Oil and Gas Terms Beginning with “F” — Page 5

A recording of the in-situ rate of fluid flow at different depths in a well, normally one completed for production or injection. The flow profile is a log recorded in a unit such as barrels per day, or as a percentage… Read more →

What Is a Flow Regime in Oil and Gas Reservoir Engineering? A flow regime in petroleum reservoir engineering describes the spatial and temporal pattern of fluid flow in the reservoir surrounding a well during production… Read more →

The dynamic simulation of fluids through a reservoirmodel over time. When the simulation correctly recreates the past reservoir performance, it is said to be "history matched," and a higher degree of confidence placed… Read more →

A description of the geometrical distribution of a fluid moving through a pipe. The term is similar to the term flow regime, but is used to describe larger scale features in which there may be more than one flow regime.… Read more →

A rock volume with identifiable fluid flow characteristics that can be modeled, including heterogeneity or anisotropy. Read more →

Gas-well tests, often required by law, in which one flow rate immediately follows another, with each flow period reaching stabilized flow. The bottomhole pressure at the end of each flow period is used to calculate… Read more →

Referring to a type of spinner flowmeter in which most or all of the fluid flow in the well is diverted over the spinner by a device such as a basket or a packer. Read more →

Folded structures associated with strike-slip faults. In areas where strike-slip faults occur in converging crust, or transpression, rocks are faulted upward in a positive flower structure. In areas of strike-slip… Read more →

A neutron porosity log recorded while the well is flowing to determine the gas-oil contact in the borehole. The log is often compared with a log run while the well is shut-in. The term was used in the1950s and 1960s but… Read more →

The pressure determined at the formation face during the flowing periods of a well test. Read more →

(noun) A well that produces oil, gas, or other reservoir fluids to the surface under natural reservoir pressure without the need for artificial lift equipment such as a beam pump, electric submersible pump, or gas lift… 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 pipe fitting with several lateral outlets for connecting flowlines from one or more wells. This connection directs flow to heater-treaters, separators or other devices. Read more →

A mud sample that exits directly out of the well from the annulus and is caught before it passes through the shale-shaker screens. A flowline mud sample contains drill cuttings entrained in the mud. Read more →

An instrument that measures the flow rate of fluids through a pipeline. There are several types of flowmeters, including the differential-pressuremeter, orifice meter, positive-displacement meter, vortex meter and… Read more →

The flow of oil, gas or water through a pipe. Read more →

The fluid sample from the wellhead that is used to analyze the composition of the flow. The term is analogous to the term flowline sample, except that it refers to the production part of the flowstream. Read more →

A gas generated by burning hydrocarbons with air; it is sometimes used as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) injectant. The composition consists mainly of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and excess oxygen with some… Read more →

A test, or series of tests, performed to check that no undesirable reactions occur with a specific fluid. The testing process may include checks for compatibility with other treating fluids, wellbore fluids, reservoir… Read more →

The relative change in fluid volume related to a unit change in pressure. This is usually expressed as volume change per unit volume of fluid per psi of pressure change. Gas has higher compressibility than liquid (oil… Read more →

The interface that separates fluids of different densities in a reservoir. Horizontal contacts are usually assumed, although tilted contacts occur in some reservoirs. The contact between fluids is usually gradual rather… Read more →

The movement of fluid through pores and fractures within permeable rocks in a reservoir. Generally, the fluid flow is assumed to follow Darcy's law, so the fluid flow may be simulated with a model of the reservoir. Read more →

A general term to describe the presence of a particular fluid in an undesirable area, such as the movement of drilling mud into a section of the reservoirformation. Read more →

The depth, or distance from surface, that the fluid in a well incapable of natural flow will reach under static conditions. Read more →

The leakage of the liquid phase of drilling fluid, slurry or treatment fluid containing solid particles into the formationmatrix. The resulting buildup of solid material or filter cake may be undesirable, as may the… Read more →

The act or means of controlling (usually lowering) the volume of filtrate that passes through a filtermedium. Control of fluid loss for a mud is achieved by several means, one of which is by addition of… Read more →

A group of mud additives specifically designed to lower the volume of filtrate that passes through a filtermedium. Specific materials are available for all types of water- and oil-base mud systems and are evaluated in… Read more →

A phenomenon that occurs when the downhole pump rate exceeds the production rate of the formation. It can also be due to the accumulation of low-pressure gas between the valves. On the downstroke of the pump, the gas is… Read more →

A tool run on wireline to obtain fluid samples and measure formation pressures. This device is also called a wireline formation tester. Read more →

A record of the density, or changes in density, of fluids in a production or injection well. Since gas, oil and water all have different densities, the log can determine the percentage, or holdup, of the different… Read more →