Glossary
Browse the IADC Lexicon alphabetically or by category. Get comprehensive definitions of drilling industry terms.
Permanent Bend Stiffener
Definition(s)
Permanent bend stiffener
Bend stiffener that is to be used for the entire service life of the flexible pipe. Source: API RP 17L2, Recommended Practice for Flexible Pipe Ancillary Equipment, First Edition, March 2013. Global StandardsPermanent Equipment
Definition(s)
Permanent Equipment
Equipment that is attached to the CCU that is not considered cargo.
Source: API Standard 2CCU, Offshore Cargo Carrying Units, First Edition, August 2017. Global StandardsPermanent Equipment
Equipment installed for production over the life of the well.
Source: API Technical Report 17TR7, Verification and Validation of Subsea Connectors, First Edition, April 2017. Global StandarPermanent Equipment
Equipment that is attached to the container and which is not cargo. This may include e.g. lifting sets, refrigeration units, shelves, securing points, garbage compactors. Source: NOGEPA Industrial Guideline No. 02, Offshore Containers, Netherlands, Revision 4, January 2006. Global StandardsPermanent Guidebase
Definition(s)
Permanent Guidebase
Structure that sets alignment and orientation relative to the wellhead system and provides entry guidance for running equipment on or into the wellhead assembly. Source: API STD 65 – Part 2, Isolating Potential Flow Zones During Well Construction, Upstream Segment, Second Edition, December 2010. Global StandardsPermanent Mooring System
Definition(s)
Permanent Mooring System
Mooring system normally used to moor floating structures deployed for long-term operations, such as those for a floating production system (FPS). Source: ISO 19901-7:2013, Petroleum and natural gas industries – Specific requirements for offshore structures – Part 7: Stationkeeping systems for floating offshore structures and mobile offshore units. Global StandardsPermanent Packer or Permanent Bridge Plug
Definition(s)
Permanent Packer or Permanent Bridge Plug
Bridge plug (3.2) or packer (3.26) that has no design feature for intact removal from the conduit, necessitating substantial destruction for its removal. Source: API SPEC 11D1, Packers and Bridge Plugs, Upstream Segment, Second Edition, July 2009. Global StandardsPermeability
Definition(s)
Permeability
The property of a porous medium which is a measure of the capacity of the medium to transmit fluids within its interconnected pore network. The usual unit of measurement is the millidarcy, or 0.001 darcy. Source: API BULLETIN E3, Environmental Guidance Document: Well Abandonment and Inactive Well Practices for U.S. Exploration and Production Operations, First Edition, January 1993 (Reaffirmed June 2000). Global StandardsPermeability
Measure of the ease with which material can become magnetized. NOTE Permeability is the ratio of flux density and magnetizing force, i.e. B/H. Source: API RP 5A5, Field Inspection of New Casing, Tubing, and Plain-end Drill Pipe, Reaffirmed August 2010. Global StandardsPermeability
Measure of the capacity of a porous medium to allow flow of fluids or gases. NOTE Permeability is usually expressed in millidarcy, mD. Source: API RP 10B-2, Recommended Practice for Testing Well Cements, First Edition, July 2005 (Reaffirmed: July 2010). Global StandardsPermeability
Permeability of a space means the ratio of the volume within that space which is assumed to be occupied by water to the total volume of that space. Source: Resolution MEPC.119(52), 2004 amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code), 15 October 2004, International Maritime Organization. Regulatory GuidancePermeability (μ)
Permeability ( of a space is the proportion of the immersed volume of that space which can be occupied by water. <Chapter II-1, regulation 2>. Source: IMO Resolution MSC.216(82), amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, 8 December 2006, International Maritime Organization. LegislationPermeability
“Permeability” in relation to a space is the ratio of the volume within that space which is assumed to be occupied by water to the total volume of that space. Source: IMO Resolution MSC.266(84), Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships, 2008 (2008 SPS Code), 13 May 2008, International Maritime Organization. Regulatory GuidancePermissible Exposure Limit
Definition(s)
Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
TWA concentrations that must not be exceeded during any 8-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week. PELs are subject to change. Source: API RP 49, Recommended Practice for Drilling and Well Servicing Operations Involving Hydrogen Sulfide, Third Edition, May 2001. Global StandardsPermissible Exposure Limit
Exposure limit that is published and enforced by OSHA as a legal standard (see 29 CFR 1910.1000, Subpart Z), expressed as 8-hour TWAs, ceiling values, and STELs. Source: API RP 98, Personal Protective Equipment Selection for Oil Spill Responders, First Edition, August 2013. Global StandardsPermissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
Definition(s)
Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
Federal regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, and found at 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1000 and in the substance specific standards which follow. API RP 2201, Safe Hot Tapping Practices in the Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries, Fifth Edition, July 2003 (Reaffirmed October 2010), Global Standards API RP 2009, Safe Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Practices in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries, Seventh Edition, February 2002 (Reaffirmed, March 2012), Global StandardsPermit
Definition(s)
Permit
A written document authorizing a work activity and defining the conditions under which the work shall be conducted. Normally signed by both the recipient and an issuing competent person with authority to allow the activity to take place. API RP 2201, Safe Hot Tapping Practices in the Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries, Fifth Edition, July 2003 (Reaffirmed October 2010), Global Standards API RP 2009, Safe Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Practices in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries, Seventh Edition, February 2002 (Reaffirmed, March 2012), Global StandardsPermit
An entry permit is a written or printed document provided by the employer or authorizing entity to allow and control entry into a permit space which contains the information specified in 6.2 [and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146(f) or equivalent]. Source: API Standards 2217A, Guidelines for Safe Work in Inert Confined Spaces in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries, Fourth Edition, July 2009. Global StandardsPermit
“Permit” means an exploratory oil and gas permit issued pursuant to regulations made in accordance with the Territorial Lands Act and the Public Lands Grants Act and includes an exploration agreement entered into under the Canada Oil and Gas Land Regulations and any exploration agreement or licence that is subject to the Canada Petroleum Resources Act; permis. Source: Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. O-7, Canada, current to April 29, 2013. LegislationPermit
“Permit” means an exploratory oil and gas permit issued pursuant to regulations made in accordance with the Territorial Lands Act and the Public Lands Grants Act and includes an exploration agreement entered into under the Canada Oil and Gas Land Regulations and any exploration agreement or licence that is subject to Part II; permis. Source: Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act, S.C. 1988, c. 28, Canada, current to May 26, 2013. LegislationPermit
“Permit” means a permit issued under section 41 or Part III.1 or VI; permis. Source: National Energy Board Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. N-7, Canada, current to April 29, 2013. LegislationPermit
A written authorization issued by the commission under this section for the operation of a brine mining injection well. Source: Oil and Gas Division, Texas Administrative Code, Title 16, Chapter 3, February 2013. RegulationsPerson-in-charge of the Deck Watch
Definition(s)
Person-in-charge of the Deck Watch
a person who has immediate charge of the navigation, maneuvering, operation or security of an installation. Source: Atlantic Canada Offshore Petroleum Industry, Standard Practice for the Training and Qualifications of Personnel, 2013, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Global StandardsPersonal
Definition(s)
Personal
Equipment intended to be supported by a person’s body during normal use. Source: IEC 60079-14:2013, Explosive atmospheres – Part 14: Electrical installations design, selection and erection, Edition 5.0, November 2013. Global StandardsPersonal Fall Arrest System
Definition(s)
Personal fall arrest system (PFAS)
A system designed to provide protection to a person from falls. The PFAS should consist of an anchorage, connector and a synthetic webbing full body harness which may include a lanyard and a deceleration device. Source: API RP 54, Recommended Practice for Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing Operations, Third Edition, August 1999 (2007). Global Standards Source: API RP 74, Recommended Practice for Occupational Safety for Onshore Oil and Gas Production Operation, First Edition, October 2001 (March 2007). Global StandardsPersonal fall arrest system
“Personal fall arrest system” means a system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a full body harness, and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. Source: State of Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Rules and Regulations for Oil and Gas Well Drilling, Revised January 8, 2013. RegulationsPersonal Identifying Information / Personally Identifiable Information
Definition(s)
Personal Identifying Information / Personally Identifiable Information
The information that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred. Adapted from: NCSD Glossary, CNSSI 4009, GAO Report 08-356, as cited in NIST SP 800-63 Rev 1. Source: NICCS™ Portal Cybersecurity Lexicon, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (https://niccs.us-cert.gov/glossary) as of 11 November 2015, Global StandardsPersonal Protective Equipment
Definition(s)
Personal Protective Equipment
Equipment (such as protective clothing, respiratory devices, protective shields or barriers) worn or used by individuals to protect eyes, face, head and extremities. API RP 2201, Safe Hot Tapping Practices in the Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries, Fifth Edition, July 2003 (Reaffirmed October 2010), Global StandardsPersonal Protective Equipment
Equipment (such as protective clothing, respiratory devices, protective shields or barriers) worn or used by individuals to protect eyes, face, head and extremities from hazards of equipment, processes or environment capable of causing injury or functional impairment. API RP 2009, Safe Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Practices in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries, Seventh Edition, February 2002 (Reaffirmed, March 2012), Global StandardsPersonal Protective Equipment
Clothing and equipment designed to protect responders from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. NOTE Besides face shields, safety glasses, hard hats, and safety shoes, protective equipment includes a variety of devices and garments such as goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, and respirators. Source: API RP 98, Personal Protective Equipment Selection for Oil Spill Responders, First Edition, August 2013. Global StandardsPersonal Protective Equipment
Equipment intended to be held or worn by the worker to obtain protection from hazards. Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors, Appendix 2 to Health, Safety and Environment Case Guidelines for Offshore Drilling Contractors, Issue 3.3.2, February 2010. IADC GuidelinesPersonal Protective Equipment
“Personal protective equipment” has the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Note: S.I. 1992/2966. Source: The Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995, S.I. 1995/743, 1995. RegulationsPersonnel
Definition(s)
Personnel
Personnel means direct employee(s) of the operator and contracted workers who are involved with or affected by specific jobs or tasks. Source: Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf, 30 CFR 250 (2013). RegulationsPersonnel
Personnel means individuals who are employed by leaseholders, permit holders, operators, owners, contractors, or subcontractors and who are on a unit by reason of their employment. Source: Outer Continental Shelf Activities, 33 CFR 140-147 (2013). RegulationsPersonnel
Personnel as mentioned in the third subsection, means those manning the control and monitoring functions, and personnel staying inside the work area of these systems. Source: Guidelines Regarding the Activities Regulations, Norway, updated December 2012. Regulatory GuidancePersonnel
individuals, internal or external, of the certification body carrying out activities for the certification body Note 1 to entry: These include committee members and volunteers. [SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17024:2012, 3.12]. Source: ISO/IEC TS 17027:2014, Conformity assessment – Vocabulary related to competence of persons used for certification of persons, Global StandardsPersonnel Transfer Carrier
Definition(s)
Personnel Transfer Carrier
carrier suspended on cranes used for transfer of personnel between installations and ships Source: Rules for Classification and Construction, IV Industrial Services, 6 Offshore Technology, 9 Guideline for Personnel Transfers by Means of Lifting Appliances, Edition 2011, Germanischer Lloyd SE, Global StandardsPersonnel, Qualified
Definition(s)
Personnel, Qualified
A person designated by the employer who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated ability to identify and solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project and, when required, is properly licensed in accordance with federal, state, or local laws and regulations. API RP 2009, Safe Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Practices in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries, Seventh Edition, February 2002 (Reaffirmed, March 2012), Global StandardsPersonnel, Qualified
Individuals with characteristics or abilities gained through training, experience, or both, as measured against the manufacturer’s established requirements. Source: API SPEC 16RCD, Specification for Drill Through Equipment—Rotating Control Devices, Upstream Segment, First Edition, February 2005. Global StandardsPetrochemicals
Definition(s)
Petrochemicals
Business category producing petrochemical, i.e. chemicals derived from petroleum and used as feedstock for the manufacture of a variety of plastics and other related products (e.g. methanol, polypropylene). Source: API STD 689, Collection and Exchange of Reliability and Maintenance Data for Equipment, First Edition, July 2007. Global StandardsPetrochemicals
Business category producing the chemicals derived from petroleum and used as feedstock for the manufacture of a variety of plastics and other related products. EXAMPLES Methanol, polypropylene. Source: ISO 20815:2008, Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries – Production assurance and reliability management. Global StandardsPetroleum
Definition(s)
Petroleum
Crude oil. Source: API STD 2000, Venting Atmospheric and Low-pressure Storage Tanks, Sixth Edition, November 2009. Global StandardsPetroleum
“Petroleum” means oil or gas; hydrocarbures. Source: Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act, S.C. 1988, c. 28, Canada, current to May 26, 2013. Legislation Source: Canada Petroleum Resources Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 36 (2nd Supp.), current to April 29, 2013. LegislationPetroleum
"Petroleum" means any liquid hydro-carbon or mixture of hydro- -carbons and any inflammable mixture (liquid, viscous or solid) containing any liquid hydro-carbon. Source: The Petroleum Act, 1934 (Act No. 30 of 1934), India, 1934. LegislationPetroleum
“Petroleum” has the same meaning as in the Petroleum Act, 1934 and includes natural gas and refinery gas. Source: The Petroleum Mineral Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962, Act No. 50 of 1962, India, as amended as of May 2013. LegislationPetroleum
Petroleum means:- any naturally occurring hydrocarbon, whether in a gaseous, liquid or solid state; or
- any naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons, whether in a gaseous, liquid or solid state; or
- any naturally occurring mixture of:
- one or more hydrocarbons, whether in a gaseous, liquid or solid state; and
- one or more of the following, that is to say, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen, helium and carbon dioxide; and:
- includes any petroleum as defined by paragraph (a), (b) or (c) that has been returned to a natural reservoir; and
- for the purposes of the pipeline provisions, also includes any petroleum as defined by paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d), where:
- one or more things have been added; or
- one or more things have been wholly or partly removed; or both; and
- for the purposes of the pipeline provisions, also includes any mixture that:
- has been recovered from a well; and
- includes petroleum as defined by paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d); whether or not:
- one or more things have been added; or
- one or more things have been wholly or partly removed; or both.
Petroleum
Disregard the definition of petroleum in section 7 of this Act in determining the meaning that the expression petroleum has or had in the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967. Source: Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, Australia, amended 2012. LegislationPetroleum
“Petroleum” means petroleum under the law on petroleum. Source: Law of Information Energy, Act on Offences Relating to Offshore Petroleum Production Places B.E. 2530 (1987), Thailand, as of June 2013. LegislationPetroleum
“Petroleum” means crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquid, by-products and other naturally occurring hydrocarbons in a free state, whether solid, semi-solid, liquid or gaseous, and it shall include all heavy hydrocarbons which can be recovered in situ by thermal or chemical processes, but shall not include coal, oil shale or other kinds of rocks from which oil can be extracted by application of heat or chemical process. Source: Law of Information Energy, Petroleum Act B.E. 2514 (1971), Thailand, as of June 2013. LegislationPetroleum
“Petroleum” has the same meaning as in Part I of the Petroleum Act 1998 (Note: 1998 c. 17). Source: UK Offshore Safety Act 1992, 1992 c. 15 (February 2013). LegislationPetroleum
In paragraph (1) “petroleum” means any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon and natural gas existing in its natural condition in strata, but does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation. Source: The Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, UK S.I. 1995/2038, 1995. RegulationsPetroleum
“Petroleum”—- includes any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon and natural gas, whether or not existing in its natural condition in strata; and
- does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation.
Petroleum
For S.I. 1995/738, in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) before the definition of “pipeline”, insert ““petroleum”—- includes any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon and natural gas, whether or not existing in its natural condition in strata; and
- does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation.
Petroleum
For S.I. 1995/743, in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) after the definition of “personal protective equipment”, insert ““petroleum”—- includes any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon and natural gas, whether or not existing in its natural condition in strata; and
- does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation”.