18 July 2017

Shale shaker

A vibrating screen used to remove cuttings from the circulating fluid in rotary drilling operations. The size of the openings in the screen should be carefully […]
25 July 2017

Shallow hazards

Shallow hazards are adverse drilling subsurface conditions that may be encountered prior to the setting of the first pressure containment string and the emplacement of the […]
18 July 2017

Shaped charge

A relatively small container of high explosive that is loaded into a perforating gun. On detonation, the charge releases a small, high-velocity stream of particles (a […]
18 July 2017

Shear ram

The component in a blowout preventer that cuts, or shears, through drill pipe and forms a seal against well pressure. Shear rams are used in floating […]
18 July 2017

Shoe

Established at the bottom end of the conductor casing by cementing. See leak off test and conductor casing.
18 July 2017

Show

The appearance of oil or gas in cuttings, samples, or cores from a drilling well.
18 July 2017

Shut-in drillpipe pressure (SIDPP)

The difference between the formation pressure at the bottom of the well and the hydrostatic pressure in the drillpipe. Recorded when a well is shut in […]
18 July 2017

Sidewall coring

A coring technique in which core samples are obtained from the hole wall in a zone that has already been drilled. A hollow bullet is fired […]
18 July 2017

Single

A joint of drill pipe. Compare double, thribble, and fourble.
25 July 2017

Slips

Wedge-shaped pieces of metal with serrated inserts (dies) or other gripping elements, such as serrated buttons, that suspend the drill pipe or drill collars in the […]