An arch of stratified rock in which the layers bend downward in opposite directions from the crest that may trap hydrocarbons

A Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission application that is required “before any owner or operator shall spud in anticipation of drilling any well on fee, patented, state, or federal lands, or deepen/re-enter any such well(s) by drilling to a lower formation.”

A water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel from which groundwater can be extracted

A basic unit for measuring oil equal to 42 U.S. gallons.

A way of standardizing energy resources to the equivalent of a barrel of oil. One BOE equals 6,000 cubic feet of natural gas

A drilling tool that cuts the hole in one of two fashions – up and down to pulverize (cable tool bit) or revolving to grind (rotary bit)

A black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.

The uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed. Modern wells have blowout preventers intended to prevent such an occurrence.

Barrels of Oil Equivalent per Day

A hole in the earth made by a drilling rig

The heat required to raise the temperature of a one-pound mass of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Also used to compare energy potential of different types of fuels.

A process by which carbon dioxide is captured and removed from the atmosphere and then stored in an underground geological formation.

A natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.

Steel pipe placed in wells to isolate formation fluids (such as fresh water) and to prevent the hole from caving in

The assembly of valves, pipes and fittings used to control the flow of oil and gas from the casinghead

Natural gas extracted from coal beds

The process of making a well ready to produce natural gas or oil – including the installation of permanent
equipment, such as a wellhead, and possibly hydraulic fracturing

A mixture of hydrocarbons which are gaseous under natural conditions and become
a liquid as the temperature and pressure is reduced during production. These liquid hydrocarbons are recovered by surface separators from natural gas. Also referred to as natural gasoline and distillate.

A naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials

The framework over an oil well or similar boring that holds the drilling machinery.

A well drilled within a proven area of an oil or gas reservoir to a known productive depth

The drilling of a well that departs materially from the vertical direction

Activities in the oil and gas industry which take place away from the source of the supply – including refining and marketing

A collection of structures and equipment used in drilling an oil or gas well including the derrick, engine, engine house and other equipment. Also know as a rig

Natural gas, almost pure methane, which does not contain dissolved liquid hydrocarbons

A completed well which is not productive of oil and/or gas or which is not productive enough to be economically viable

The application of one or more processes that seek to improve recovery of hydrocarbons from a reservoir after an initial production phase

The Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI) was created and is financially supported by the Wyoming State Legislature to work with Wyoming oil producers to increase oil production, and as result, increase tax revenues of the state. The governor appoints and the legislature confirms eight commissioners who serve on an EOR Commission to oversee EORI’s financial and strategic planning. EORI is part of the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming. The university provides offices and laboratory facilities in which EORI works. A Technical Advisory Board (TAB), comprised of leading experts from universities and energy companies in the United States, provides technical oversight of EORI work.

A well drilled within a previously proven field in an effort to locate oil or gas in another resevoir

An area consisting of a reservoir or multiple geologically related reservoirs

The burning of natural gas for safety reasons or when there is no way to transport the gas to market or use the
gas for other beneficial purposes. In Wyoming, an operator is allowed to flare up to 60,000 cubic feet per day under WOGCC regualtions and must obtain a permit to exceed that limit

A formation is a rock unit that is distinctive enough in appearance that is can be identified separately from the surrounding rock layers

A fuel source (such as oil, condensate, natural gas, natural gas liquids or coal) formed in the earth from plant or
animal remains

A type of directional drilling that approaches +/- 90 degrees from vertical in an effort to produce hydrocarbons from a number of areas located at the same approximate depth. Horizontal drilling can often reduce the number of wells required to develop a field, thereby minimizing surface disturbance

Hydraulic fracturing (also referred to as frac’ing or fracking) is a completion technique used in tight geologic formations to better access oil and gas reserves. The process involves pumping fluid, made up of mostly water and sand, into the target formation, thereby creating small fractures in the rock that enable hydrocarbons to flow to the wellbore.

a compound of hydrogen and carbon, such as any of those which are the chief components of petroleum and natural gas.

Wells drilled into the same reservoir as producing wells to improve recovery

A well that places fluid deep underground into porous rock formations, such as sandstone or limestone. Often used for the disposal of produced water

A process used to extract hydrocarbons from deposits of extra-heavy crude oil, bitumen or oil shale without
removing the soil and other overburden materials. Often used to recover bitumen that lies too deep to be mined and too viscous to flow on its own.

A legal instrument by which working interest is created in minerals for a certain amount of time in a specific area

Natural gas that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport

Thousand Cubic Feet – the standard unit for measuring the volume of natural gas

Activities in the oil and gas industry which take place between the source of supply and downstream activities such as the safe storage and transportation of oil and gas

A route followed by animals, birds, or fish when traveling between winter and summer habitat ranges

Naturally occuring hydrocarbons, predominantly methane, which at atmospheric conditions of temperatures and pressure, are in a gaseous phase

A deposit of loose sand or partially consolidated sandstone containing petroleum or other hydrocarbons.

The company responsible for managing operations in a field

The Petroleum Association of Wyoming – the voice of the oil and gas industry in the state

A measure of the resistance to the flow of fluid through the rock. High permeability means fluid passes through the rock easily.

A method of safely and efficiently transporting oil or natural gas from the source of supply to final destination through a network of gathering and transmission pipes

A group of oil fields or prospects in the same region that are controlled by the same set of geological circumstances

The sealing off of the fluids in the stratum penetrated by a well so that the fluid from one stratum will not escape into another or to the surface

The measure of a rock’s ability to hold a fluid. The ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the volume of the pores or interstices of a substance, as a rock or rock stratum, to the total volume of the mass

Water produced in connection with oil and natural gas exploration and development activities

A well that produces oil or gas in quatities that make it economically viable

Oil or gas still underground, but which has been located and determined to be recoverable

The overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. It is used to mechanically lift liquid out of the well if not enough bottom hole pressure exists for the liquid to flow all the way to the surface

The process of entering an existing well and performing work designed to establish production in a new zone

A facility where produced hydrocarbons are refined into usable products such as gasoline, asphalt base and fuel oils

Estimated remaining quantities of oil and gas and related substances anticipated to be economically viable to produce

A porous and permeable sedimentary rock containing commercial quantities of oil and gas

See Drilling Rig

Drill crew members who work on the derrick floor, screwing together the sections of drillpipe when running or pulling a drillstring

Drill crew members who handle the loading and unloading of equipment and assist in general operations around the rig

A landowner’s share of production, before the expenses of production

A tax on the removal of minerals from the ground. The tax can be levied either as a tax on volume or a tax on value. In Wyoming, the severance tax on oil and gas is 6% of fair market value

soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay often containing large amounts of oil and gas

The process of closing down a producing well temporarily for repairs, cleaning out, building up reservoir pressure, lack of market, etc.

Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) which cause foul odors

The distance between wells producing from the same reservoir which is determined by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission

The first boring of the hole in the drilling of an oil well

Natural gas that contains little or no hydrogen sulfide

Natural gas produced from relatively impermeable rock like those other than shale. Production in tight gas formations usually requires enhanced technology applications like hydraulic fracturing

Reservoirs with low permiability (generally less than 0.1 millidarcy) requiring the use of hydraulic fracturing to produce at economically viable rates

The joining of interests in a reservoir or field to provide for development and operations without regard to
separate property interests

Activities in the oil and gas industry which take place close to the supply – including exploration and production activities

A hole drilled in the earth for the purpose of finding or producing crude oil or natural gas

See Well

See Christmas Tree

Produced gas that contains natural gas liquids

An exploratory well drilled in unproven territory

A process used on producing well to restore or increase production

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is the regualtory body in Wyoming charged with overseeing oil and gas operations as outlined by Title 30, Chapter 5 of Wyoming State Statutes. Members of the Commission include the Governor, the Director of the Office of State Lands and Investments, the State Geologist, and two additional commissioners appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate.

The Wyoming State Geological Survey is tasked with “promoting the benefical and responsible development and use of Wyoming’s geologic, mineral and energy resources while seeking to understand, characterize and inform the public about geologic hazards.” The WSGS develops a wide array of resources related to the geology of Wyoming.