Common Offshore Construction Terms and Acronyms
There are seemingly an endless number of offshore construction terms and acronyms, and they can be difficult for even the seasoned offshore worker or oil and gas engineer to keep straight. For newbie engineers and offshore workers, the lingo can sometimes seem like a foreign language until they’re properly initiated and immersed in offshore culture. If you’re looking for a quick reference guide to help you out with some of the most common terms and acronyms, we’re here to help! Here’s a list of some of the key terms and abbreviations you’ll encounter in offshore construction:
Articulated Platform
Also referred to as an Oscillating Platform, an offshore flare tower, buoy, or other structure attached to seabed using an articulated hinge.
ADW
Approval to drill wells.
BOPD
Barrels per day (oil production rate).
BS&W
Basic sediment and water, impurities separated from crude oil before transport.
Bury Barge
Ship used to bury pipelines on a seabed.
Compaction
Involves the volume reduction of sediments to address an increase in material weight or relieve pressure from movements in the earth’s crust.
COT
Cargo oil tank, can refer to either crude tankers or product tankers.
Conductor Pipe
A large casing that serves as a guide pipe for drilling.
DCS
Distributed control system, the computerized control system or application that monitors drilling operations.
Derrick Man
A worker in charge of a drill stem.
Discovery Well
A newly discovered well that serves as an untapped source of petroleum.
Drag Bit
A bit used for drilling into soft sediment.
Drill Stem Test
Procedure that tests an area’s potential for viable drilling.
DSV
Driving support vessel, a ship used specifically for exploratory diving.
EIS
Environmental Impact Statement, a statement that predicts the potential environmental effects of a project.
EPIC
Engineering, procuring, installing, and commissioning, a special contract in which a contractor agrees to oversee an entire project from start to finish.
Flexible Joint
Also called a ball-joint, used during drilling on a vessel or rig.
FGD
Fire and gas detection.
First Oil
The first date oil is produced from a project, when the first shuttle tanker is full of oil and ready for delivery from the reservoir.
Gas Oil Ratio
Ratio between gas in cubic feet and oil in barrels.
GBS
Gravity based structure, an offshore oil platform secured by gravity.
HP
High pressure.
Injection Well
Also called a service well, a hole drilled for the purpose of injecting water or gas into a reservoir.
Infilling
A process that involves sediment being deposited into cracks and/or holes.
Jacket
The steel frame that supports the deck and topsides of an offshore platform.
Killing the well
Stopping the flow from a well completely.
Kelly
A square or hexagonal steel bar, part of a drill stem.
LP
Low pressure.
LWD
Logging while drilling.
Monopod
A rig with a cylindric stem connecting the seabed to the surface.
MODU
Mobile offshore drilling units, also called Semi-Submersible rigs, used for offshore drilling in particularly deep water.
NGL
Natural gas liquids.
OGIP
Original gas in place, also referred to as OOIP (original oil in place).
Operations Phase
Every operation after first oil until a project is complete.
P50
50% probability.
Penetration Rate
A drill bit’s speed through sediment.
POB
Persons on board.
PSV
Platform supply vessel, a ship that transports offshore oil and gas platforms.
PVT
Pressure, volume, and temperature.
RFT
Repeat formation tester, a logging tool that measures pressure in an open hole.
ROV
Remote operated vehicle.
SPM
Single point mooring, a floating buoy or jetty anchored offshore to facilitate the handling of petroleum.
SS
Subsea.
Stand-by Vessel
A permanently docked ship that allows a rig-crew to evacuate in case of emergency.
TLP
Tension leg platform, a floating platform attached to the seabed using chains or stays.
TLS
Target levels of safety.
TVD
True vertical depth.
UPS
Uninterruptible power supply
VTS
Vessel traffic service.
WBM
Water-based mud, mud used in drilling with water or saltwater as the major source of liquid.
WOR
Water-oil ratio.
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