Oilfield Basics
The OFS industry term for beginning to drill a new well.
Spudding
The "big boss" on the job site who represents the E&P oil operator, oversees safety, budget and final decisions
Company Man (aka Wellsite Leader)
Safety valve stack fitted on top of a well to prevent dangerous, high pressure blowouts
Blowout preventer (takeaway: critical safety hardware that generates constant pressure and valve-status sensor metrics)
When a rig team officially begins drilling the very first inch of a new hole, field crews say they are doing this
Spudding
Kevin's dog is named
Lincoln
The underground natural rock formation that holds trapped oil & gas
Reservoir
Term for the crew members doing the heavy physical labor and pipe handling on the rig floor
Roughnecks
The process of pumping water, sand, and chemicals underground to crack rock formations open and release oil
Fracking (takeaway: massive bursts of real time pressure readings, flow rate, and concentration data)
If an operator asks a service provider "how many bbls of fluid did we pump today?" they are asking for a count in WHAT standard volume unit
Barrels
This Tiger Data AE is best known for his performance in Pavements (2024 film)
Joey LaPlant
The standard unit of measurement for oil, equal to 42 gallons
Barrel
The technical specialist(s) who steers the drill bit in real-time miles underground to make sure it hits the target payload zone.
Directional Driller
The fluid being pumped down the hole to cool the drill bit and flush out rock pieces
Drilling mud (takeaway: sensors track mud viscosity, flow in/out rates, and density continuously - discrepancies can signal dangerous leaks etc)
Heavy steel pipes cemented into the ground to protect freshwater and keep the hole from caving in are collectively known as this
Casing (ingestion logs for casing integrity are queried over a well's multi-decade lifecycle)
This is what we say in GTM prospecting Slack channel when a BDR or AE books a new meeting
Light work
E&P
The contractor manager on site who is in charge of the physical drilling equipment, and supervision of the rig crew
Toolpusher
Downhole tools that capture and stream real-time sensor measurements while actively drilling
MWD/Measurement While Drilling (takeaway: high frequency time series data streaming from deep underground to guide directional steering in real time)
Blowout Preventer (BOP) (high frequency pressure telemetry off the BOP is crucial for safety alerts)
In Tiger Data seller culture, this is said before discovery calls or cold calls with a higher-than-average chance of a good result happening
"Now watch this drive"
The process of pumping high pressure water, sand, and chemicals underground to crack open rocks (reservoirs) and release trapped oil & gas.
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)
The office-based operator who designs the technical well plan, sets budgets, and approves vendor selection before drilling starts
Drilling or Completions Engineer (probably the person in the field who cares the most about Tiger Data!)
Large steel pipes inserted into the drilled hole and cemented in place to protect aquifers and prevent wall collapse
Casing (Takeaway: integrity testing on casing produces acoustic and pressure logs that engineers query across and entire well's lifecycle - multiple decades)
This specialized fluid is constantly circulated downhole to cool the bit and bring rock cuttings back to the surface
Drilling Mud
This SA loves rabbits so much that he once sent his wife on a month-long all-expenses-paid European vacation to convince her to let him get another one
Cez