|
| |
| A |
| Acre - A unit of area equivalent
to 43,560 square feet. |
| Actual Production -
A federal oil and gas lease is considered in actual production
status when it contains one or more wells drilled on a lease
or unit or communization agreement basis, which are producing
or capable of producing oil or gas in paying quantities. |
| Acute Hazard - A hazard that
can have either an immediate or delayed effect (with short-term
or prolonged consequences) due to a single exposure to an accident,
such as exposure to a gas explosion, fireball, or a release
of an acutely toxic material. |
| Air Basin - An area with generally
similar meteorological and geographic conditions throughout.
To the extent possible, air basin boundaries are defined along
political boundary lines and include both the source and receptor
areas. California is currently divided into 15 air basins. Santa
Barbara County is located in the South Central Coast Air Basin,
along with San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties. |
| Air District - A political
body responsible for managing air quality on a regional or county
basis. California is currently divided into 35 air districts
(See Regulatory Agencies). |
| Air Pollution - Degradation
of air quality resulting from unwanted chemicals or other materials
occurring in the air. |
| Air Pollution Control District (APCD)
- The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District regulates
local sources of air pollution in accordance with state and
federal air pollution control laws for the purposes of attaining
all ambient air quality standards and minimizing public exposure
to airborne toxins and nuisance odors. |
| Air Quality Attainment Plan (AQAP)
- A comprehensive document required under the California Clean
Air Act (Health and Safety Code Section 40910 et. seq.), which
details the programs and control measures to be implemented
for the purpose of reducing emissions. Emissions ultimately
must be reduced to the extent the measured concentrations of
pollutants in the air will not exceed California ambient air
quality standards. |
| Ambient Air Quality Standard
- Health and welfare-based standards established by the state
or federal government for clean outdoor air that identify the
maximum acceptable average concentrations of air pollutants
during a specified period of time. |
| American Gas Association (AGA) -
The American Gas Association (AGA) represents local natural
gas utilities that deliver gas to U.S. homes and businesses.
AGA provides services to member natural gas pipelines, marketers,
gatherers, international gas companies and industry associates.
AGA acts as a clearinghouse for gas energy information and as
a catalyst in technical and energy policy matters. |
| American Petroleum Institute (API)
- The primary trade association representing all segments of
the petroleum industry from exploration through marketing in
the United States. API is the largest association in the petroleum
industry and API provides a forum for the oil and natural gas
industry to pursue public policy objectives and advance the
interests of the industry. |
| American Society For Testing And Materials
(ASTM) - ASTM provides a forum for the development and publication
of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems,
and services. |
| Amine Unit - A natural gas
treatment unit for removing contaminants- H2S, COS, CO2 - by
the use of amines. Amine units are often skid-mounted so they
can be moved to the site of new gas production. Gas containing
H2S and other impurities must be cleaned up before it is acceptable
to gas transmission pipelines. |
| Amortization - A process
that allows for the eventual termination of a non-conforming
use, without compensation, by establishing a time period for
the owner to recoup its investment. |
| Approved Exploration
Plan Review Process (AEPRP) - The Minerals Management
Service (MMS) Pacific Region established this process in 1994
to review previously approved Exploration Plans (EP's) in
the Pacific Region. This process provides the opportunity
for MMS and state and local agencies to jointly investigate
and propose appropriate mitigation, which could be necessary
because of changes to a plan or to the environmental considerations
that may have occurred over the intervening years since the
original plan was approved. This process implements the MMS
regulatory requirement found at 30 CFR 250.33(n)(1) [Code
of Federal Regulations] for periodic reviews of approved EP's.
The MMS reviews an EP under this process when an operator
intends to drill an exploratory well pursuant to an approved
EP that is over 2 years old. |
| Aromatics - Hydrocarbons characterized
by unsaturated ring structures of carbon atoms. Commercial petroleum
aromatics are benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX). |
| Artificial Lift - Any
method used to raise oil to the surface through a well after
reservoir pressure has declined to the point at which the well
no longer produces be means of natural energy. Sucker rod pumps,
gas lift, hydraulic pumps, and submersible electric pumps are
the most common forms of artificial lift. |
| Asphalt - A solid hydrocarbon
found as a natural deposit. Crude oil of high asphaltic content,
when subjected to distillation to remove the lighter fractions
such as naphtha and kerosene, leaves asphalt as a residue. Asphalt
is a cement-like material containing bitumens as the predominant
constituent obtained by petroleum processing. It’s dark
brown or black in color and at normal temperatures is a solid. |
| Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) -
A unique number assigned by the County Assessor identifying
a property for tax assessment purposes only. It does not indicate
parcel legality or a valid building site. |
| Attainment Area - A geographic
region, which is in compliance with the National and/or California
Ambient Air Quality Standards for a criteria pollutant under
the Federal Clean Air Act or California Clean Air Act. |
| Authority to Construct (ACT) - The
ATC permit allows for the construction of a new facility or
installation as well as modification of equipment at an existing
facility. The ATC ensures that the equipment is designed, constructed,
and operated to meet local, state, and federal air quality requirements.
|
| Average Noise Levels Exceeded 10% of
Time (L10) - L10 is the noise level
exceeded for 10% of the total sample time when noise measurements
are conducted. |
| Average Noise Levels Over Specific Time
Period (LEQ) - LEQ is equivalent continuous
sound level during a period of sound monitoring and measurement.
|
|
| B |
| Barrel (bbl) - A measure of volume
for petroleum products. One barrel is equivalent to 42 U.S.
gallons or 0.1589 cubic meters. One cubic meter equals 6.293
barrels. |
| Barrels Per Calendar Day - The
maximum number of barrels of input that can be processed during
a 24-hour period after making allowances for the following
limitations:
- The capacity of downstream facilities to absorb the output
of crude oil processing facilities of a given refinery,
- The types and grades of inputs to be processed,
- The types and grades of products expected to be manufactured,
- The environmental constraints associated with refinery
operations,
- The reduction of capacity for scheduled downtime such
as routine inspection, mechanical problems, maintenance,
repairs and turnaround; and the reduction of capacity for
unscheduled downtime such as mechanical problems, repairs,
and slowdowns.
|
| Barrels Per Day (BPD) - In the United
States, a measure of the rate of flow of a well; total amount
of oil and other fluids produced, processed, or transported
per day. |
| Barrels Per Stream Day - The amount
a unit can process running at full capacity under optimal crude
oil and product slate conditions. |
| Basic Sediment and Water (BS&W)
- Impurities and foreign matter contained in oil produced from
a well. |
| Batch - A definite amount of oil,
mud, acid, or other liquid in a tank or pipe. |
| Benzene (C6H6)
- An aromatic hydrocarbon present in small proportion in some
crude oils and made commercially from petroleum by the catalytic
reforming of napthenes in petroleum naptha. Also made from coal
in the manufacture of coke. Used as a solvent, in manufacturing
detergents, synthetic fibers, and petrochemicals and as a component
of high-octane gasoline. |
| Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene
(BTEX) - Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes (BTEX),
and substituted benzyne are the most common aromatic compounds
in petroleum, making up to a few percent of the total mass of
some crude oils. BTEX are the most soluble and mobile fraction
of crude oil. BTEX are also hazardous, carcinogenic, and neuro-toxic
compounds subject to hazardous materials regulations. |
Best Available Control Technology (BACT)
- BACT is a term used to describe up-to-date methods, systems,
techniques, and processes applied to new and modified sources
of air pollution in order to achieve the most feasible air pollution
emission control. BACT is a requirement stipulated in APCD Regulation
VIII (New Source Review), in both Rule 802 (Non-attainment Review)
and Rule 803 (Prevention of Significant Deterioration). Rule
802 governs the permitting and new and modified stationary sources
of air pollution that emit pollutants for which the County has
been designated as non-attainment for either the State or federal
ambient air quality health standards. Rule 803 governs the permitting
of new or modified stationary sources of attainment pollutants.
Each of these two rules contains its own emission rate thresholds
over which the BACT requirement is triggered. For sources permitted
under Rule 802, BACT is the more stringent of:
a) The most effective control device, emission unit, or
technique that has been achieved in practice for the type
of equipment comprising the stationary source; or
b) The most stringent limitation contained in any
State Implementation Plan; or
c) Any other emission control device or technique
determined after public hearing to be technologically feasible
and cost effective by the Control Officer.
For sources permitted under Rule 803, BACT is an emission
limitation based on the maximum degree of reduction for each
pollutant that would be emitted from any new or modified stationary
source, which on a case-by-case basis, taking into account
energy, environment, and economic impacts and other costs,
is achievable for such a source or modification through application
of production processes or available methods, systems, and
techniques, including fuel cleaning or treatment or innovative
fuel combustion techniques for control of such a pollutant. |
| Best Management Practice (BMP) -
BMPs are: 1) a practice or combination of practices that are
determined to be the most effective and practicable means of
controlling point and non-point pollutants at levels compatible
with environmental quality goals; and 2) methods, measures or
practices selected by an agency to meet pollution control needs.
BMPs include structural and non-structural controls, operation,
and maintenance procedures. |
| Billion (B) - (U.S.) denoting
a quantity consisting of one thousand million items or units;
(Britain) denoting a quantity consisting of one million million
items or units [syn: a billion] n 1: (in Britain) the number
that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros [syn: one
million million, 1000000000000] 2: (in the United States) the
number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros [syn:
one thousand million, 1000000000] |
| Bioventing - Bioventing stimulates
the naturally occurring soil microorganisms to degrade compounds
in soil by providing oxygen. The rate of natural degradation
is generally limited by lack of oxygen in soil. In conventional
bioventing systems, oxygen is delivered by an electronic blower
to subsurface vent wells such that the airflow to provide oxygen
to sustain microbial activity. Passive bioventing systems use
natural air exchange to deliver oxygen to the subsurface via
bioventing wells. A one-way valve is installed on a vent well,
which allows air to enter the well when the pressure inside
the well is lower than atmospheric pressure. |
| Bit - The cutting or boring element
used in drilling oil and gas wells. The bit consists of a cutting
element and a circulating element. The circulating element allows
the passage of drilling fluid and employs the hydraulic force
of the fluid stream to improve drilling rates. In rotary drilling,
several drill collars are joined to the bottom end of the drill
pipe, and the bit is attached to the end of the sting of drill
collars. |
| Bleed - To drain off liquid or
gas, generally slowly, through a valve called a bleeder. To
bleed down, or bleed off, means to release pressure slowly from
a well or from pressurized equipment. |
| Blowdown - 1) The emptying or
depressurizing of material in a vessel. 2) The material thus
discarded. |
| Blowout - An uncontrolled flow
of gas, oil, or other fluids from a well to the atmosphere.
A well may blow out when formation pressure exceeds the pressure
overburden of a column of drilling fluid. |
| Blowout Preventer -
One of several valves installed at the wellhead to prevent the
escape of pressure either in the annular space between the casing
and drill pipe or in the open hole (i.e., hole with no drill
present) during drilling completion operations. Blowout preventers
on land rigs are located beneath the rig at the land's surface;
on jack-up or platforms rigs, at the water's surface; and on
floating offshore rigs, on the seafloor. |
| Board of Supervisors - A county’s
legislative body. Board members are elected by popular vote
and are responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes,
making appropriations, and establishing county policy. The board
adopts the general plan, zoning, and subdivision regulations. |
| Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions
(BLEVEs) - The violent rupture of a container of flammable
material and the rapid vaporization of the material, which may
result in a large rising fireball with intense thermal radiation
and potential "rocketing" of part of the container.
BLEVEs generally result from exposure of the container to external
source of high heat. |
| Bonuses - OCS leases in areas
thought to contain minerals are awarded through a competitive
bidding process. Bonuses represent the cash amount successfully
bid to win the rights to a lease. |
| British Thermal Unit (BTU) - The
amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree
Fahrenheit. |
| Brown Act - The Ralph M. Brown
open Meeting Act (commencing with Government Code Section 54950)
requires cities and counties to provide advanced public notice
of hearings and meetings of their councils, boards, and other
bodies. Meetings and hearings, with some exceptions, must be
open to the public. |
| Buffer Zone - A geographic area
between a potential pollution source and areas sensitive to
that potential pollution source. Buffer zones are intended to
control erosion, filter sediments, filter and absorb pollutants,
etc. |
| Bulk Terminal - A facility used
primarily for the storage and/or marketing of petroleum products
which has a total bulk storage capacity of 50,000 barrels or
more and/or receives petroleum products by tanker, barge or
pipeline. |
| Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency - The Business, Transportation
& Housing Agency is part of the Executive Branch of California
government and its Secretary is a member of the Governor's
cabinet. There are 14 departments within the Business, Transportation
and Housing Agency. The Agency oversees programs that plan,
build, and maintain California's transportation systems, that
ensure efficient and fair markets for the real estate industry,
and that assist state and community efforts to expand the
availability of affordable housing. The Agency also regulates
managed health care plans as well as the banking, and financial
and securities industries, and carries out the Governor's
vision for business, transportation and housing in California. |
| Butane (C4H10)
- A normally gaseous, paraffinic hydrocarbon (C4H10)
extracted from natural gas or refinery gas streams. It includes
isobutane and normal butane, and is used primarily for blending
into high-octane gasoline, for residential and commercial heating,
and for industrial purposes, especially the manufacture of chemicals
and synthetic rubber. |
| Bypass - 1) A pipe connection
around a valve or other control mechanism that is installed
to permit passage of fluid through the line while adjustments
or repairs are being made on the control. 2) A delivery of gas
to a customer's traditional supplier. For example, delivery
of gas to an end user directly off a transmission pipeline without
moving the gas through the end user's traditional local distribution
company supplier. |
|
| C |
| California Air
Resources Board (ARB or CARB) - The State's lead air quality
agency consisting of an eleven-member board appointed by the
Governor and several hundred employees. CARB is responsible
for attainment and maintenance of the state and federal air
quality standards, and is fully responsible for motor vehicle
pollution control. It oversees county and regional air pollution
programs. |
| California Ambient Air Quality Standards
(CAAQS) - A legal limit that specifies the maximum level
and time of exposure in the outdoor air for a given air pollutant
and which is protective of human health and public welfare (Health
and Safety Code 39606b). CAAQSs are recommended by the California
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and adopted
into regulation by the CARB. CAAQSs are the standards which
must be met per the requirements of the California Clean Air
Act (State Act). |
| California Clean Air Act of
1988 - A California law passed in 1988, which provides the
basis for air quality planning and regulation independent of
federal regulations. A major element of the Act is the requirement
that local air districts in violation of the CAAQS must prepare
attainment plans which identify air quality problems, causes,
trends, and actions to be taken to attain and maintain California's
air quality standards by the earliest practicable date. |
| California Coastal Commission
(CCC) - This commission was established by voter initiative
in 1972 (Proposition 20) and made permanent by the Legislature
in 1976 (the Coastal Act). The primary mission of the Commission,
as the lead agency responsible for carrying out California's
federally approved coastal management program, is to plan for
and regulate land and water uses in the coastal zone consistent
with the policies of the Coastal Act. |
| California Department of Conservation,
Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) -
This division oversees the drilling, operation, maintenance,
and plugging of oil, natural gas, and geothermal wells, emphasizing
sound engineering practices that protect the environment, prevent
pollution, and ensure public safety. |
| California Department of Fish and Game
(CDFG) - This department manages California's diverse fish,
wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they
depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment
by the public. |
| California Department of Fish and Game,
Division of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). OSPR which
is housed within the Department Fish and Game is the lead State
agency charged with oil spill prevention and response within
California's marine environment. The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand
Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990 established OSPR
and provides the OSPR Administrator with substantial authority
to direct spill response, cleanup, and natural resource damage
assessment activities. |
| California Department
of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) - The Department's mission
is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure
public health, environmental quality and economic vitality,
by regulating hazardous waste, conducting and overseeing cleanups,
and developing and promoting pollution prevention. |
| California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
- The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) (Fish &
Game Code §§ 2050, et seq.) generally parallels the
main provisions of the Federal Endangered Species Act and is
administered by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
Under CESA the term "endangered species" is defined
as a species of plant, fish, or wildlife which is "in serious
danger of becoming extinct throughout all, or a significant
portion of its range" and is limited to species or subspecies
native to California. |
| California Energy Commission (CEC)
- This commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning
agency. Created by the Legislature in 1974 and located in Sacramento,
the Commission has five major responsibilities: 1) forecasting
future energy needs and keeping historical energy data; 2) licensing
thermal power plants 50 MW or larger; 3) promoting energy efficiency
through appliance and building standards; 4) developing energy
technologies and supporting renewable energy; and 5) planning
for and directing state response to energy emergencies. |
| California Environmental Projection
Agency (Cal/EPA) - This agency is responsible for the restoration,
protection, and enhancement of the environment, to ensure public
health, environmental quality and economic vitality. |
| California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) - The basic purpose of CEQA is: 1) to inform government
decision makers and the public about the potential environmental
effects of proposed activities; 2) to identify ways that a proposed
project's environmental damage can be avoided or significantly
reduced; 3) to prevent significant, avoidable damage by requiring
changes in projects, either by the adoption of alternatives
or imposition of mitigation measures; and 4) to disclose to
the public why a project was approved if that project would
have significant environmental effects. California lawmakers
enacted CEQA (Public Resources Code, § 21000 et. seq.)
in 1970, one year after the federal lawmakers enacted the National
Environmental Policy Act. CEQA applies to all governmental agencies
at all levels in California, but does not apply to the California
legislature. It affects the approval of projects subject to
CEQA that may result in one or more significant effects on the
environment. "CEQA compels government first to identify
the environmental effects of projects, and then to mitigate
those adverse effects through the imposition of feasible alternatives."
(Sierra Club v. State Board of Forestry, 1994.) |
| California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC) - The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
regulates privately owned telecommunications, electric, natural
gas, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation
companies. |
| California Public Utilities
Commission (Energy Division) - This Division drafts resolutions
for formal consideration by the California Public Utilities
Commission. These resolutions generally result from informal
utility requests called advice letters that are submitted
to request rate and tariff adjustments. The Energy Division
through its Federal Policy and Rate-making Section represents
the Commission in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
and court proceedings. The Energy Division assists the Commission
in its regulation of four types of Investor-Owned Utilities
(IOUs): Electric, Natural Gas, Steam and Petroleum Pipeline
Companies. Commission-approved tariffs (official rates and
terms of service) for these four types of IOUs are maintained
by the Energy Division. |
| California
Resources Agency - This agency is responsible for the conservation,
enhancement, and management of California's natural and cultural
resources, including land, water, wildlife, parks, minerals,
and historic sites. Among its departments, boards, conservancies,
commissions and programs, the following play a pre-dominate
role in development of offshore oil and gas reserves. |
| California State Lands Commission (SLC)
- This commission was established in 1938 with authority
detailed in Division 6 of the California Public Resources Code.
The members of the State Lands "Commission" include
the Lieutenant Governor, the State Controller and the State
Director of Finance. |
| California State
Water Resources Control Board - The State Water Resources
Control Board (SWRCB) was created by the Legislature in 1967.
The SWRCB ensures the quality for waters of the State, while
allocating those waters to achieve the optimum balance of beneficial
uses. The joint authority of water allocation and water quality
protection enables the SWRCB to provide comprehensive protection
for California's waters. The SWRCB consists of five full-time
salaried Members, each filling a different specialty position.
Board members are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor
and confirmed by the Senate. There are nine Regional Water Quality
Control Boards that develop and enforce water quality objectives
and implementation plans which will best protect the beneficial
uses of the State's waters, recognizing local differences in
climate, topography, geology and hydrology. Each RWQCB has nine
part-time Members also appointed by the Governor and confirmed
by the Senate. RWQCBs develop "basin plans" for their
hydrologic areas, govern requirements, issue waste discharge
permits, take enforcement action against violators, and monitor
water quality. The task of protecting and enforcing the many
uses of water, including the needs of industry, agriculture,
municipal districts, and the environment is an ongoing challenge
for the SWRCB and RWQCBs. |
| Capacity (idle) - The component
of operable capacity that is not in operation and not under
active repair, but capable of being placed in operation within
30 days; and capacity not in operation but under active repair
that can be completed within 90 days. |
| |
| Capacity (operable)
- The amount of capacity that, at the beginning of the period,
is in operation; not in operation and not under active repair,
but capable of being placed in operation within 30 days; or
not in operation but under active repair that can be completed
within 90 days. Operable capacity is the sum of the operating
and idle capacity and is measured in barrels per calendar day
or barrels per stream day. |
| Capacity (production) -
The maximum amount of product that can be produced from processing
facilities. |
| Capping - A process to close
a well to prevent the escape of gas. |
| Casing - The large-diameter steel
pipe placed in an oil and gas well as drilling progresses to
prevent the wall of the hole from caving in during drilling,
to prevent seepage of fluids, and to provide a means of extracting
hydrocarbons if the well is productive. |
| Casing Head - The top of
the casing set in a well; the part of the casing that protrudes
above the surface and to which the control valves and flow pipes
are attached. |
| Casing Head Gas - Gas produced
from an oil well as distinguished from gas produced from a gas
well. The casing head gas is taken off at the top of the well
or at the separator. |
| Cathodic Protection
- A method of preventing corrosion by applying a low-voltage
electrical charge on a metal pipeline, which causes the pipeline
to behave as a cathode |
| Caustic Soda - Caustic Soda
(sodium hydroxide) is a strong, highly poisonous and corrosive
alkali |
| Cellar - A hole dug, usually before
drilling of a well, to allow working space for the casing head
equipment. |
| Christmas Tree - The assembly
of control valves, pressure gauges, and chokes at the top of
a well to control the flow of oil and gas after the well has
been drilled and completed. |
| Clean Air Act (CAA) - A federal law
passed in 1970 and amended in 1977 and 1990, which forms the
basis for the national pollution control effort. Basic elements
of the act include national ambient air quality standards for
major air pollutants, air toxicity standards, acid rain control
measures, and enforcement provisions. |
| Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)
- Passed by Congress in 1972, CZMA encourages effective management
of coastal zone resources. This act established a federal and
state coordinated regulatory process known as "consistency
review," which grants to coastal states that elect to participate
in the CZMA program and whose coastal programs have been federally
approved, the ability to regulate federal activities that affect
their coastal zones - including Outer Continental Shelf oil
and gas activities. The CZMA provides federal funding to support
state coastal zone management programs that meet certain CZMA
policy objectives. California's Coastal Management Plan was
certified in 1978 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
giving the State consistency review over federal activities
that affect its coastal zone. |
| Cogeneration Plant
- A coal- or gas-fired plant that generates both steam and electricity
for in-plant use or for sale. |
| Commingled - Mixed. With respect
to oil, it is the mixture of oil and gas from different sources
into a common stream. |
| Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL)
- The CNEL is a calculated noise average over a 24 hour period.
It attempts to differentiate the intrusiveness of daytime and
nighttime noises by applying a weighting factor to nighttime
noise. |
| Community Plan - Community plans
are often used by cities and counties to plan the future of
an area at a finer level of detail than that provided in the
comprehensive plan. A portion of the comprehensive plan focusing
on the issues pertinent to a particular area or community within
a city or county. It supplements the policies of the comprehensive
plan. |
| Comprehensive (General) Plan
- The local comprehensive plan can be described as a city's
or county's "blueprint" for future development.
The comprehensive plan and its diagrams and maps have a long-term
outlook, identifying the types of development that will be
allowed, the spatial relationships among land uses, and the
general pattern of future development. State law mandates
seven elements in a county's or general law city's comprehensive
plan (though other elements may be added as a jurisdiction
deems necessary). These seven elements are:
- Land Use Element - Designates the general location and
intensity of housing, business, industry, open space, education,
public buildings and grounds, waste disposal facilities,
and other land uses.
- Circulation Element - Identifies the general location
and extent of existing and proposed major roads, transportation
routes, terminals, and public utilities and facilities.
It must be correlated with the land use element.
- Housing Element - A comprehensive assessment of current
and projected housing needs for all economic segments of
the community and region. It sets forth local housing policies
and programs to implement those policies.
- Conservation element - Addresses the conservation, development,
and use of natural resources including water, forests, soils,
rivers, and mineral deposits.
- Open-space Element - Details plans and measures for preserving
open space for natural resources, the managed production
of resources, outdoor recreation, public health and safety,
and the identification of agricultural land.
- Noise Element - Identifies and appraises noise problems
within the community and forms the basis for distributing
new noise-sensitive land uses.
- Safety Element - Establishes policies and programs to
protect the community from risks associated with seismic,
geologic, flood, and wildfire hazards.
|
| Condensate - A natural gas
liquid with a low vapor pressure, compared with natural gasoline
and liquefied petroleum gas. It is produced from a deep well
where the temperature and pressure are high. Gas condenses as
it rises up the well bore and reaches the surface as condensate.
Similarly, condensate separates out naturally in pipelines or
in a separation plant by the normal process of condensation. |
| Condensate (plant) - One
of the natural gas liquids, mostly pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons,
recovered and separated as liquids at gas inlet separators or
scrubbers in processing plants. |
| Conditional Use Permit (CUP) - Most
zoning ordinances identify certain uses that do not precisely
fit into existing zones, but which may be allowed upon approval
of a conditional use permit. The local zoning ordinance specifies
those uses for which a conditional use permit may be requested,
which zones they may be requested in, and the public hearing
procedure. If the local planning commission or board of supervisors
approves the use, it will usually do so subject to certain conditions
being met by the permit applicant. |
| Control Measure - A strategy
to reduce the emissions of air pollution caused by a specific
activity or related group of activities. An existing control
measure is a measure, which is currently being implemented as
a rule. A proposed for adoption control measure is a measure
that the APCD will be mandated to make into a rule if the plan
is approved by the Board. A further study control measure is
a measure that has the potential of being proposed for adoption,
but warrants further study. |
| Corrosion Inhibitor -
A chemical substance that minimizes or prevents corrosion in
metal equipment. |
| Coupon - A small metal strip which
is exposed to corrosive systems for purpose of determining the
nature and severity of corrosion. |
| Crude Oil - An unrefined liquid
petroleum consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons. It ranges
in gravity from 9 degrees API to 55 degrees API and in color
from yellow to black. Crude oils may be referred to as heavy
or light, according to API gravity, with lighter weight oil
exhibiting the higher gravity. Viscosity varies with gravity;
crude oils with lower gravity are more viscous and oils with
higher gravity are less viscous. |
| Crude Oil (domestic) - Crude
oil produced in the United States or from its "outer continental
shelf" as defined in 43 USC 1331. |
| Crude Oil (foreign) - Crude
oil produced outside of the United States. Imported Athabasca
hydrocarbons (tar sands from Canada) are included. |
| Crude Oil (Heavy) -
Crude oil of 20º API gravity or less. There are perhaps
billions of barrels of heavy crude oil still in place in the
U.S. that require special production techniques, notably steam
injection or steam soak, to extract them from the underground
formations. |
| Crude Oil (Sour) -
Oil containing hydrogen sulfide or other acidic gases. |
| Crude Oil Production - The
volume of crude oil produced from oil reservoirs during given
periods of time. The amount of such production for a given period
is measured as volumes delivered from lease storage tanks (i.e.,
the pint of custody transfer) to pipelines, trucks, or other
media for transport to refineries or terminals with adjustments
for (1) net differences between opening and closing lease inventories,
and (2) basic sediment and water (BS&W). |
| Crude Oil Qualities - Refers
to two properties of crude oil, the sulfur content and API gravity,
which affect refinery processing complexity and product characteristics. |
| Cubic Foot (cu ft) - The volume
of a cube, all edges of which measure 1 foot. Natural gas in
the United States is usually measured in cubic feet, with the
most common standard cubic foot being measured at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit and 14.65 pounds per square inch absolute, although
base conditions vary from state to state. |
| Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP)
- A CRMP is formulated to preserve and protect cultural resources
from project impacts. Cultural resources include, but are not
limited to, 1) archaeological materials and sites that are currently
located on or beneath the ground surface; 2) standing structures
that are over 50 years of age or are important because they
represent a major historical theme or era; 3) cultural and natural
places, certain natural resources, and sacred objects that have
importance for Native Americans; and 4) American folklore traditions
and arts. A CRMP must reflect an understanding of the historical,
architectural, cultural and landscape characteristics that make
a resource eligible for listing on the National Register, and,
if not already prepared, provide an inventory of such resources.
The CRMP must also justify the removal or alteration of a resource. |
| Cumulative Effect - The incremental
effect(s) of an individual project in connection with the effects
of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and
the effects of probable future projects (Public Resources Code
Section 30105.5). |
| Cuttings - The fragments of
rock dislodged by the bit and brought to the surface in the
drilling mud. Washed and dried cuttings samples are analyzed
by geologists to obtain information about the formations drilled.
|
|
| D |
| Dead Weight Tons (DWT) - The carrying
capacity of a vessel is the total weight of cargo, bunkers,
dunnage, provisions, water, stores and spare parts, expressed
in tons which a vessel can lift when loaded in salt water to
her maximum draft, either winter, summer or tropical load-line,
as the case may be. |
| Decibel (dB) - The decibel (dB) is
a unit of a logarithmic scale of power or intensity used to
describe the amplitude of sound called the power level or intensity
level. The decibel is defined as one tenth of a bel where one
bel represents a difference in level between two intensities
I1, I0 where one is ten times greater than the other. |
| Decline Curve - An analysis
of established trends of oil and gas production and analogous
production data from other sources to project future production. |
| Dehydrate - To remove water
from a substance. Dehydration of crude oil is normally accomplished
by treating with emulsion breakers. The water vapor in natural
gas must be removed to meet pipeline requirements; a typical
maximum allowable water vapor content is 7 pounds per million
cubic feet per day. |
| Department of Commerce (DOC) - A
cabinet-level department in the Executive Branch of the Federal
Government responsible for promoting a sustainable national
economy. |
| Department of Energy (DOE) - A Cabinet-level
department in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government
responsible for coordinating a comprehensive and balanced national
energy plan. |
| Department of the Interior (DOI)
- A Cabinet-level department in the Executive Branch of the
Federal Government, responsible for the administration of most
of the nationally owned public lands and natural resources.
|
| Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) - The State of California,
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for
the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the
California State Highway System, as well as that portion of
the Interstate Highway System within the state's boundaries.
Alone and in partnership with Amtrak, Caltrans is also involved
in the support of intercity passenger rail service in California,
and is a leader in promoting the use of alternative modes
of transportation. The current framework of Caltrans was set
down by Assembly Bill 69 in 1972. |
| Department of Transportation (DOT)
- The Department of Transportation touches the public through
its mission of ensuring that our various modes of transportation
operate safely on an individual basis and together as an inter-linked
transportation system. |
| Department of Water Resources - This
department prepares and updates California's Water Plan every
five years to reflect changes in water demand and suggest ways
of managing demand and augmenting supplies. The Department also
maintains the State Water Project, regulates dams, provides
flood protection through a Flood Management Program, and assists
in emergency management through the emergency response functions
established in the California State Emergency Plan and the California
Water Code. |
| Derrick - The tower component
of a drilling rig that supports the cables and blocks, which
in turn raise and lower the frill stem and bit. |
| Development Fees - Fees charged
to developers or builders as a prerequisite to construction
or development approval. |
| Diluent - Liquid added to dilute
or thin a solution; sometimes added to heavy crude oil to aid
transportation via pipeline. |
| Discretionary Action
- An action which requires the public agency to exercise judgement
in deciding whether to approve or disapprove the particular
activity, as distinguished from situations where the public
agency merely has to determine whether there has been conformity
with applicable ordinances or other laws. Pub. Res. Code §
21080(a). |
| Dispersant - Dispersants are
chemicals that are applied directly to an oil slick. The key
components of chemical dispersants are active agents called
surfactants (also known as detergents). Chemical dispersants
assist with breaking up an oil slick on the surface of water. |
| Distillate (No. 1) - A petroleum
distillate which meets the specification for No. 1 heating or
fuel oil as defined in ASTM D 396 and/or the specifications
for No. 1 diesel fuel as defined in ASTM Specification D 975. |
| Distillate (No. 2) - A petroleum
distillate which meets the specifications for No. 2 heating
or fuel oil as defined in ASTM D 396 and/or the specifications
for No. 2 diesel fuel as defined in ASTM Specification D 975. |
| Distillate (No. 4 ) - A fuel oil
for commercial burner installations not equipped with preheating
facilities. It is used extensively in industrial plants. This
grade is a blend of distillate fuel oil and residual fuel oil
stocks that conforms to ASTM Specifications D396 or Federal
Specifications VV-F-815C. |
| Distillate Fuel Oil - A general
classification for one of the petroleum fractions produced in
conventional distillation operations. It is used primarily for
space heating, on-and-off-highway diesel engine fuel (including
railroad engine fuel and fuel for agricultural machinery), and
electric power generation. Included are products known as No.1,
No. 2, and No. 4 diesel fuels. Distillate fuel oil is reported
in the following categories: 0.05% sulfur and under, for use
in on-highway diesel engines which could be described as meeting
EPA regulations; and greater than 0.05% sulfur, for use in all
other distillate applications. |
| Distillation - The process
of driving off gas or vapor from liquids or solids usually by
heating, and condensing the vapor back to liquid to purify,
fractionate, or form new products. |
| Division of Spill Prevention and Response
(OSPR). OSPR which is housed within the Department Fish
and Game is the lead State agency charged with oil spill prevention
and response within California's marine environment. The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand
Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990 established OSPR
and provides the OSPR Administrator with substantial authority
to direct spill response, cleanup, and natural resource damage
assessment activities. |
| Division Of Oil, Gas, And Geothermal
Resources (DOGGR) - A division of the Department of Conservation
that regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and plugging
of oil, natural gas, and geothermal wells. |
| Downstream - Refers to facilities
or operations performed after those at the point of reference.
For example, refining is downstream from production operations;
marketing is downstream from refining. |
| Downzone - This term refers
to the rezoning of land to a more restrictive zone district
(for example, from multi-family residential to single-family
residential). |
| Drill ship - A ship constructed
with a derrick amidships to permit a well to be drilled at an
offshore location, often in deep water. A drill ship may have
a ship hull, a catamaran hull, or a trimaran hull. |
| Drilling (directional
or extended reach) - Directional drilling is the intentional
deviation of a well bore from the vertical. Although well bores
are normally drilled vertically, it is sometimes necessary or
advantageous to drill at an angle from the vertical. Controlled
directional drilling makes it possible to reach subsurface areas
laterally remote from the point where the bit enters the earth.
It often involves the use of turbo-drills, Dyna-Drills, whipstocks,
or other deflecting rods. Extended reach drilling is drilling
horizontally from a bore hole that is begun as a vertical bore.
By the use of angle-building assemblies, the drill gradually
assumes a horizontal attitude and drills laterally the productive
formation. Extended reach drilling is used principally on offshore
platforms to cover a large area of an outer continental shelf
(O.C.S.) lease. As many as 60 wells have been drilled from a
large platform. With the advances in angle-building techniques,
using mud motors, extended reach drilling has made significant
progress. Some operators have plugged close-in wells and used
the platform drilling slots for extended reach wells. |
| Drilling (Horizontal)
- A modern directional-drilling technique using mud motors to
begin a well, drilling vertically then diverting the bore hole
a few degrees from vertical every 50 to 100 feet (angle building)
until the well bore is horizontal. The procedure is very effective
in producing from thin but porous and permeable formations.
To produce from the long axis of a 30 or 60-foot interval is
markedly more efficient than vertically across the formation. |
| Drilling (Slant Hole) -
A procedure for drilling at an angle from the vertical by means
of special downhole drilling tools to guide the drill assembly
in the desired direction. Slant holes are drilled to reach a
formation or reservoir under land that cannot be drilled on,
such as beneath a town site, a water supply lake, a cemetery,
or industrial property wehre direct, on-site drilling would
be impractical or unsafe. Slant holes are also drilled to flood
a formation with water or mud to kill a wild or burning well. |
| Drilling Island - A man-made
island constructed in water 10 to 50 feet deep by dredging up
the lake or bay bottom to make a foundation from which to drill
wells. This procedure is used for development drilling, rarely
in wildcatting. |
| Drilling Slots - Positions
on an offshore drilling platform for additional wells. When
a successful well is drilled offshore, other wells are put down
slanted put at an angle from the platform by directional drilling.
On large offshore platforms, there may be as many as 40, even
60, wells drilled into the reservoir. If all of the multiple
wells are successful and the total daily production warrants,
the drilling platform will be converted to a producing platform.
Drilling equipment is removed, a manifold of well-control valves
is built, and pumping equipment installed to move the crude
to a production platform where the oil is separated from the
produced water, treated with chemicals (if necessary), measured,
and pumped to a shore station. (Note the difference between
producing and production installations; they are related but
quite different in function.) |
| Dry Hole - An exploratory or
development well found to be incapable of producing either oil
or gas in sufficient quantities to justify completion as a production
well. |
|
| E |
| Easement - The right of a person,
government agency, or public utility company to use public or
private land owned by another for a specific purpose, such as
to access power lines. |
| Economic Limit - The production
level at which a producing facility no longer generates sufficient
revenue to represent an acceptable rate of return to the owner/operator
of that facility. |
| Economically Recoverable
Resource Estimate - An assessment of hydrocarbon potential
that takes into account (1) physical and technological constraints
on production and (2) the influence of exploration and development
costs and market price on industry investment in OCS exploration
and production. |
| Emergency Response Plan (ERP) -
The purpose of an ERP is to provide specific emergency operations
procedures for various emergency scenarios. The success of this
plan is dependent upon individuals' familiarity with the contents
of the plan prior to an actual emergency. Preplanning is essential
to such a plan's success. |
| Emergency Shutdown Device (ESD) -
Activated during an emergency to instantly or quickly shutdown
all or part of a system in order to avoid fire, explosion, or
some other undesired outcome. An emergency shutdown device is
usually used during a crisis to prevent damage to various components,
equipment, or the environment, depending on the function and
location of the device |
| Emission Offsets - A
rule-making concept whereby approval of a new or modified stationary
source of air pollution is conditional on the reduction of emissions
from other existing stationary sources of air pollution. These
reductions are required in addition to reductions required by
BACT. |
| Emission Standard -
The maximum amount of a pollutant that is allowed to be discharged
from a polluting source such as an automobile or smoke stack. |
| Emulsion - A mixture in which
one liquid is uniformly distributed in another liquid. Water-oil
emulsion is a typical product of oil wells. |
| Endangered Species Act (ESA)
- The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects animal and plant
species currently in danger of extinction (endangered) and those
that may become endangered in the foreseeable future (threatened).
It requires the conservation of ecosystems upon which threatened
and endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants depend,
both through Federal action and by encouraging the establishment
of state programs. |
| Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) - The
introduction of an artificial drive and displacement mechanism
into a reservoir to produce oil that is not recoverable by primary
recovery methods. The purpose of EOR is to restore formation
pressure and fluid flow to a substantial portion of a reservoir
by injecting fluids into injection wells located in a rock that
has fluid communication with production wells. Water flooding,
chemical flooding, gas injection, and thermal recovery represent
principal EOR methods. Chemical flooding, most types of gas
injection, and thermal methods are often called advanced EOR
methods because they not only restore formation pressure but
also improve displacement of oil by overcoming forces that keep
the oil trapped in rock pores. |
| Entrained Liquids -
Heavier liquid hydrocarbons, often in the form of mist-sized
liquid droplets, occurring in a gas stream. Specially designed
separators or processing facilities are used to remove the liquid
from the gas stream. |
| Environmental Assessment (EA) - A
concise public document that a lead federal agency prepares
when a project is not covered by a categorical exclusion, and
the lead agency does not know if the impacts will be significant. |
| Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
- CEQA requires a CEQA-lead agency to prepare an EIR whenever
it determines that a proposed project subject to CEQA may produce
significant environmental effects (Public Resources Code, §
21080 & 21082.2). |
| Environmental Impact Report (Master
EIR) - A master EIR is used as a first step in environmental
review for broad-based programs where a series of related actions
may occur under one project. The master EIR covers all of the
potential environmental impacts that can be feasibly analyzed
at the time the overall project plan is designed. |
| Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- A detailed statement that describes the environmental impacts
of a proposed action and its alternatives. The EIS and the procedures
surrounding its preparation and review form the cornerstone
of NEPA's system of environmental protection. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- A cabinet-level agency in the Executive Branch of the Federal
Government responsible for protecting human health by safeguarding
the natural environment. |
| Environmental Quality Assurance Plan
(EQAP) - The Environmental Quality Assurance Program (EQAP)
entails field-monitoring to enforce compliance with environmentally
protective permit conditions, particularly during construction
of the major facilities. The EQAP process entails two steps:
First, permittees submit Environmental Quality Assurance Programs
to the County for approval prior to construction. These programs
describe how permittees would ensure compliance with all permit
conditions during both the construction and operations phases
of the projects. EQAPs also have been required for projects
entailing abandonment of oil and gas facilities and sites. Second,
the County closely monitors compliance in the field. Aside from
ensuring compliance with conditions, such monitoring provides
two additional benefits. 1) EQAP monitors are able to anticipate
environmental impacts, including some not identified during
the environmental review of a project, and recommend measures
to avoid or reduce such impacts. 2) Monitoring during construction
gives added insight as to the effectiveness of measures designed
to mitigate significant adverse effects on the environment.
|
| Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area
(ESHA) - Any area in which plant or animal life or their
habitats are either rare or especially valuable because of their
special nature or role in an ecosystem and which could be easily
disturbed or degraded by human activities and developments (Public
Resources Code Section 30107.5). |
| Environmentally Superior Alternative
(ESA) - CEQA requires that an EIR shall describe a range
of reasonable alternatives to a proposed project, or to the
location of the project, which would feasibly attain most of
the basic objectives of the project but would avoid or substantially
lessen adverse significant effects of the project, and evaluate
the comparative merits of the alternatives (CEQA Guidelines
Sec. 15126.6(a)). The environmentally superior alternative is,
therefore, the project alternative identified in the EIR as
feasibly attaining the majority of project's objectives in the
least environmentally damaging manner. Should the "no project"
alternative meet this definition, then the EIR also must identify
an environmentally superior alternative among the remaining
alternatives. |
| Ethane (C2H6)
- A normally gaseous straight-chain hydrocarbon. It is a colorless
paraffinic gas extracted from natural gas and refinery gas streams. |
| Exclusion, Categorical
- A category of proposed actions, which a federal agency
identifies in its NEPA procedures, that do not individually
or cumulatively have a significant effect on the environment.
|
| Exemption (Categorical) - A
categorical exemption is “an exemption from CEQA for a
class of projects based on a finding by the Secretary of Resources
that the class of projects does not have a significant effect
on the environment.” CEQA Guidelines § 15354 |
| Exemption (Statutory) - Statutory
exemptions are “exemptions from CEQA granted by the legislature.
The exemptions take several forms. Some exemptions are complete
exemptions from CEQA. Other exemptions apply to only part of
the requirements of CEQA, and still other exemptions apply only
to the timing of CEQA compliance.” CEQA Guidelines §
15260 |
| Expansion Loop - A circular
loop (360º bend) put in a pipeline to absorb expansion
and contraction caused by heating and cooling without exerting
a strain on pipe or valve connections. |
| Exploration - The process
of searching for minerals preliminary to development. Fluid
mineral exploration include activities such as geophysical surveys,
drilling to locate an oil or gas reservoir, and drilling of
additional wells to delineate a reservoir. |
| Exports (petroleum) - Shipments
of crude oil and petroleum products from the 50 States and the
District of Columbia to foreign countries, Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, and other U.S. possession and territories. |
| External Force - A leading
cause of pipeline failures that refers to third-party intrusions
into the pipeline corridor such as a backhoe, or earth movements
such as erosion and scouring, landslides, and seismic events.
|
|
| F |
| Fatigue - Failure of a metal
under repeated loading. |
| Fault - A break in subsurface strata.
Often strata on one side of the fault line have been displaced
(upward, downward, or laterally) relative to their original
positions. |
| Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) - An independent regulatory agency
within the Department of Energy that regulates the transmission
and sale of natural gas for resale in interstate commerce; regulates
the transmission of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce;
regulates the transmission and wholesale sales of electricity
in interstate commerce; licenses and inspects private, municipal
and state hydroelectric projects; oversees environmental matters
related to natural gas, oil, electricity and hydroelectric projects;
administers accounting and financial reporting regulations and
conduct of jurisdictional companies; and approves abandonment
and location of interstate pipeline facilities. The Commission
recovers all of its costs from regulated industries through
fees and annual charges. |
| Feedstock - Crude oil (wet
or dry) or natural gas input to a processing facility. |
| Field - A geographical area in
which one or more oil or gas wells produce. A field may refer
to surface area only or to an underground productive formation.
A single field may include several reservoirs separated either
horizontally or vertically. |
| Field, Oil - The surface
area overlying an oil reservoir or reservoirs. The term usually
includes not only the surface area, but also the reservoir,
the wells, and the production equipment. |
| Field Production - Represents
crude oil production on leases, natural gas liquids production
at natural gas processing plants, new supply of other hydrocarbons/oxygenates
and motor gasoline blending components, and fuel ethanol blended
into finished motor gasoline. |
| Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
- A public document that briefly describes why an action that
is otherwise not excluded from NEPA will not have any significant
environmental effects and will not, therefore, require an EIS.
An agency preparing an EA must write a FONSI if it decides not
to prepare an EIS. |
| Fire Protection Plan (FPP) - A document
prepared for a specific project or development. It describes
ways to minimize and mitigate the fire problems created by the
project or development, with the purpose of reducing impact
on the community's fire protection delivery system. The plan
may utilize components of land use, building construction, vegetation
management, and other design techniques and technologies. |
| First Purchase (of crude oil)
- An equity (not custody) transaction involving an arms-length
transfer of ownership of crude oil associated with the physical
removal of crude oil from a property (lease) for the first time.
A first purchase normally occurs at the time and place of ownership
transfer where the crude oil volume sold is measured and recorded
on a run ticket or other similar physical evidence of purchase.
The reported cost is the actual amount paid by the purchaser,
allowing for any adjustments (deductions or premiums) passed
on to the producer or royalty owner. |
| Flammable - Term describing
material that can be easily ignited. Petroleum products with
a flash point of 80ºF or lower are classed as flammable. |
| Flange - A projecting rim or edge
(as on pipe fittings and openings in pumps and vessels), usually
drilled with holes to allow bolting to other flanged fittings. |
| Flaring - A process to dispose
of surplus combustible vapors by igniting and burning them in
the atmosphere. |
| Flow Lines - The surface pipes
through which oil travels from a well to storage. |
| Fluid Phases - Refers to
the two kinds of fluid - liquids and gases; liquid phase and
gaseous phase. Both are capable of flowing, so they are fluids,
although gases are commonly not thought of as fluids. Geologists
customarily refer to "multiple fluid gases" meaning
oil, condensate, and water as well as gases: natural gas (CH4),
carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). |
| Formation - A rock unit that
possesses distinctive characteristics. Formations are often
given names as a result of the study of the formation outcrop
at the surface or based on fossils found in the formation. |
| Formation (Monterey)
- The Monterey Formation is a vast area of marine deposits
rich in fossils. It covers both a large area of California and
an extended period of time. This formation is both a reservoir
and a source of hydrocarbons. |
| Formation Breakdown
- An event occurring when bore hole pressure is of such magnitude
that the exposed formation cannot withstand applied pressure. |
| Formation Fracturing
- A method of stimulating production by opening new flow channels
in the rock surrounding a production well. Often called a frac-job.
Under extremely high hydraulic pressure, a fluid (such as distillate,
diesel fuel, crude oil, dilute hydrochloric acid, water, or
kerosene) is pumped downward through production tubing or drill
pipe and forced out below a packer or between two packers. The
pressure causes cracks to open in the formation, and the fluid
penetrates the formation through the cracks. Sand grains, aluminum
pellets, walnut shells, or similar materials (propping agents)
are carried in suspension by the fluid into the cracks. When
the pressure is released at the surface, the fracturing fluid
returns to the well. The cracks partially close on the pellets,
leaving channels for oil to flow around them into the well. |
| Free-Water Knockout (FWKO) - A vertical
or horizontal vessel into which oil or emulsion is run to allow
any water not emulsified with the oil (free water) to drop out.
|
|
| G |
| Gas - Any fluid, either combustible
or noncombustible, that has neither independent shape nor volume
and tends to expand indefinitely if unconfined. Gas is any substance
that exists in a gaseous state at the surface under normal conditions.
Gas includes methane (CH4), carbon dioxide, other gaseous hydrocarbons,
and nitrogen. |
| Gas (Acid) - A gas that forms
an acid when mixed with water. In petrol production and processing,
the most common acid gases are hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.
They both cause corrosion, and hydrogen sulfide is very poisonous. |
| Gas (Associated) - Gas
combined with oil. It provides the drive mechanism needed to
force oil to the surface of a well. |
| Gas (Dry) - Natural gas
from the well that is free of liquid hydrocarbons; gas that
has been treated to remove all liquids. |
| Gas (Entrained) -
Gas suspended in bubbles in a stream of liquid such as water
or oil. |
| Gas (Inert) - Any one
of six gases that, under normal conditions, are not inclined
to react with any of the other elements. The inert or inactive
gases are neon, helium, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. |
| Gas (Liquefied Petroleum) - A gaseous
byproduct of petroleum refining that is compressed to a liquefied
form for sales. LPG consists of ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene,
normal butane, butylene, isobutane, and isobutylene produced
at refineries or natural gas processing plants, including plants
that fractionate raw natural gas plant liquids |
| Gas (Natural) - Natural
Gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons and small quantities of various
non-hydrocarbons existing in the gaseous phase or in solution
with crude oil in underground reservoirs. A compressible and
expansible mixture of hydrocarbons having a low specific gravity
and occurring natural in a gaseous form. Natural gas ordinarily
consists principally of methane and heavier entrained hydrocarbons,
and may contain appreciable quantities of nitrogen, helium,
carbon dioxide, and contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide and
water vapor. |
| Gas (Non-Associated)
- Natural gas which is in reservoirs that do not contain
significant quantities of crude oil. |
| Gas (Sour) - Gas containing
more than trace amounts of toxic compounds, including hydrogen
sulfide and other chemicals. |
| Gas (Sweet) - Natural
gas that does not contain hydrogen sulfide (H2S), or only contains
trace amounts of H2S. |
| Gas (Wet) - Natural gas
prior to the removal of water. |
| Gas lift - The process of raising
or lifting fluid from a well by injecting gas down the well
through tubing or through the tubing-casing annulus. Injected
gas aerates the fluid to make it exert less pressure than the
formation does; consequently, the higher formation pressure
forces the fluid out of the well bore. Gas may be injected continuously
or intermittently, depending on the producing characteristics
of the well and the arrangement of the gas-lift equipment. |
| Gas Oil - A semi-refined petroleum
product somewhat heavier than kerosene which may be used directly
as a fuel oil or further refined into other products. |
| Gas Plant - A physical plant
through which raw gas is processed to remove heavier hydrocarbons
and other chemical components. |
| Gas Plant Products -
Natural gas liquids and other products such as carbon dioxide
and sulfur recovered from processing raw gas. Finished natural
gas liquids are processed through a fractionation plant. Gas
plant products include ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane,
and pentane. They may also include other finished petroleum
products such as motor gasoline, aviation gasoline, special
naphthas, kerosene, distillate fuel oil, and other miscellaneous
products. |
| Gas/Oil Ratio (GOR) - The measure
of the volume of gas produced with oil, expressed in cubic feet
per barrel or cubic meters per ton. |
| Gasohol - A blend of finished
motor gasoline and alcohol (generally ethanol but sometimes
methanol), limited to 10 percent by volume of alcohol. |
| Gasoline (motor, finished) -
A complex mixture of relatively volatile hydrocarbons, with
or without small quantities of additives, that has been blended
to form a fuel suitable for use in spark-ignition engines -
motor gasoline as given ASTM Specification D-4814 or Federal
Specification VV-G-1690C. “Motor gasoline” includes
reformulated gasoline, oxygenated gasoline, and other finished
gasoline. Blendstock is excluded until blending has been completed. |
| Gasoline (Natural)
- Drip gasoline; a light, volatile liquid hydrocarbon mixture
recovered from natural gas. A water-white liquid similar to
motor gasoline, but with a lower octane number. Natural gasoline,
the product of a compressor plant or gasoline plant, is much
more volatile and unstable than commercial gasoline because
it still contains many lighter fractions that have not been
removed. |
| Gasoline (oxygenated) - Gasoline
formulated for use in motor vehicles that has an oxygen content
of 1.8 percent or higher, by weight. Includes gasohol. Excludes
reformulated gasoline, oxygenated fuels program reformulated
gasoline (OPRG) and reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygenate
blending (RBOB). |
| Gasoline (reformulated) - Gasoline
formulated for use in motor vehicles, the composition and properties
of which meet the requirements of the reformulated gasoline
regulations promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency under Section 211K of the Clean Air Act. Includes oxygenated
fuels program for reformulated gasoline (OPRG). Excludes reformulated
gasoline blendstock for oxygenated blending (RBOB). |
| Gathering Lines - Pipelines
and other equipment normally used to transport oil or gas from
a well on a lease to a central accumulation point on or near
the lease site where production is measured for royalty purposes. |
| Geographic Information System (GIS)
- A computer database designed to display information in graphic
form on a geographic base. |
| Geo-hazard Monitoring Program (GHMP)
- The geologic hazards program helps identify where land movement
might be a threat to pipeline safety, and implements activities
that are designed to prevent failures in these locations. |
| Geology - The science of the
history of the Earth and its life as recorded in rocks. |
| Geology (Petroleum)
- The study of hydrocarbon-bearing rock formations. Petroleum
geology addresses the origin, occurrence, movement, and accumulation
of hydrocarbon fluids. It is an important branch of geology
for the petroleum industry since it concerns itself with the
origin, migration, and accumulation of oil and gas deposits
in commercial quantities. It involves that application of geochemistry,
geophysics, paleontology, structural geology, and stratigraphy
to the problems of discovering oil and gas deposits. Petroleum
geologists are also intimately involved in the greasy day-to-day
work of drilling by advising, identifying, and counseling on
handling down-hole problems such as lost circulation, acidizing,
setting pipe, and hydro-fracing. |
| Geomorphology - The science
that concerns itself with the general features on the Earth's
surface; specifically, the study of the classification, description,
origin, and development of present day landforms and their relationship
to underlying, subsurface structures. |
| Geophysics - The application
of certain familiar physical principles - magnetic attraction,
gravitational pull, speed of sound waves, the behavior of electric
currents - to the science of geology. |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) -
The Global Positioning System is used for navigational purposes.
This system can be used to determine your exact position on
the Earth anytime, in any weather, anywhere. GPS satellites,
24 in all, orbit at 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth. They
are continuously monitored from five ground stations worldwide.
The satellites transmit signals that are detected by a GPS receiver.
Using the receiver, you can determine your location to within
about 300 feet. Even greater accuracy, usually within less than
three feet, can be obtained with corrections calculated by a
GPS receiver at a known fixed location. |
| Grading - Any activity which
involves the physical movement of earth material, including
any excavating, filling, stockpiling, movement of material,
compaction of soil, creation of borrow pits, land reclamation,
surface mining operations exempted from the County’s Surface
Mining and Reclamation Ordinance, or combinations thereof. Grading
does not include surface mining or quarrying operations (including
the extraction and stockpiling of excavated products and the
reclamation of mined lands) carried out under a vested rights
determination or a permit issued pursuant to the County’s
SMARA Ordinance (Sec.14.6 a). (Santa Barbara County Code, Chapter
14, Grading Ordinance No. 4477, June 2003) |
| Gravity
(API) - The standard adopted by the American Petroleum
Institute for measuring the density or gravity of liquid petroleum
products on the North American Continent, derived from a specific
gravity in accordance with the followin |
