Oil and Gas Terms Beginning with “F” — Page 4

An acquisition technique commonly used in electromagnetic methods whereby the energy source or transmitter is kept in the same position, and detectors or receivers are moved to different spots to compile a profile or… Read more →

A mark or marker applied to a sand line or similar wire rope to indicate a specific depth or as a means of indicating the end of the line is nearing surface during retrieval. The term may also be used for magnetic or… Read more →

A joint of tubing or casing included in the string at a known position to provide a reference point for further operations. A short pup joint that registers clearly in a collar locator log is a common flag joint. Read more →

A type of lost-circulation material that is thin and flat in shape, with a large surface area. Flake LCM can be prepared in various sizes. It should be insoluble and inert to the mud system in which it is used. Its… Read more →

A type of lost-circulation material that is thin and flat in shape, with a large surface area. Flake LCM can be prepared in various sizes. It should be insoluble and inert to the mud system in which it is used. Its… Read more →

A connection profile used in pipe work and associated equipment to provide a means of assembling and disassembling components. Most oilfield flanges feature a bolt-hole pattern to allow the joint to be secured and a… Read more →

To finish an operation or process (slang). Read more →

A check valve that has a spring-loaded plate (or flapper) that may be pumped through, generally in the downhole direction, but closes if the fluid attempts to flow back through the drillstring to the surface. This… Read more →

An arrangement consisting of a vertical tower and burners used to burn combustible vapors. A flare is usually situated near a producing well or at a gas plant or refinery. A flare is also called a flare stack. Read more →

A vapor or gas that is burned through a pipe or burners. Read more →

The lowest temperature at which application of a flame to the test chamber of a tester causes vapors of the sample in the chamber to ignite. The test can be applied to base fluids being considered for use in an oil mud… Read more →

The situation in which 10-second and 10-minute gel strengths for a drilling mud have similar values. Flat gels indicates that the mud will remain pumpable with time if left static in the hole. However, if gel values are… Read more →

A seismic section that has been redisplayed such that a reflection of interest not horizontal in the original display appears horizontal and flat. Such displays can shed light on geological conditions at the time a… Read more →

A type of acoustic propagation along the borehole that is visualized as a shaking of the borehole across its diameter. The flexural mode is excited by a dipolesource, and measured by dipole receivers oriented in the… Read more →

What Is a Float Collar? A float collar is a short casing sub installed 1 to 2 joints above the guide shoe at the bottom of a casing string, containing an internal check valve that permits cement slurry to be pumped… Read more →

A full-sized length of casing placed at the bottom of the casing string that is usually left full of cement on the inside to ensure that good cement remains on the outside of the bottom of the casing. If cement were not… Read more →

A rounded profile component attached to the downhole end of a casing string. An integral check valve in the float shoe prevents reverse flow, or U-tubing, of cementslurry from the annulus into the casing or flow of… Read more →

A coagulated mass of particles in a liquid. Flocs can occur naturally but often are generated from a dispersed colloidal system to which a flocculant chemical has been added. Clay particles and polymers in water can be… Read more →

A chemical that causes a dispersed colloidal system (such as clay) to coagulate and form flocs. Most flocculants are either multivalent cations such as calcium, magnesium and aluminum, or long-chain polymers. High pH,… Read more →

The aggregation of small particles into larger particles. In the context of heavy oil, asphaltenes are known to flocculate at the molecular level (before precipitation) and in the precipitated state. The extent of… Read more →

A surface exhibiting evidence of an abrupt increase in water depth, separating younger from older strata. The surface may also display evidence of minor submarine erosion. It forms in response to an increase in water… Read more →

A type of deliverability test conducted in gas wells to generate a stabilized gas deliverability curve (IPR). In a flow-after-flow test, a well flows under a constant rate until it reaches stabilized conditions… Read more →

The process of allowing fluids to flow from the well following a treatment, either in preparation for a subsequent phase of treatment or in preparation for cleanup and returning the well to production. Read more →

A test performed to ensure stable well conditions or the integrity of a plug, valve or flow-control device. In most cases, the flow check involves observing stable fluid levels or conditions for a prescribed period. Read more →

A relatively short, heavy-walled completion component installed in areas where turbulence is anticipated. The additional wall thickness prevents early failures due to erosion in the turbulent flow area. Flow couplings… Read more →

The value that results when the actual productivity index is divided by the productivity index predicted from Darcy's law. Flow efficiency is greater than 1 in a stimulated well (skin 0). Read more →

A surface pipeline carrying oil, gas or water that connects the wellhead to a manifold or to production facilities, such as heater-treaters and separators. Read more →

A laboratory instrument for investigating the characteristics of fluid flow in pipes and for studying the response of productionlogging instruments to this flow. The fluids are circulated continuously in a loop, passing… Read more →

A model of a reservoir in which the steady-state flow and the advective transport are described in two or three dimensions by a computer program. A flow model is an essential component of a reservoir simulator. Flow… Read more →

Part of a well test when the well is flowing. It is usually specified prior to tests to ensure that a stable flow situation has been reached, or that the pressure disturbance has reached far enough into the formation to… Read more →