Glossary
Here in alphabetical order are some of the names, technical terms and abbreviations used in this website:
A B C D E F G H IJK L M N O PQ R S T UVWXYZ
A
Absolute zero
The lowest temperature that is possible. At that temperature there is no motion and no heat. Absolute zero occurs at a temperature of 0 degrees Kelvin, or -273.15 degrees Celsius, or at -460 degrees Fahrenheit
B
Bcf (Bcsf)
Billion (= one thousand million) cubic feet, typically of a gas
BEIS
UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
BLM
US Bureau of Land Management
C
Chromatography
A technique for the separation of a mixture by passing it in solution or suspension through a medium in which the components move at different rates
Coiled Tubing Drilling
Drilling technique used for over 25 years in which the drill-stem is a continuous coil of tubing and drilling is achieved by use of a downhole motor
Critical Point
The point on a phase diagram at which both the liquid and gas phases of a substance have the same density, and are therefore indistinguishable
Cryogenics
Relating to or involving the branch of physics that deals with the production and effects of very low temperatures
Crystalline Basement
Used to define the rocks below a sedimentary platform or overburden, and generally it is any rock below sedimentary rocks that are metamorphic or igneous in origin
D
Drilling
The creating of a borehole in the earth to allow the testing of the subsurface geology and fluids
E
EU
European Union
F
Fracking
The process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. So as to force open existing fissures. More correctly hydraulic fracturing
G
Google Loon
Loon LLC is a subsidiary working on providing internet access to rural and remote areas using high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of 18 km to 25 km to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G speeds
Granite
A very hard, granular, crystalline, igneous rock consisting mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and often used as a building stone
H
Half-life
The time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value
Helium
Chemical element with the symbol he and atomic number 2. It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas, the first in the noble gas group in the Periodic table. Its boiling point is the lowest among all the elements
HSE
Health Safety and Environment
Hydrocarbon gas
A naturally occurring flammable gases including methane, ethane and longer chain hydrocarbons
IJK
Isotope each of two or more forms of the same element
L
LHC
Large Hadron Collider – the world's largest particle accelerator located in Switzerland and used in major physics experiments
LNG
Liquefied natural gas
Luigi Palmieri
An Italian physicist and meteorologist. He was famous for his scientific studies of the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, for his researches on earthquakes and meteorological phenomena
M
Monoatomic
Elements that are stable as single atoms are the noble gases
Metric ton(ne)
The tonne, commonly referred to as the metric ton, is a mass equal to 1,000 kilograms
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging – a technique used extensively in medicine to image body tissues
N
NHS
UK National Health Service
Noble gases
A group of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odourless, colourless, monatomic gases with very low chemical reactivity. The six naturally occurring noble gases are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and the radioactive radon
NMR
Neutron Magnetic Resonance – an imaging technique also used in medical diagnostic imaging
Norman Llockyer
An English scientist and astronomer. Along with the French scientist Pierre Janssen, he is credited with discovering the gas helium
Nuclear fusion
A reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or absorption of energy
O
OGA
UK Oil and Gas Authority
Overburden
Rock or soil overlying a mineral deposit or other underground feature
PQ
PA
Per Annum
Pluton(ic)
Rrelating to or denoting igneous rock formed by solidification at considerable depth beneath the earth's surface
PSI
Pounds per square inch – used to indicate pressure. Normal atmospheric pressure (i.e. One atmosphere) is 14.7 PSI
R
Radiogenic
Produced by radioactivity
Radium
A radioactive chemical element with the symbol ra and atomic number 88
Reservoir
A subsurface rock formation containing a natural accumulation of gas or liquid of commercial significance
S
Seal
A cap rock or layer of impermeable rocks which trap fluids in deeper layers of rock
(macro-)seep
a natural spring where liquids and gaseous compounds leak out of the ground
(micro-)seep
The gradual leakage of small quantities of gaseous compounds that leave from the underlying geological strata into the soil
Seismic
The use of sound waves generated by a controlled source to ascertain the nature of the subsurface structure, lithology and fluid content
Superconductivity
The set of physical properties observed in certain materials, when electrical resistance falls to zero. Any material exhibiting this property is termed a superconductor
Superfluid
A fluid with zero viscosity which therefore flows without loss of kinetic energy. Superfluidity occurs in helium when it is liquefied by cooling to cryogenic temperatures
T
Tectonic
Relating to the structure of the earth's crust and the large-scale processes which take place within it
Thorium
Weakly radioactive metallic chemical element with the symbol th and atomic number 90
Triple Point
The temperature and pressure at which a substance can exist in equilibrium in the liquid, solid, and gaseous states
UVWXYZ
Uranium
Radioactive chemical element with the symbol u and atomic number 92
William Ramsay
A Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air"
Zeppelin
A type of rigid airship named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century
