L abbr: litre.

Labrador Current n: cold ocean current that flows south along the Labrador coast through the
Davis Strait to the Grand Banks, where it divides and flows into the North Atlantic and the Gulf of St.
Lawrence.
LACT abbr: lease automatic custody transfer.
LACT unit n: an automated system for measuring, sampling, and transferring oil from a lease
gathering system into a pipeline. See lease automatic custody transfer.
Lacustrine delta n: a collection of sediment in a lake at the point at which a river or stream enters.
When the flowing water enters the lake, the encounter with still water absorbs most or all of the
stream's energy, causing its sediment load to be deposited.
LAER abbr: lowest achievable emission rate.
Lagging edge n: the positive-to-negative transition of an electric signal.
Laminar flow n: a smooth flow of fluid in which no turbulence or cross flow of fluid particles occurs
between adjacent stream lines. See also Reynolds number.
Land n: 1. the area of a parity machined surface (as with grooves or indentation) that is left smooth.
2. The area on a piston between the grooves into which the rings fit. v: to seat tubular goods (such
as casing or tubing) into a special device designed to support them from the surface.
Land a wellhead v: to attach casing heads and other wellhead equipment not already in place at
the time of well completion.
Land casing v: to install casing so that it is supported in the casing head by slips.
Land department n: that section or unit of an oil company that seeks out and acquires oil and gas
leases.
Land disposal n: (RCRA) placement in or on the land; placement in a landfill, surface
impoundment, waste pile, injection well, land treatment facility, salt dome formation, salt bed
formation, underground mine or cave. Or in a concrete vault or bunker intended for disposal
purposes.
Landed cost n: the price of imported crude oil at the port of discharge. Includes purchase price at
the foreign port plus charges for transporting and insuring the crude oil from the purchase point to
the port of discharge.
Land form n: a recognisable. Naturally formed physical land feature having a characteristic shape.
such as a plain. Alluvial fan. valley. hill. or mountain.
Landing depth n: the depth to which the lower end of casing extends in the hole when casing is
landed.
Landing equipment n: any downhole tool placed in the tubing string that facilitates the later
placement of special tools at that point.
Landing nipple n: a device machined internally to receive the movable locking devices used to
position. lock. and seal subsurface production controls in tubing. A landing nipple provides a seat at
a known depth into which various types of retrievable flow control equipment can be set. Also called
a seating nipple.
Land man n: a person in the petroleum industry who negotiates with landowners for oil and gas
leases. options, minerals, and royalties and with producers for joint operations relative to production
in a field. Also called a lease man.
Land rig n: any drilling rig that is located on dry land. Compare off shore rig.
Land sat n: an unstaffed earth-orbiting NASA satellite that transmits multispectral images to earth
receiving stations; formerly called ERTS (Earth Reshowed Technology Satellite).
Land spreading n: the process of disking, or tilling. low-toxicity wastes into surface soil; land
farming.
lang lay n: a type of wire rope construction in which the wires that make up the wire rope strands
are twisted in the same direction as the strands themselves.
lap n: an interval in the cased hole where the top of a liner over- laps the bottom of a string of
casing. See liner lap.
Last engaged thread n: the last pipe thread that is actually screwed into the coupling thread in
making up a joint of drill pipe, drill collars, tubing, or casing. If the pipe makes up perfectly, it is also
the last thread cut on the pipe.
Latch on v: to attach elevators to a section of pipe to pull it out of or run it into the hole.
Latch sub n: a device, usually with segmented threads, run with seal subs on the bottom of a
tubing string and latched into a permanent packer to prevent tubing movement.
Lateral curve n: in conventional electric logging. the curve drawn on the log by a device on an
electric logging tool that is designed to measure formation resistivity about 36 feet (11 metres) from
the wellbore.
Lateral focus log n: a resistivity log taken with a sonde that focuses an electrical current laterally,
away from the wellbore, and into the formation being logged. Allows more precise measurement
than was possible with earlier sondes. The lateral focus log is a useful means of distinguishing thin
rock layers. Also called LaterologTM.
LaterologTM n: trade name for a Schlumberger guard or lateral focus resistivity log, but so
commonly used as to be almost a generic term.
Latex cement n: an oil well cement composed of latex, cement, a surfactant, and water and
characterised by its highstrength bond with other materials and its resistance to contamination by oil
or drilling mud.
Laurasia n: the northern part of the supercontinent Pangaea, comprising the future land masses of
North America, Greenland. and Eurasia.
Lava n: magma that reaches the surface of the earth.
Law of corresponding states n: law that states that when, for two substances, any two ratios of
pressure, temperature. Or volume to their respective critical properties is equal. The third ratio must
equal the other two.
Law of partial pressures n: see Dalton's law. Lay n: 1. the spiral of stands in a wire rope either to
the right or to the left, as viewed from above. 2. a term used to measure wire rope. Signifying the
linear distance a wire strand covers in one complete rotation around the rope.
Lay barge n: a barge used in the construction and placement of underwater pipelines. Joints of
pipe are welded together and then lowered off the stem of the barge as it moves ahead.
Lay-barge construction n: a pipe-laying technique used in swamps and marshes in which the
forward motion of d1e barge sends the pipe down a ramp and into the water. Also called marine lay.
Lay down pipe v: to pull drill pipe or tubing from the hole and place it in a horizontal position on a
pipe rack. Compare set bad.
Layer n: a bed, or stratum, of rock.
Laying down n: the operation of laying down pipe. See lay down pipe.
Lb abbr: pound.
Lb/bbl abbr: pounds per barrel.
Lb/ft3 abbr: pounds per cubic foot.
LCM abbr: lost circulation material.
LDC abbr: local distribution company.
Leaching n: in geology, the removal of minerals from rock by solution in water or another solvent.
Lead acetate test n: a method for detecting the presence of hydrogen sulphide in a fluid by
discoloration of paper that has been moistened with lead acetate solution.
Lead-add battery n: a storage battery in which the electrodes are grids of lead oxides that changes
in composition during charging and discharging.
Leading edge n: the negative-to-positive transition of an electric signal. lead line (pronounced
"leed") n: the pipe through which oil or gas flows from a well to additional equipment on the lease.
Lead-tong hand (pronounced "leed") n: the crew member who operates the lead tongs when drill
pipe and drill collars are being handled. Also called lead-tong man. Lead tongs (pronounced "Iced")
n pi: the pipe tongs suspended in the derrick or mast and operated by a chain or a wire rope
connected to the makeup cathead or the break- out cathead. Personnel call the makeup tongs the
lead tongs if pipe is going into the hole; similarly, they call the breakout tongs the lead tongs if pipe
is coming out of the hole. Compare backup tongs.
Leak-off point n: in a leak-off test, the pressure at which drilling mud begins to leak off, or enter,
the formation from the borehole.
Leak-off rate n: the rate at which a fracturing fluid leaves the fracture and enters the formation
surrounding the fracture. Generally, it is desirable for fracturing fluids to have a low leak-off rate
(i.e., very little fluid should enter the formation being fractured), so that the fracture can be better
extended into the formation.
Leak-off test n: a gradual pressurising of the casing after the blowout preventers have been
installed to permit estimation of the formation fracture pressure at the casing seat.
Lean amine n: amine solution that has been stripped of absorbed acid gases, giving a solution
suitable for recirculation to the contactor.
Lean gas n: 1. residue gas remaining after recovery of natural gas liquids in a gas processing plant.
2. Unprocessed gas containing few or no recoverable natural gas liquids. Also called dry gas.
Lean glycol n: glycol from which water has been removed.
Lean oil n: a hydrocarbon liquid, usually lighter in weight than kerosene and heavier than paint
thinner. In a gas processing plant. Lean oil is used in an absorber to remove heavier hydrocarbons
from natural gas. Lease n: 1. a legal document executed between a landowner, as lessor, and a
company or individual, as lessee, that grants the right to exploit the premises for minerals or other
products; the instrument that creates a leasehold or working interest in minerals. 2 the area where
production wells, stock tanks, separators, LACf units, and other production equipment are located.
Lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) n: the measurement, sampling, and transfer of oil from
the producer's tanks to the connected pipeline on
Lease bonus n: usually, the cash consideration that is paid by the lessee for the execution of an oil
and gas lease by a landowner. It is usually based on a per acre basis.
Lease broker n: an independent landman who may work with several operators or companies.
Lease condensate n: a natural gas liquid recovered from gas well gas in lease separators or
natural gas field facilities. Consists primarily of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons. Usually
blended with crude oil for refining.
Leasee n: see lessee. lease facility n: facility such as a dehydrator, compressor, or separator
installed to serve only a single lease.
Leasehold n: the estate in real property created by a lea. A leasehold is held by a lessee, usually
for a fixed period.
Leasehold interest n: all or a fractional part of the interest of a lessee (grantee) under an oil and
gas lease. Such interest includes the lessee's right to search for, drill, and produce oil and gas from
a lease tract subject to royalty payments. The term usually refers to the remaining leasehold or
working interest exclusive of any nonoperating interests created and assigned therefrom, such as
overriding royalty interests and production payments. Also called operating interest, working
interest.
Lease hound n: (slang) a landman who procures leases on tracts of land for petroleum exploration
and production.
Lease man n: see land man.
Lease metering site n: the point on a lease where the volume of oil produced from the lease is
measured, usually automatically.
Lease operator n: dte oil company employee who attends to producing wells. He or she attends to
any number of wells, ensures steady production, prepares reports, tests, gauges, and so forth. Also
called a custodian, pumper, or switcher.
Lease purchase agreement n: an agreement between companies for the purchase by one
company of a block of the other's leases. Also used between lease brokers and companies.
Lease stipulation n pi: special stipulations, or requirements, that are often included in OCS oil and
gas leases in response to concerns raised by coastal states, fishing groups, federal agencies, and
others. The stipulations may require biological surveys of sensitive seafloor habitats, environmental
training for operations personnel, special waste-discharge procedures, archaeological resource
reports to determine the potential for the encounter of historic or prehistoric resources, special
operating procedures near military bases or their zones of activity, and other restrictions on OCS oil
and gas operations. Lease stipulations are legally binding, contractual provisions.
Lease superintendent n: the oil company employee who supervises one or more lease operators.
Lease tank n: see production tank.
Ledge n: a wellbore irregularity caused by penetration of alternating layers of hard and soft
formations, where the soft formation is washed out and causes a change of diametrical size.
Leeward ad}: (nautical) downwind.
Leg n: in crane operations, a single length of wire-rope sling, one end of which is attached to the
load and the oilier end of which is attached to the crane's hook. Usually, but not always, slings with
at least two legs are used.
Legal effect clause n: in an oil and gas lease, the clause that binds the parties and declares the
lease effective for the lessor when he or she signs the instrument.
Lens n: 1. a porous, permeable, irregularly shaped sedimentary deposit surrounded by impervious
rock. 2. a lenticular sedimentary bed that pinches out, or comes to an end, in all directions.
Lens-type trap n: a hydrocarbon reservoir consisting of a porous, permeable, irregularly shaped
sedimentary deposit surrounded by impervious rock. See lens.
Leonardite n: a naturally occurring oxidized lignite. See lignins.
LEPC abbr: Local Emergency Planning committees.
Lessee n: the recipient of a lease (such as an oil and gas lease). Also called leasee.
Lessor n: the conveyor of a lease (such as an oil and gas lease).
Letter of indemnity n: an agreement in which a party receiving gas sales proceeds agrees to
refund part of such proceeds in the event FERC orders the party to return part of the gas sales
proceeds to the purchaser because a portion of the rate is deemed unjustified.
Letter of protest n: a letter issued by any participant in a custody transfer citing any condition with
which issue is taken. This serves as a written record that a particular action or finding was
questioned at the time of occurrence. Also called notice of apparent discrepancy.
Letter to Lessees and Operators (LTL) n: an MMS document sent to offshore lessees and
operators to clarify or supplement operational guidelines.
Levee n: 1. an embankment that lies along the sides of a sea channel, a canyon, a river, or a
valley. 2. The low ridge sometimes deposited by a stream along its sides.
Level n: 1. the height or depth at which the top of a column of fluid is located (the level of fluid in a
well). 2. Horizontally even surface. 3. A device used to determine whether a surface is horizontal.
Level-control assembly n: a system of devices whose purpose is to maintain the volume of liquid
in a tank or vessel at a predetermined height.
Liberian certification n: a license and certification obtained by those who work at sea from the
Liberian Maritime Registry System, which adheres to STCW standards. See Standards for Training,
Certification, and Watch standing.
Lifeline n: a line attached to a diver's helmet by which he or she is lowered and raised in the water.
Life tenant n: someone who holds the exclusive right to possess and use property during his or her
lifetime but who cannot devise or bequeath the property. Compare remainder man.
Lifter n: a device in an engine against which a cam rotates as the engine runs. As the high point of
the cam rotates, it pushes against (lifts) the lifter. The lifter, in turn, actuates a push rod or other
device to open a valve or similar device. Sometimes called a cam follower.
Lifter-roof tank n: a tank whose roof rises and falls with the changes of pressure in the tank but
does not float on the product stored in it.
Lifting costs n pi: the costs of producing oil from a well or a lease.
Lifting sling n: an arrangement of special hooks that fit into receptacles in a master bushing or an
insert bowl and chains or wire rope that are connected to a rig's air hoist, all of which enables crew
members to insert or remove the master bushing and insert bowls as required.
Lifting sub n: also called hoisting plug or lifting nipple. See lifting nipple.
Light crude oil n: a crude oil of relatively high API gravity (usually 40. or higher).
Light displacement n: on mobile offshore drilling rigs, the weight of the rig with all permanently
attached equipment but without fuel, supplies, crew, ballast, drill pipe, and so forth.
Light ends n pi: the lighter hydrocarbon molecules that comprise gasoline, light kerosene,
heptane, natural gas, and so forth.
Lightening hole n: a hole cut into a strengthening member that reduces its weight but does not
significantly affect its strength.
Lighter n: a large, usually flat-bottomed, barge used in unloading or loading ships. v: to convey by
a lighter.
Light fuels n pi: fuels, such as gasoline, that have relatively high volatility.
Light hydrocarbons n pi: the low molecular weight hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane,
propane, and butanes.
Lightning arrester n: a device incorporated into an electrical system to prevent damage by heavy
surges of high-voltage electricity, such as a stroke of lightning or voltage surges resulting from
mishaps in operations.
Light products n pi: petroleum fractions, such as ethylene, that are relatively light in molecular
weight.
Lightweight cement n: a cement or cement system that handles stable slurries having a density
less than that of neat cement. Lightweight cements are used in low-pressure zones where the
hydrostatic pressure of long columns of neat cement can fracture the formation and result in lost
circulation.
Lightweight gear n: all diving equipment less complex than the standard dress. This equipment
employs face masks or helmets, protective clothing, and swim fins or boots.
Lignins n pi: naturally occurring special lignites, e.g., leonardite, that are produced by strip mining
from special lignite deposits. Used primarily as thinners and emulsifiers.
Lignosulphonate n: an organic drilling fluid additive derived from by-products of a paper-making
process using sulphite. It minimises fluid loss and reduces mud viscosity.
Limber hole n: a hole cut in a structural member of ship or offshore drilling rig, usually in a tank, to
allow water to pass through freely.
Lime n: a caustic solid that consists primarily of calcium oxide (CaO). Many forms of CaO are
called lime, including the various chemical and physical forms of quicklime, hydrated lime, and even
calcium carbonate. Limestone is sometimes called lime.
Lime mud n: 1. a calcite-rich sediment that may give rise to shaly limestone. 2. A drilling mud that
is treated with lime to provide a source of soluble calcium in the filtrate to obtain desirable mud
properties for drilling in shale or clay formations.
Limestone n: a sedimentary rock rich in calcium carbonate that sometimes serves as a reservoir
rock for petroleum.
Limited-entry technique n: a fracturing method in which fracturing fluid is injected into the
formation through a limited number of perforations (i.e., fluid is not injected through all the
perforations at once; rather, injection is confined to a few selected perforations). This special
technique can be useful when long, thick, or multiple producing zones are to be fractured.
Limited exposure n: a generic term to describe certain types of packers where the packing
element is positioned in such a fashion as to limit wellbore media exposed to the tool's setting or
releasing mechanisms.
Line n: 1. any length of pipe through which liquid or gas flows. 2. Rope or wire rope. 3. Electrical
wire.
Lineament n: a linear topographic or tonal feature on the terrain and on images and maps of the
terrain that is thought to indicate a zone of subsurface structural weakness.
Linear caliper n: see caliper:
Linear chart n: a direct reading chart used system on which are recorded static and differential
pressures during a particular time period. It must have the same static and differential ranges as the
flow recorder.
Linearity of a meter n: an expression of a meter's deviation from accuracy.
Linear meter range n: the flow range over which the meter factor does not deviate from specified
limits.
Linear polarisation n: a technique used to measure instantaneous corrosion rates by changing the
electrical potential of a structure that is corroding in a conductive fluid and measuring the current
required for that change.
Line circulation n: petroleum or other liquid delivered through a pipeline system into a receiving
vessel or tank to ensure that the section of pipeline from the source tank to the receiving tank is full
in order to minimize the amount of air in the pipeline.
Line contractor n: control device that makes and breaks the power circuit to the motor.
Line displacement n: an operation to replace previous material in a pipeline.
Line drive n: in water flooding, a straight-line pattern of injection wells designed to advance water
to the producing wells in the form of a nearly linear frontal movement. See water flooding.
Line drop n: opening (venting to atmosphere) in a vessel's piping system so as to allow, to the
extent possible, drainage into a tank where the material may be gauged and accounted for.
Line loss n: the reduction in the quantity of natural gas flowing through a pipeline that results from
leaks, venting, and other physical and operational circumstances.
Line pack n: see line press.
Line parts n pi: see parts of line.
Line pipe n: a steel or plastic pipe used in pipelines, gathering systems, flow lines, and so forth.
Line press n: the recorded difference in a tank's gauges taken both while the tank's valves are
closed (off-line), and while the tank's valves are opened (on-line) into a closed system. All
downstream valves of die line section to be pressed are opened while the terminating valves remain
closed. Also called line pack.
Liner patch n: a stressed-steel corrugated tube that is lowered into existing casing in a well to
repair a hole or leak in the casing. The patch is cemented to the casing with glass fibre and epoxy
resin.
Liner shoe n: a casing shoe attached to liner rather than to casing.
Line scraper n: see pig.
Line speed indicator n: an instrument calibrated to show the speed in feet per minute at which
wire line is raised or lowered in the hole. The line speed indicator may be driven mechanically by
the measuring wheel and placed next to the depth odometer, or it may be driven by a motor.
Line spooler n: a device fitted on the drawworks and used to cause the fast line to reverse its
direction on the drawworks drum or spool when a layer of line is completed on the drum and the
next layer is started.
Line travel applied coating n: in pipeline construction, the coating applied to pipe over the ditch.
Coal tar enamels are particularly effective.
Link-block bolt n: a bolt that secures elevators in the bail. Manufactured with the nut end toward
the derrick hand so that workers can monitor the nut pins when latching and unlatching elevators
during a trip.
Link ear n: a steel projection on the drilling hook by means of which the elevator links are attached
to the hook.
Link locking arm n: on a drilling rig's hook, a device that firmly secures and locks the elevator link
into the link ear's opening.
Link-tilt arms n pi: on a top drive, a device that, when actuated by the driller, tilts the unit's built-in
elevators into a position to make it easy for crew members to latch the elevators onto a joint of pipe
stored in the mousehole. See top drive.
Lipophile n: a substance usually colloidal and easily wet by oil.
Lipophilic adj: having an affinity for lipids, a class of compounds that includes most hydrocarbons.
Liquefaction n: the process whereby a substance in its gaseous or solid state is liquefied.
Liquefiable hydrocarbons n pi: hydrocarbon components of natural gas that can be extracted and
saved in liquid form.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) n: a liquid composed chiefly of natural gas (i.e., mostly methane).
Natural gas is liquefied to make it easy to transport if a pipeline is not feasible (as across a body of
water). Not as easily liquefied as LPG, LNG must be put under low temperature and high pressure
or under extremely low (cryogenic) temperature and close to atmospheric pressure to liquefy.
Liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) n: a vessel such as a ship used to transport liquefied natural
gas.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) n: a mixture of heavier, gaseous, paraffinic hydrocarbons,
principally butane and propane. These gases, easily liquefied at moderate pressure, may be
transported as liquids and converted to gases on release of the pressure. Thus, liquefied petroleum
gas is a portable source of thermal energy that finds wide application in areas where it is impractical
to distribute natural gas. It is also used as a fuel for internal-combustion engines and has many
industrial and domestic uses. Principal sources are natural and refinery gas, from which the
liquefied petroleum gases are separated by fractionation.
Liquefied refinery gas (LRG) n: liquid propane or butane produced by a crude oil refinery. It may
differ from LP gas in that propylene and butylene may be present.
Liquid n: a state of matter in which the shape of the given mass depends on the containing vessel,
but the volume of the mass is independent of the vessel. A liquid is a fluid that is almost
incompressible.
Liquid and solid ROB (remaining on board) n: the measurable material remaining on board a
vessel after a discharge. Includes measurable sludge, sediment, oil, and water or oil residue lying
on the bottom of the vessel's cargo compartments and in associated lines and pumps.
Liquid calibration procedure n: a method of determining a tank's capacity by filling and
withdrawing from the tank accurately determined volumes of liquid.
Liquid cut n: the mark on the gauges tape indicating the height of the liquid.
Liquid desiccant n: a hygroscopic liquid, such as glycol, used to remove water from other fluids.
Liquid displacement n: the crude oil or product that is forced into the hatch or up around the
edges of a floating roof by the weight of the roof.
Liquid head stress n: the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid in a stock or holding tank, which
causes the shell to expand and contract as liquid is added or removed from the tank.
Liquid hydrocarbons n pi: liquids that have been extracted from natural gas, such as propanes,
butanes, pentanes, and heavier products. Liquid hydrocarbons extracted in gas processing plants
are often referred to as "plant products,"
Liquid-in-glass thermometer n: a type of thermometer in which the sensitive part of the
instrument consists of a liquid like mercury or alcohol contained in an envelope of glass.
Liquid-level controller n: any device used to control the liquid level in a tank by actuating electric
or pneumatic switches that open and close the discharge valve or the intake valve, thus maintaining
the liquid at the desired level.
Liquid-level gauge n: any device that indicates the level or quantity of liquid in a container.
Liquid-level indicator n: a device connected to a vessel and coupled with either a float in the
vessel or directly with the fluid therein. It is calibrated to give a visual indication of the liquid level.
Liquid phase n: in drilling fluids, that part of the fluid that is liquid. Normally, the liquid phase of a
drilling fluid is water, oil, or a combination of water and oil.
Lis pendens n: notice that a suit has been filed in a court of law and that the property owned by the
defendant may be liable to judgement.
List n: the position of a ship or offshore drilling rig that heels to one side because of a shift in cargo,
machinery, or supplies. Also called heel.
List correction n: the correction applied to the volume or gauge observed in a vessel's tank when
the vessel is listing, provided that liquid is in contact with all bulkheads in the tank. List correction
may be accomplished by referring to the list correction tables for each of the vessel's tanks or by
mathematical calculation.
List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants n: a list published periodically in the
Federal Register that names endangered and threatened wildlife and plants.
Lithification n: the conversion of unconsolidated deposits into solid rock.
Lithofacies map n: a facies map showing lithologic variations within a formation. It shows the
variations of selected lithologic characteristics within a stratigraphic unit.
Lithology n: 1. the study of rocks, usually macroscopic. 2. The individual character of a rock in
terms of mineral composition, structure, and so forth.
Lithostatic pressure n: see geostatic pressure. Litre (L) n: a unit of metric measure of capacity
equal to the volume occupied by 1 kilogram of water at 4.C and at the standard atmospheric
pressure of 760 millimetres.
Little Big Inch n: a 20-inch (50.8-centimetre) products line constructed during the same period as
Big Inch as part of the World War II effort. See Big Inch.
Live boating n: a diving operation involving the use of a boat or vessel that is under way.
Live end n: the end of a flexible steel brake band that is attached to a brake lever by means of a
linkage. Moving the brake lever pulls the live end down, and the whole band tightens around the
flange. This slows or stops the drum by friction.
Live oil n: crude oil that contains gas and has not been stabilised or weathered. It can cause gas
cutting when added to mud and is a potential fire hazard.
Lizzy n: an on-site patented fire-suppressor system that uses monoammonium phosphate to put
out the fire on a burning well. 1m abbr: lime; used in drilling reports.
LMRP abbr: lower marine-riser package.
LNG abbr: liquefied natural gas.
LNGC abbr: liquefied natural gas carrier.
Load n: 1. in mechanics, the weight or pressure placed on an object. The load on a bit refers to the
amount of weight of the drill collars allowed to rest on the bit. See weight on bit. 2. in reference to
engines. The amount of work that an engine is doing; for example, 50 percent load means that the
engine is putting out 50 percent of the power that it is able to produce. 3. The amount of gas
delivered or required at any specified point or points on a system; load originates primarily at the
gas-consuming equipment of the customer. v: 1. to engage an engine so that it works. Compare
idle. 2. To set a governor to maintain a given pressure as the rate of gas flow through the governor
varies. Compare demand.
Load binder n: a chain or cable with a latching device, used to secure loads (usually of pipe) on
trucks. Also called a boomer.
Load capacity n: the amount of weight a device can safely carry or support.
Loaded on top (LOT) procedure n: see LOT (loaded on top) procedure.
Loader n: the individual who handles the filling of tank cars, ships, barges, or transport trucks.
Load guy n: see guy line.
Loading line n: see suction line.
Loading rack n: the equipment used for transferring crude oil or petroleum products into tank cars
or trucks.
Load loss n: loss from a cargo of oil. Usually the losses occur because the light ends escape
during transport.
Load oil n: the crude or refined oil used infracturing a formation to stimulate a well, as distinguished
from the oil normally produced by the well.
Load on top n: the shipboard procedure of collecting and settling water and oil mixtures. It results
from ballasting and tank-cleaning operations (usually in a special slop tank or tanks) and the
subsequent loading of cargo on top and the pumping of the mixture ashore at the discharge port. v:
to commingle on- board quantity with cargo being loaded.
Load vessel ratio (LVR) n: the total calculated volume (TCV) by vessel measurement on sailing,
less onboard quantity (OBQ), divided by the TCV by shore measurement at loading: LVR = TCV
sailing volume + OBQ/TCV received from shore at loading.
Lobed impeller n: a rounded blade on a displacement meter that separates the liquid stream into
discrete quantities.
LOC abbr: location; used in drilling reports.
Local distribution company (LDC) n: a company that sells natural gas to homes, offices, and
businesses in towns, cities, or relatively small rural areas.
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) n: a local community committee required under
SARA. Committee members are approved by the SERC and include elected state and local
officials; police, fire, and public health officials; environmental advocates; hospital and
transportation officials; industry representatives; community groups; and the media. The function of
the LEPC is to develop an emergency response plan that will be implemented if a hazardous
material is released in the community.
Location n: the place where a well is drilled. Also called well site.
Location damages n pi: compensation paid to the surface owner for actual and potential damage
to the surface and crops in the drilling and operation of a well.
Locator sub n: a device, larger than die bore of a permanent packer, which is run with seal subs
on the 00tt0m of a tubing string and used to locate the top of a permanent packer.
Locator tubing seal assembly n: a device made up in the tubing string and run inside a packer to
prevent fluid and pressure from escaping between the tubing and the packer.
Lock assembly n: see kelly bushing lock assembly.
Locking device n: see rotary locking device.
Locking mandrels n pi: slickline tools with slips and rubber cups to contain pressure and pack-off
tubing in wells not equipped with landing nipples.
Lock-in thermometer n: a dial-indicating temperature instrument with an automatic locking device
for the indicator, which ensures that the indication cannot change until the reading has been taken
and the instrument reset.
Lock segment n: a device to lock a packer's mandrel to its dragblock housing.
LocksetTM (Iokset) n: a trademark for a packer with bi-directional slips used in completion.
Loess n: unstratified, homogeneous accumulation of silt, often containing small amounts of clay or
sand and redeposited by wind from glacial outwash or deserts.
Log n: a systematic recording of data, such as a driller's log, mud log, electrical well log, or
radioactivity log. Many different logs are run in wells to discern various characteristics of downhole
formation. v: to record data.
Logarithm n: the exponent that indicates the power to which a number is raised to produce a given
number. For example, the logarithm of 100 to the base 10 is 2.
Logarithmic scale n: a scale in which the distances of numbers from a reference point are
proportional to the logarithms of the numbers.
Log a well v: to run any of the various logs used to ascertain downhole information about a well.
Logbook n: a book used by station engineers, dispatchers, and gaugers for keeping notes on
current operating data.
Log cross section n: a cross section of a reservoir or part of a reservoir constructed with electric
or radioactivity logs.
Log deflection n: the movement of the curve on a log away from a reference, or base, line.
Logging devices n pi: any of several electrical, acoustical, mechanical, or radioactivity devices
that are used to measure and record certain characteristics or events that occur in a well that has
been or is being drilled.
Logging while drilling (LWD) n: logging measurements obtained by measurementwhile- drilling
techniques as the well is being drilled.
Log sheet n: for pipelines, a daily report sheet on which operating data are entered by gaugers,
dispatchers, and station operators.
Longitude n: the arc or portion of the earth's equator intersected between the meridian of a given
place and the prime meridian (at Greenwich, England) and expressed either in degrees or in time.
Long-range forecast n: a weather forecast covering more than a week in advance (sometimes for
a month or a season).
Long rotary slips n pi: slips designed to fit a square-drive master bushing, and whose taper length
is 8/<fj inches (224 millimetres). Compare extra-long rotary slips. See also slips, square-drive
master bushing.
Long shore current n: movement of seawater parallel to the shore.
Long string n: 1. the last string of casing set in a well. 2. The string of casing that is set at the top
of or through the producing zone, often called the oil string or production casing.
Long thread n: anyone of two types of thread that are cut on casing as standardized by API. The
other is the short thread.
Long way n: displacing fluid from the tubing up the annulus. Compare short way.
Look box n: that portion of the gauge housing that contains a shielded or glassed-in opening
through which a gauge is observed.
Looping n: the technique of laying an additional pipeline alongside an existing one when additional
capacity is needed.
Loose emulsion n: an emulsion that is relatively easy to break. Compare tight emulsion.
Loss of circulation n: see lost circulation.
Loss of head n: friction loss. See pressure drop loss.
Lost circulation n: the quantities of whole mud lost to a formation, usually in cavernous, fissured,
or coarsely permeable beds. Evidenced by the complete or partial failure of the mud to return to the
surface as it is being circulated in the hole. Lost circulation can lead to a blowout and, in general,
can reduce the efficiency of the drilling operation. Also called lost returns.
Lost circulation material (LCM) n: a substance added to cement slurries or drilling mud to prevent
the loss of cement or mud to the formation. See bridging materials.
Lost circulation plug n: cement set across a formation that is taking excessively large amounts of
drilling fluid during drilling operations.
Lost bole n: a well that cannot be drilled further or produced because of a blowout, unsuccessful
fishing job, and so forth.
Lost pipe n: drill pipe, drill collars, tubing, or casing that has become separated in the hole from the
part of the pipe reaching the surface, necessitating its removal before normal operations can
proceed, i.e., a fish.
Lost returns n pi: see lost circulation.
LOT (loaded on top) procedure n: a procedure in which tank-cleaning operations are carried out
on board ships and the resulting water/oil mixture is collected in a tank and allowed to separate.
The relatively clean water is then pumped out of the vessel, and part of the next cargo is loaded on
top of the remaining cargo/water-cleaning residue. This residue is called slops.
Louisiana Independent Oil and Gas Association (LIOGA) n: a group of independent oil
producers and persons who own royalties from oil and gas wells in Louisiana. Address: 1 American
Pl., Ste. 1020; Baton Rouge, LA 70825; (504) 388- 9525.
Low clay-solids mud n: heavily weighted muds whose high solids content (a result of the large
amounts of barite added) necessitates the reduction of clay solids.
Low drum drive n: the draw works drum drive used when hoisting loads are heavy.
Lowering-in n: The process of laying pipe in a ditch in pipeline construction. Pipe can be lowered
into the ditch as part of the coating operation or lowered separately by a lowering-in crew.
Lowering-up n: in pipeline construction, the process of raising pipe and placing it on vertical
support members in parts of the world where frozen earth prevents normal burial of the line.
Lowering-up is the counterpart of lowering-in in more temperate climates.
Lower kelly cock n: a special valve normally installed below the kelly. Usually, the valve is open so
that drilling fluid can flow out of the kelly and down the drill stem. When the mud pump is stopped,
the valve can be manually closed with a special wrench to prevent pressurised fluids in the drill
string from flowing into the Kelly. When closed, the valve also prevents mud in the kelly from spilling
onto the rig floor when the kelly is broken out of the drill string. Also called a drill stem safety valve,
mud saver valve.

Lower kelly valve n: see drill stem safety valve. Lower kelly cock.

Lower marine riser package (LMRP) n: the equipment that attaches the lower part of the marine
riser to the subsea blowout preventer (BOP) stack. It includes the BOP connector, a flexible joint to
compensate for side-to-side movement, and the marine riser connector.
See marine riser; subsea blow- out preventer:

Lower sample n: in tank sampling, a spot sample obtained at a level of fi/ the depth of liquid
below the surface.

Lower tier n: a category of oil production for purposes of price control. It refers to old oil, i.e., oil
contained in reservoirs that were being produced during 1972.

Lowest achievable emission rate (LAER) n: an air emission standard determined by the states
on a case-by-case basis. LAER is applied in nonattainment areas, which do not meet NAAQS, and
is more stringent than the BACT applied in attainment areas. Consequently, cost and economic
impact are not taken into consideration in determining LAER.

Low-pressure area n: an area of low atmospheric pressure.

Low-pressure distribution system n: a system in which the gas pressure in the mains and the
service lines is substantially the same as that delivered to the customers' appliances; ordinarily, a
pressure regulator is not required on individual service lines.

Low-solids fluid n: see low-solids mud.

Low-solids mud n: a drilling mud that contains a minimum amount of solid material (sand, silt, and
so on) and that is used in rotary drilling when possible because it can provide fast drilling rates.

Low-temperature fractionation n: separation of a hydrocarbon fluid mixture into components by
fractionation, wherein the reflux condenser is operated at temperatures requiring refrigeration. See
pod (Podbielniak) analysis.
Low-temperature processing n: gas processing conducted below ambient temperatures.

Low vapour pressure liquid n: a liquid that, at the measurement or proving temperature of the
meter, has a vapour pressure less than atmospheric pressure. Compare high vapour pressure
liquid.

Low-yield clay n: commercial clay chiefly of the calcium montmorillonite type and having a yield of
approximately 15 barrels per ton (2,385 litres per tonne).

LPG abbr: liquefied petroleum gas.

LRG abbr: liquefied refinery gas.

Ls abbr: limestone; used in drilling reports.

Lse abbr: lease; used in drilling reports.

L-10 chart n: a chart used in measuring gas with orifice meters on which are recorded differential
and static pressures. It uses a logarithmic scale from 0 to 10. The readings must be converted, but
it can be used on any flow recorder, regardless of range. Also called square-root chart.

LTL abbr: Letter to Lessees and Operators.

LTX unit n: low-temperature separator. A mechanical separator that uses refrigeration obtained by
expansion of gas from high pressure to low pressure to increase recovery of gas-entrained liquids.

Lubricant n: a substance-usually petroleum based- that is used to reduce friction between two
moving parts.

Lubricate v: 1. to apply grease or oil to moving parts. 2. to lower or raise tools in or out of a well
with pressure inside d1e well. The term comes from d1e fact that a lubricant (grease) is often used
to provide a seal against well pressure while allowing wire line to move in or out of the well.

Lubricator n: a specially fabricated length of casing or tubing usually placed temporarily above a
valve on top of the casing- head or tubing head. It is used to run swabbing or perforating tools into a
producing well and provides a method for sealing off pressure and thus should be rated for highest
anticipated pressure.

Lubricator stack n: see lubricator.

Lug n: a projection on a casting to which a bolt or other part may be fitted.

Lugging power n: the torque, or turning power, delivered to the flywheel of a diesel engine.

Lunar tide n: that portion of a tide that is due to the gravitational attraction of the moon on the
earth.

LWD abbr: logging while drilling.

Lyophilic adj: having an affinity for the suspending medium, such as bentonite in water. lyophilic
colloid n: a colloid that is not easily precipitated from a solution and is readily dispersible after the
precipitation by an addition of the solvent. See colloid.

Lyophobic colloid n: a colloid that is readily precipitated from a solution and cannot be
redispersed by an addition of the solution. See colloid