Abandon To temporarily or permanently cease production from a well or to cease further drilling operations. Accommodation Platform/Rig An offshore platform, or semi-submersible rig, built or adapted to provide living quarters for drilling and production personnel. Account of others (natural gas) Natural gas deliveries for the account of others are deliveries to customers by transporters that do not own the natural gas but deliver it for others for a fee. Included are quantities covered by long-term contracts and quantities involved in short-term or spot market sales. Acquisition (foreign crude oil) All transfers of ownership of foreign crude oil to a firm, irrespective of the terms of that transfer. Acquisitions thus include all purchases and exchange receipts as well as any and all foreign crude acquired under reciprocal buy-sell agreements or acquired as a result of a buy-back or other preferential agreement with a host government. Acreage Land leased for oil and gas exploration and development; usually descriptive of more than one lease. Adsorption The attraction exhibited by the surface of a solid for a liquid or a gas when they are in contact. AESC Association of Energy Service Companies : a trade association that represents the interests of members of the energy service segment of the oil and gas industry. It offers publications regarding recommended industry practices and training materials. Aframax Carrier A tanker of approximately 80,000 to 120,000 dwt. Air Drilling A rotary drilling technique in which compressed air is used instead of fluids to circulate, or bring to the surface, bits of rock and other cuttings from the drill bit. Air Injection An enhanced recovery technique in which air is injected into the petroleum formation to increase reservoir pressure. Air Lift Means “at Value” a rate of freight based on the value of the goodsA production technique in which an air balance beam pumping unit is used to lift oil to the surface. Alkylation A refining process for converting light, gaseous olefins into high-octane gasoline components (the reverse of cracking). Alternative Fuel Sustainable, non-petroleum fuel with energy, security, and environmental benefits. Examples include methanol, denatured ethanol, natural gas, hydrogen, electricity from solar, hydro, or wind energy. Annular Blowout Preventer A large valve, usually installed above the ram preventers, that forms a seal in the annular space between the pipe and well bore. If no pipe is present, it forms a seal on the well bore itself. Annular pressure Pressure in an annular space. Annular Space The space around a pipe (casing or tubing) suspended in a wellbore is often termed the ANNULUS, and its outer wall may be either the wall of the borehole or the casing. Annulus The space between the drill string and the earthen wall of the well bore, or between the production tubing and the casing. ANSI American National Standards Institute : a non-profit organization (501(c)3) that administers and coordinates voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. API American Petroleum Institute A trade association and standards organization that represents the interests of the oil and gas industry. It offers publications regarding standards, recommended practices, and other industry related information. API Gravity The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks. API gravity is thus a measure of the relative density of a petroleum liquid and the density of water, but it is used to compare the relative densities of petroleum liquids. For example, if one petroleum liquid floats on another and is therefore less dense, it has a greater API gravity. Although mathematically API gravity has no units (see the formula below), it is nevertheless referred to as being in ?degrees?. API gravity is graduated in degrees on a hydrometer instrument and was designed so that most values would fall between 10 and 70 API gravity degrees. API-monagram The logo of the American Petroleum Institute (API) that is placed on certain pieces of oilfield equipment by the equipment manufacturer. API licenses the use of the monogram on equipment that meets the API's minimum standards. It offers publications regarding standards, recommended practices, and other industry related information. Address: 1220 L Street NW; Washington, DC 20005; (202) 682-8000 Apparent consumption that includes internal consumption, refinery fuel and loss, and bunkering. For countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), apparent consumption is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports plus refined product stock changes plus other oil consumption (such as direct use of crude oil). For countries outside the OECD, apparent consumption is either a reported figure or is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports, with stock levels assumed to remain the same. Apparent consumption also includes, where available, liquefied petroleum gases sold directly from natural gas processing plants for fuel or chemical uses. Apparent consumption, natural gas (international) The total of an individual nation's dry natural gas production plus imports less exports. Apparent consumption, petroleum (international) Consumption that includes internal consumption, refinery fuel and loss, and bunkering. For countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), apparent consumption is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports plus refined product stock changes plus other oil consumption (such as direct use of crude oil). For countries outside the OECD, apparent consumption is either a reported figure or is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports, with stock levels assumed to remain the same. Apparent consumption also includes, where available, liquefied petroleum gases sold directly from natural gas processing plants for fuel or chemical uses. Apparent consumption, petroleum (international) Consumption that includes internal consumption, refinery fuel and loss, and bunkering. For countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), apparent consumption is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports plus refined product stock changes plus other oil consumption (such as direct use of crude oil). For countries outside the OECD, apparent consumption is either a reported figure or is derived from refined product output plus refined product imports minus refined product exports, with stock levels assumed to remain the same. Apparent consumption also includes, where available, liquefied petroleum gases sold directly from natural gas processing plants for fuel or chemical uses. Appraisal Drilling Drilling carried out following the discovery of a new field to determine the physical extent, amount of reserves and likely production rate of the field. Appraisal Well Well drilled after the discovery of oil or gas to establish the limits of the reservoir, the productivity of wells in it and the properties of the oil or gas. Aquifer A water-bearing rock strata. In a water-drive field the aquifer is the water zone of the reservoir underlying the oil zone. ARDS The refiner's shorthand for "atmospheric residual desulfurization," a refining process that removes sulfur from oils. Artificial Lift Any method used to raise oil to the surface after a well ceases to flow. Asphalt A dark brown-to-black cement-like material obtained by petroleum processing and containing bitumens as the predominant component; used primarily for road construction. It includes crude asphalt as well as the following finished products: cements, fluxes, the asphalt content of emulsions (exclusive of water), and petroleum distillates blended with asphalt to make cutback asphalts. Note: The conversion factor for asphalt is 5.5 barrels per short ton. Associated Gas Natural gas found in association with oil, either dissolved in the oil or found as a cap of free gas above the oil in the reservoir. Associated Liquids Liquid hydrocarbons found in association with natural gas. Atmospheric crude oil distillation The refining process of separating crude oil components at atmospheric pressure by heating to temperatures of about 600 degrees to 750 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on the nature of the crude oil and desired products) and subsequent condensing of the fractions by cooling. Automation The automatic, self regulating control of equipment, systems, or processes.