Flooding - A secondary recovery method that involves pumping water through a 



set of injector wells arranged around a producing well. The injected 

 water drives the reservoir oil toward the wellbore where it is 

 pumped out. 



Flotation method - A pipe-laying technique that requires the use of a large 



floating barge to assemble, weld, and lay a pipeline through aquatic 



or semiaquatic environments. The lay barge moves along the entire 

 right-of-way during the operation. 



Forb - An herb other than grasses, sedges, or rushes. 



Foule-Thompson effect - A phenomenon in which a gas under high pressure released 

 into a lower pressure environment absorbs heat energy from the 

 environment during expansion. In gas fields this effect may cause 

 ice to form in gas lines, blocking flow or freezing valves. 



Fracturing - A process by which fluid pressure at the bottom of a well is 



developed by high-pressure pumps to the extent necessary to counter- 

 balance the weight of rock above it plus an additional pressure 

 required for actually breaking (cracking) the formation. The purpose 

 is to open native fractures to increase flow of the reservoir fluid 

 into the wellbore. 



Freewater knockout tank - A tank for separating free water from oil where the 

 water and oil are not in an emulsion. 



Freewater skimmer - A device to skim small amounts of oil floating on water 

 that has been separated from petroleum in a production facility. 



Gathering lines - Lines used to transport petroleum from the well to the 

 treatment complex. 



Gauger - An individual associated with production aspects who is responsible 



for measuring the amounts of oil in the tank batteries and performing 

 other maintenance and operation activities. 



Geomorphology - A science that deals with the land and submarine relief features 

 of the earth's surface and seeks interpretations of their genesis. 



Geophone - An instrument for detecting vibrations passing through rocks or 

 soil. 



Gravity-meter survey - A preexploration technique measuring gravitational 

 fields which may be used to detect oil-bearing formations. 



Heater-treater - A type of production equipment that uses heat to further 

 separate oil and water emulsions. 



Hopper - A large funnel through which solid materials may be passed and mixed 

 with a liquid injected through a connection at the bottom of the 

 hopper. It is used for such purposes as mixing cement slurry, 

 mixing clay with oil or water to form a drilling fluid, and so on. 



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