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Energy and utilities : Jargon buster

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  1. Overview
  2. Job roles
  3. Entry and progression
  4. Typical employers
  5. Opportunities abroad
  6. Future trends
  7. Jargon buster
  8. Contacts and resources

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Case studies

  • Appraisal well - drilled after the discovery of oil or gas to establish the limits of the reservoir, the productivity of wells in it and the properties of the oil and gas.
  • Blow-out - accidental escape of oil and gas from a well during the drilling stage.
  • Compressor - an engine used to increase the pressure of natural gas so that it will flow more quickly through a pipeline.
  • Consumption- the amount of energy you use, represented by the number of kilowatt hours (kWh).
  • Decommissioning - removal of production equipment and facilities from depleted oil fields.
  • Development well - drilled to produce oil and gas after an appraisal well has proved the reserves sufficiently large for exploitation.
  • Downhole - a term used to describe tools, equipment and instruments used in the well bore, or conditions or techniques applying to the well bore.
  • Downstream - the refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products.
  • Exploration drilling - drilling carried out to determine whether hydrocarbons are present in a particular area or structure.
  • FPSO - floating production storage and offloading.
  • Exploration phase - covers the search for oil or gas by carrying out detailed geological and geophysical surveys followed up by exploratory drilling.
  • MBOE - million barrels oil equivalent.
  • Microgeneration - is the generation of heat or power by renewable or low carbon means, by individuals, businesses or communities for their own use.
  • Midstream - refers to industry activities that fall between upstream and downstream activities. Most often applied to pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas.
  • Mud - a mixture of base substance and additives used to lubricate the drill bit.
  • Operator - company that has legal authority to drill wells and undertake production of hydrocarbons.
  • Platform - fixed structure resting on the seabed or piled into it from which development wells are drilled, to exploit an oil or gas field.
  • Plateau level - the level of peak production reached by an oil or gas field.
  • Tour - work shift of a drilling crew, usually pronounced as though it were spelled t-o-w-e-r.
  • UKCS - UK Continental Shelf.
  • Upstream - the exploration for, and extraction of, crude oil and natural gas.
  • Wildcat - speculative exploration well drilled in search of a new oil or gas accumulation.
 
 
 
AGCAS
Written by Nick Huston, AGCAS
Date: 
September 2010
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