Carbon: A naturally abundant nonmetallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds
Chemical Energy: The energy released when substances combine or break down and form new substances
Coal: A solid fossil fuel formed by heat and pressure from the remains of ancient plants in swampy areas
Combustion: The process of burning a fuel to release heat energy
Conversion: The changing of a substance or the energy in it from one form to another
Derrickhands: The handlers of the upper end of the pipe as it is hoisted out of or lowered into the well hole while ensuring the circulation of machinery and the conditioning of the drilling fluid
Drillers: Those who are directly responsible for the drilling of the hole including operating and maintaining the drilling controls
Drilling Crews: The collective work of several individuals, companies, contractors and suppliers who dig and create oil wells
Energy: The ability to do work or make things move.
Environmental Geologists: Work to solve problems associated with pollution, waste management, urbanization and natural hazards by studying the interaction between the environment and human activities
Fuel: Any substance that can be burned to produce heat
Fossil fuels: Coal, oil and natural gas; this term applies to any fuels formed from the fossil remains of organic materials (plants and animals) that have been buried for millions of years
Geochemists: Study the composition of oil, natural gas and coal deposits using organic chemistry
Geologists: Study the processes, physical nature, resources and history of the earth
Geoscientists: Experts on the earth’s resources and environment
Horizontal Drilling: A drilling technology that allows a drill bore or hole to be initially drilled vertically (up and down) and then to curve horizontally (side to side) in order to produce oil and gas from shale rock formations.
Hydraulic Fracturing: A process where a mixture of pressurized water, sand, and a specifically formulated fracturing compound is pumped thousands of feet down into a shale rock formation to create tiny cracks in the rock. These tiny cracks free the trapped oil and natural gas.
Hydrocarbon: An organic compound.
Natural Gas: A mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs with petroleum deposits, principally methane together with varying quantities of ethane, propane, butane, and other gases, and is used as a fuel and in the manufacture of organic compounds
Oil: Any of several highly volatile, flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons distilled from petroleum, coal tar, and natural gas and used as fuel, as solvents, and in making various chemicals
Oil Rig: A mechanism used in drilling for oil or gas
Organic: Relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis
Peat: Partially carbonized vegetable matter, usually mosses, found in bogs and used as fertilizer and fuel
Petroleum: A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earth’s surface, can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, fuel, lubricating oils and asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products
Petroleum Engineers: Search for oil and natural gas reservoirs while designing equipment and processes to achieve the maximum profitable recovery of petroleum from reservoirs
Petroleum Geologist: Aids in the exploration for and production of oil and natural gas
Pollution: the contamination of soil, water, or the atmosphere by the discharge of harmful substances
Rotary Helpers: Handle the lower end of the pipe and help maintain the rig
Toolpushers: Those who oversee the drilling crews on the rig floor, supervise all drilling operations and coordinate contractor and operating company affairs
Well: A hole drilled or dug in the earth from which petroleum flows or is pumped
Wood: The secondary xylem of trees and shrubs, lying beneath the bark and consisting largely of cellulose and lignin. This tissue is often cut and dried especially for use as building material and fuel