National Oilwell Varco 2010 Annual Report Download - page 24

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Cuttings Fragments of rock dislodged by the bit and brought to the surface in the drilling mud. Washed and
dried cutting samples are analyzed by geologist to obtain information about the formations drilled.
Directional Well Well drilled in an orientation other than vertical in order to access broader portions of the formation.
Drawworks The hoisting mechanism on a drilling rig. It is essentially a large winch that spools off or takes in the
drilling line and thus raises or lowers the drill stem and bit.
Drill Pipe Elevator (Elevator) On conventional rotary rigs and top-drive rigs, hinged steel devices with manual operating handles that
crew members latch onto a tool joint (or a sub). Since the elevators are directly connected to the
traveling block, or to the integrated traveling block in the top drive, when the driller raises or lowers
the block or the top-drive unit, the drill pipe is also raised or lowered.
Drilling jars A percussion tool operated manually or hydraulically to deliver a heavy downward blow to free a stuck
drill stem.
Drilling mud A specially compounded liquid circulated through the wellbore during rotary drilling operations.
Drilling riser A conduit used in offshore drilling through which the drill bit and other tools are passed from the rig on
the waters surface to the sea floor.
Drill stem All members in the assembly used for rotary drilling from the swivel to the bit, including the Kelly, the
drill pipe and tool joints, the drill collars, the stabilizers, and various specialty items.
Formation A bed or deposit composed throughout of substantially the same kind of rock; often a lithologic unit.
Each formation is given a name, frequently as a result of the study of the formation outcrop at the
surface and sometimes based on fossils found in the formation.
FPSO A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel used to receive hydrocarbons from subsea wells,
and then produce and store the hydrocarbons until they can be offloaded to a tanker or pipeline.
Hardbanding A special wear-resistant material often applied to tool joints to prevent abrasive wear to the area when
the pipe is being rotated downhole.
Hydraulic Fracturing The process of creating fractures in a formation by pumping fluids, at high pressures, into the reservoir,
which allows or enhances the flow of hydrocarbons.
Iron Roughneck A floor-mounted combination of a spinning wrench and a torque wrench. The Iron Roughneck moves
into position hydraulically and eliminates the manual handling involved with suspended individual
tools.
Jack-up rig A mobile bottom-supported offshore drilling structure with columnar or open-truss legs that support
the deck and hull. When positioned over the drilling site, the bottoms of the legs penetrate the seafloor.
Jar A mechanical device placed near the top of the drill stem which allows the driller to strike a very heavy
blow upward or downward on stuck pipe.
Joint 1. In drilling, a single length (from 16 feet to 45 feet, or 5 meters to 14.5 meters, depending on its range
length) of drill pipe, drill collar, casing or tubing that has threaded connections at both ends. Several
joints screwed together constitute a stand of pipe. 2. In pipelining, a single length (usually 40 feet-12
meters) of pipe. 3. In sucker rod pumping, a single length of sucker rod that has threaded connections
at both ends. 24