Production & Completions

Petrobowl 2026

Pertaining to a well that has more than one branch radiating from the main borehole

Multilateral

A method of transmitting LWD and MWD data acquired downhole to the surface, using pressure pulses in the mud system.

Mud pulse telemetry

An enlarged pipe at the top of a casing string that serves as a funnel to guide drilling tools into the top of a well

Bell n*pple

A term used to describe the annulus surrounding a production tubing string above the production packer.

Backside

A sleeve installed in flow control equipment to protect sensitive equipment from abrasive fluid flow

Blast sleeve

A chemical additive that reduces the cement slurry viscosity to improve fluid flow characteristics.

Cement dispersant

A downhole tool used to confirm or correlate treatment depth using known reference points on the casing string

Casing Collar Locator (CCL)

A mechanical device that permits fluid to flow or pressure to act in one direction only

Check valve

A device fitted with a hinged collar and bowsprings to keep the casing or liner in the center of the wellbore to help ensure efficient placement of a cement sheath around the casing string

Centralizer

A device incorporating an orifice that is used to control fluid flow rate or downstream system pressure

Choke

The topmost valve on a Christmas tree that provides vertical access to the wellbore.

Crown valve

The casing string that is usually put into the well first, particularly on land wells, to prevent the sides of the hole from caving into the wellbore

Conductor pipe

A casing string that does not extend to the top of the wellbore, but instead is anchored or suspended from inside the bottom of the previous casing string

Liner

An artificial-lift method principally used in gas wells to unload relatively small volumes of liquid. An automated system mounted on the wellhead controls the well on an intermittent flow regime.

Plunger lift

A condition that occurs when the solids carried in a treatment fluid, such as proppant in a fracture fluid, create a bridge across the perforations or similar restricted flow area. This creates a sudden and significant restriction to fluid flow that causes a rapid rise in pump pressure.

Screenout

Acronym TRSV, this is a type of subsurface safety valve that is run and retrieved as part of the production tubing string.

Tubing Retrievable Safety Valve

A section of liner that is run from a liner hanger back to the wellhead after the initial liner and hanger system have been installed and cemented

Tieback liner

Any water-bearing formation encountered while drilling.

aquifer

Organic materials consisting of aromatic and naphthenic ring compounds containing nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen molecules

asphaltenes

A flow of formation gas in the annulus between a casing string and the borehole wall. Annular gas flows occur when there is insufficient hydrostatic pressure to restrain the gas.

annular gas flow

A drilling fluid (or mud) that has gas (air or natural gas) bubbles in it, resulting in a lower bulk, unpressurized density compared with a mud not cut by gas.

gas(air)-cut mud

The difference between the maximum displacement of a wave and the point of no displacement, or the null point.

amplitude

A budgetary document, usually prepared by the operator, to list estimated expenses of drilling a well to a specified depth, casing point or geological objective, and then either completing or abandoning the well

authorization for expenditure (AFE)

A string of drillpipe or casing that consists of two or more sizes or weights.

tapered string

The tubulars and completion components run below a production packer.

tail pipe

A completion design in which the reservoir fluids are produced through small-diameter casing.

tubingless completion

A wellhead component that supports the tubing hanger and provides a means of attaching the Christmas tree to the wellhead.

Tubing head

A device attached to the topmost tubing joint in the wellhead to support the tubing string.

tubing hanger

A single length of the pipe that is assembled to provide a conduit through which the oil or gas will be produced from a wellbore.

tubing joint

The intentional restriction of flow by partially closing or opening a valve.

throttling

A section of liner that is run from a liner hanger back to the wellhead after the initial liner and hanger system have been installed and cemented.

tieback liner

A list containing details of tubulars that have been prepared for running, or that have been retrieved from the wellbore.

tally

The reduction in permeability in the near-wellbore area resulting from mechanical factors such as the displacement of debris that plugs the perforations or formation matrix.

mechanical skin

A small gap that can form between the casing or liner and the surrounding cement sheath, most commonly formed by variations in temperature or pressure during or after the cementing process.

microannulus

To connect tools or tubulars by assembling the threaded connections incorporated at either end of every tool and tubular.

make up

A bar, shaft or spindle around which other components are arranged or assembled.

mandrel

A valve located on the Christmas tree that controls all flow from the wellbore.

master valve

An arrangement of piping or valves designed to control, distribute and typically monitor fluid flow.

manifold

The maximum pressure at which a valve can be operated.

maximum working pressure (MWP)

A fluid, generally a liquid, comprising more than one phase, such as water- or oil-based liquids, solid material or gas.

multiphase fluid

The commingled flow of different phase fluids, such as water, oil and gas.

multiphase fluid flow

The smallest diameter present in a wellbore through which a tool string must pass to enable access to the operating depth or zone of interest.

minimum restriction

A valve or a system of valves that, when activated, initiate a shutdown of the plant, process or platform they are tied to.

emergency shutdown valve (ESDV)

An artificial-lift system that utilizes a downhole pumping system that is electrically driven.

electric submersible pump (ESP)

A device used to control the flow of fluids by directing flow through a restriction or hole of a fixed size.

Fixed choke

Term for the number of gallons of water per minute that will flow through a valve with a pressure drop of 1 psi

flow coefficient, C_v

A connection profile used in pipe work and associated equipment to provide a means of assembling and disassembling components.

flange

A rounded profile component attached to the downhole end of a casing string. An integral check valve in the this component prevents reverse flow, or U-tubing, of cement slurry from the annulus into the casing or flow of wellbore fluids into the casing string as it is run.

float shoe

A component installed near the bottom of the casing string on which cement plugs land during the primary cementing operation. It typically consists of a short length of casing fitted with a check valve.

float collar

A stimulation treatment, routine for oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs, in which specially engineered fluids are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated.

fracture

A chemical additive used to control the loss of fluid to the formation through filtration.

fluid-loss additive

The pressure within the reservoir rock.

formation pressure

A test performed to ensure stable well conditions or the integrity of a plug, valve or flow-control device.

flow check

A straight-through pattern valve whose closure element is a wedge or parallel-sided slab, situated between two fixed seating surfaces with means to move it in or out of the flow stream in a direction perpendicular to the pipeline axis.

gate valve

A precisely machined test device, typically fabricated from steel or similar durable material, having a specified internal or external diameter. It is used to confirm the dimensional compatibility of tools and equipment that must pass through restrictions of a certain diameter.

gauge ring

A device used to separate entrained gas from production liquids.

gas separator

The ratio of the volume of gas that comes out of solution to the volume of oil at standard conditions.

gas oil ratio (GOR)

A condition in pumping and processing equipment caused by the induction of free gas. The compressible gas interferes with the proper operation of valves and other pump components, preventing the intake of fluid.

gas lock

A production problem in which gas cap gas infiltrates the perforation zone in the near-wellbore area and reduces oil production as a result of drawdown pressures during production.

gas coning

The gas that accumulates in the upper portions of a reservoir where the pressure, temperature and fluid characteristics are conducive to free gas.

gas cap

A valve whose closure element is a flat disc or conical plug sealing on a seat that is usually parallel to the flow axis. The tortuous flow path produces a relatively high pressure loss.

globe valve

A new oil and gas field development.

greenfield

A sand-control method used to prevent production of formation sand. In this operation, a steel screen is placed in the wellbore and the surrounding annulus packed with prepared gravel of a specific size designed to prevent the passage of formation sand.

gravel pack

The point or depth at which a tool or drift of a specific size can no longer pass through the wellbore.

holdup depth

A stimulation treatment routinely performed on oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs. Specially engineered fluids are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated.

hydraulic fracturing

An artificial lift pumping system that uses a surface power source that operates by converting rotary motion from a motor at the surface into reciprocating motion that drives a piston down the well, lifting fluids to the surface

beam pump

A type of check valve, typically installed in the tubing hanger, to isolate the production tubing. The valve is designed to hold pressure from below yet enable fluids to be pumped from above, as may be required for well-control purposes.

back pressure valve

To conduct reverse circulation, that is, to circulate fluid down the wellbore annulus, with returns being made up the tubing string.

backwash

A term used to describe the annulus surrounding a production tubing string above the production packer.

backside

A well completion that has no casing or liner set across the reservoir formation, allowing the produced fluids to flow directly into the wellbore.

barefoot completion

A section of heavy walled tubing that is placed across any perforated interval through which the production tubing must pass, such as may be required in multiple zone completions.

blast joint

The pressure at which the rock matrix of an exposed formation fractures and allows fluid to be injected.

breakdown pressure

A downhole tool that is located and set to isolate the lower part of the wellbore.

bridge plug

To observe the increase in pump pressure indicating that the top cement plug has been placed on the bottom plug or landing collar. This concludes the cementing operation.

bump the plug

To vent gas from a well or production system.

blow down

The capability of obtaining a seal across the upstream and downstream seat rings of a valve when the body pressure is bled off to the atmosphere through blowdown valves or vent plugs.

block and bleed

A period of controlled production, generally following a stimulation treatment, during which time treatment fluids return from the reservoir formation.

cleanup

A wellhead component or a profile formed in wellhead equipment in which the casing hanger is located when a casing string has been installed.

casing bowl

What is the term for the pressure at which a cement sheath begins to lose radial support and microannulus formation can occur?

Debonding pressure

Which perforating metric describes the ratio of perforation entrance hole area to total casing wall area?

Shot density (perforation density)

Name the completion component that isolates the annulus and provides a hydraulic barrier between tubing and casing.

Packer

Which perforating technique is preferred in underbalanced conditions to minimize formation damage?

Dynamic underbalanced perforating

Which completion type allows zonal isolation and selective stimulation in horizontal wells using ball‑activated sleeves?

Ball drop multistage completion

Which stimulation technique uses acid to enlarge natural fractures or dissolve carbonate rock?

Acidizing

What is the term for the pressure required to shear a ball seat or open a hydraulic sleeve

Shear Pressure

The classification of an oilfield with >5 billion barrels of reserves

Super Giant Oilfield

The 4th character in the tubing and casing naming convention indicate this parameter

API material designation

the temperature at which a fluid ceases to flow

pour point

name this equation

Stokes Law

this equipment uses a piston and cylinder with suction and discharge valves in a single acting or double acting arrangement

Reciprocating Compressor

this equipment is designed to remove liquids prior to compression at the compressor

suction scrubber

The most common glycol type desiccant in natural gas dehydration

triethylene glycol (TEG)

the crucial axial clearance of a crankshaft within the engine block, designed to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent binding

crank end load