We had previously posted a well-received blog post (also reposted on Natural Gas Now) about the oil and gas lingo that often provides some good laughs for people who may not be familiar to the industry.
Read the hybrid post below via Well Said and Natural Gas Now:
Americans seem to have a knack for naming and renaming things. Nothing says innovative better than a catchy name, slogan or acronym. Every industry takes it upon itself to create their own lingo to describe their equipment, operations and sometimes employees. The oil and gas industry is no different. There could be a whole dictionary of oil and gas lingo.
As an intern with the industry I had to catch onto some of the lingo on the fly and, surprisingly, there have been multiple instances where one of these terms has induced some giggling. So I compiled a list of some of the oil and gas lingo that threw me for a loop when I first started. I’ve included my original guesses for your entertainment.
Animal Terms Used in Oil and Gas Lingo:
Farm animals seem to be a reoccurring theme in this industry. Consider these examples:
“Pig”
My Guess: A farm animal, star of Charlotte’s Web, bacon, ribs, generally adorable pink creatures.
“Pig in a Bucket” – Ben Salter, Flickr
Oil and Gas Translation: Pipeline cleaning and measuring tool (also known as a pipeline inspection gauge or “PIG” and depicted below).
“Pig Launcher”
My Guess: A person whose occupation is to release a pig during pig races at county fairs.
Oil and Gas Translation: equipment used to insert a pig into the pipeline.
“Pig Catcher”
My Guess: A person whose occupation is to coral a runaway pig.
Oil and Gas Translation: Equipment used to remove the pig from the pipeline after cleaning and measuring
This video explains how a pig launcher, pig and pig catcher work to clean and measure a pipeline.
“Horsehead”
My Guess: The head of the common, yet majestic farm animal, the horse.
Oil and Gas Translation: The curved guide or head piece on the top of an oil well.
“Dog House”
My Guess: A figurative place where people go when they’ve made a mistake; an outdoor shelter for a domesticated dog.
Oil and Gas Translation: The steel-sided room adjacent to the rig floor, usually having an access door close to the driller‘s controls. This general-purpose shelter is a combination tool shed, office, communications center, coffee room, lunchroom and general meeting place for the driller and his crew.
Some More Odd Ones from Oil and Gas Lingo:
Oil and gas lingo isn’t limited to laughable animal terms, however. There’s plenty more. Here are some of them.
“POOH”
My Guess: Lovable bear with a weakness for honey from the children’s series “Winnie the Pooh.”
Oil and Gas Translation: Pull Out Of Hole.
“Granny Rag”
My Guess: A piece of cloth carried around by an elderly woman used a variety of ways, often as a Kleenex for small children.
Oil and Gas Translation: Type of coating or method of coating a pipeline in the field rather than a factory applied coating.
“Holiday”
My Guess: A day off from work.
Oil and Gas Translation: Hole in the protective coating of a steel pipeline.
“Jeep”
My Guess: A cool car that was originally designed for military use on uneven terrain.
Oil and Gas Translation (n): another term for a hole in the protective coating of a pipeline
“Stub”
My Guess: As in “Stubbing your toe,” painful accident; can be a weekly occurrence for clumsy people.
Oil and Gas Translation: Length of a small diameter distribution pipeline from the main line to the customer’s property or meter location
Still More Oil and Gas Lingo:
There are several other terms from the industry that, while more straightforward than some of the above, still need interpretation. Like these:
“Rig Up”
As the child of two native Pittsburghers my original guess was derived from the common yinzer phrase “red up” which means “get ready.”
My Guess: Get dressed, prepare to leave, hurry
Oil and Gas Translation: To make ready for use. Equipment must typically be moved onto the rig floor, assembled and connected to power sources or pressurized piping systems.
Turns out I wasn’t too far off on this one.
“Mud Logger”
My Guess: A logger who cuts down trees in very muddy conditions.
Oil and Gas Translation: A technician who uses chemical anlysis, micorscopic examination of the cuttings, and an assortment of electronic insturments to monitor the mud system for possible indications of hydrocarbons.
“Kick Off Point (KOP)”
My Guess: The start of swim meets when the swimmers “kick off” form the wall or starting block.
Oil and Gas Translation:: The kickoff point is the location at a given depth below the surface where the wellbore is deviated in a given direction.
“Christmas Tree”
My Guess: Fresh cut evergreens people decorate to celebrate Christmas.
Oil and Gas Translation: An assembly of valves, gauges, and chokes mounted on a well casing head to control production and the flow of oil to the pipelines.
“Skidding the Rig”
My Guess: Dropping the rig and somehow leaving a black scratch on the well pad.
Oil and Gas Translation: Moving a derrick from one location to another on skids and rollers.
Source: Drillmec Drilling Technologies
“Trip”
My Guess: The act of falling slightly or completely, over an inanimate object or simply one’s own foot.
Oil and Gas Translation: Making a “trip” is the procedure of pulling the entire string of drill pipe out of the borehole and hten running the entire length of the drill pipe back in the hole.
“Dope”
My Guess: Slang term that is a synonym for “cool” or “awesome.”
Oil and Gas Translation: Pipe coating.
“Dresser”
My Guess: Piece of furniture often used to store clothing.
Oil and Gas Translation: Mechanical coupling used to join joints or lengths of pipe rather than threading or welding.
I hope that provides some insight into oil and gas lingo for those of you who may be unacquainted with the details of the industry.
More Oil & Gas Lingo can be found here.
