referring in the strict sense (API Bulletin 13C) to any particle in the size range 44 to 74 microns. More generally it is used to indicate any particle not removed by the shaker screens. Read more →

In a broad sense, very small particles, either in a mud or a mud additive sample. Read more →

What Is Fines Migration? Fines migration is a formation damage mechanism in which small particles — clay minerals, silica fragments, calcite crystals, and other fine-grained solids — detach from pore walls and migrate… Read more →

The working platform approximately halfway up the derrick or mast in which the derrickman stores drillpipe and drill collars in an orderly fashion during trips out of the hole. The entire platform consists of a small… Read more →

A condition whereby the interface of two fluids, such as oil and water, bypasses sections of reservoir as it moves along, creating an uneven, or fingered, profile. Fingering is a relatively common condition in… Read more →

What Is a Finite Conductivity Fracture? A finite conductivity fracture is a hydraulic fracture in which the resistance to fluid flow within the fracture itself is significant compared to the resistance to flow from the… Read more →

The solution to the diffusion equation that results when the well (inner) boundary condition is treated as a cylinder of finite radius instead of treating the well as a line source. Read more →

A method of thermal recovery in which a flame front is generated in the reservoir by igniting a fire at the sandface of an injection well. Continuous injection of air or other gas mixture with high oxygen content will… Read more →

A method of thermal recovery in which a flame front is generated in the reservoir by igniting a fire at the sandface of an injection well. Continuous injection of air or other gas mixture with high oxygen content will… Read more →

A mechanical or electronic device used to detonate perforating charges conveyed by tubing, drillpipe, coiled tubing or slickline. This term thus connotes any such device that is not initiated electrically from surface… Read more →

The earliest arrival of energy propagated from the energy source at the surface to the geophone in the wellbore in vertical seismic profiles and check-shot surveys, or the first indication of seismic energy on a trace.… Read more →

The depth of the first reliable reading of a curve on a log. For the typical bottom-to-top survey, the curve readings before the tool is picked up from the bottom of the hole are not reliable--they are straight lines… Read more →

A condition of two fluids that are miscible that is, they form a single phase when mixed in any proportion when first brought into contact at a given pressure and temperature. In reservoir gasflooding, the injected gas… Read more →

The surface electrode used as the reference electrode for the spontaneous potential (SP) measurement. The metal electrode is attached to the end of a long electric cable and typically placed in the mud pit, or, in the… Read more →

A slang term for a globule of partly hydrated polymer caused by poor dispersion during the mixing process (commonly a result of adding the product too fast). Fish eyes are typically 0.2 to 0.5 inches in size and consist… Read more →

A series of multilateral well segments that trunk off a main horizontal well. The appearance closely resembles the ribs of a fish skeleton trunking off the main backbone. Read more →

What Is Fishing in Wellbore Operations? Fishing encompasses the engineering design and field execution of a downhole intervention to retrieve, mill, or bypass a lost, stuck, or dropped object in the wellbore , using… Read more →

(noun) A cylindrical fishing tool run on the end of a drillstring or wireline to engage and retrieve small lost objects or debris from the wellbore. The bell-shaped catching mechanism is lowered over the fish and uses… Read more →

A diagram noting the major profiles and dimensions of tools and equipment run into a wellbore. A fishing diagram should be prepared for every tool operation, enabling contingency plans to be implemented efficiently if… Read more →

The surface on which a fishing tool engages when retrieving tubing, tools or equipment stuck or lost in a wellbore. Tools and equipment that are temporarily installed in a wellbore are generally equipped with a specific… Read more →

What Is a Fishing Tool? A fishing tool is a specialized downhole device run on drillpipe or wireline to locate, grip, and retrieve equipment that becomes lost or stuck inside a wellbore. Operators deploy fishing tools… Read more →

(noun) A mathematical or statistical model whose parameters have been calibrated to match observed data from a reservoir, well test, or production history. Fitted models are used in reservoir simulation, decline curve… Read more →

A variogram or semivariogram is said to have been fitted after the best possible model has been applied to it. Read more →

An injection pattern in which four input or injection wells are located at the corners of a square and the production well sits in the center. The injection fluid, which is normally water, steam or gas, is injected… Read more →

A device used to control the flow of fluids by directing flow through a restriction or hole of a fixed size. The fluid characteristics and the pressure differential across the choke determine the flow rate through a… Read more →