In this field, almost every person, machine, and mechanism onshore has its own slang name.
Needless to say, that can make it difficult to follow conversations when you’re new to the industry. However, knowing the industry jargon is not just useful for understanding your coworkers, it’s also imperative for ensuring that your work is completed safely and correctly.
If you want to work in oil and gas, get a head start with this guide to the industry lingo.
Christmas tree – the fittings and valves connected to the top of a well which controls the rate of flow from the well
Derrick – the tower-like structure that controls most of the drilling and provides support for equipment being lowered in the well
E&A – the abbreviation for exploration and appraisal
Fish – anything that’s fallen down the wellbore by mistake
Frac job – another term for hydraulic fracturing (when an oil or gas well is stimulated by pumping special fluids into the reservoir)
Grapple – name of tools used to recover fish from the wellbore
Joint – refers to the length of a pipe
Motorman – the member of the crew responsible for maintenance of the engines
Pig – name of the tool used to clean a pipeline
Sour Gas – Natural gas contaminated with chemicals, usually sulfur compounds, that causes a sour odour
Wildcat well – an exploratory well that is drilled in an area that isn’t a known oil field