18 July 2017

Air drilling

A method of rotary drilling that uses compressed air as the circulation medium. The conventional method of removing cuttings from the wellbore is to use a […]
20 October 2021

Air pressure vessel (APV)

Pressure vessels are enclosed containers designed for the purpose of holding gas or liquis at a different pressure than the surrounding air pressure.
18 July 2017

Anchor deadline

Means of holding the deadline to the derrick or substructure. Usually this is the primary element of the weight indicator.
18 July 2017

Angle of deflection

In directional drilling, the angle, expressed in degrees, at which a well is deflected from the vertical by a whipstock or other deflection tool.
25 July 2017

Annular blowout preventer

A type of BOP that uses a shaped elastomeric sealing element (“packing element”) to seal the space between the tubular and the wellbore or an open […]
18 July 2017

Annular space

(also “annulus“) The space surrounding a cylindrical object within a cylinder. The space around a pipe in a wellbore, the other wall of which may be […]
20 October 2021

Annulus friction pressure (AFP)

Difference between bottomhole pressure (BHP) and choke pressure due to friction; a function of flow rate, hole geometry, surface roughness, fluid properties.
18 July 2017

Anticline

An arched, inverted-trough configuration of folded rock layers. Compare Syncline.
25 July 2017

API gravity

The measure of the density of gravity of liquid petroleum products in the United States; derived from relative density in accordance with the following equation: API […]