ABSTRACT
Packing Off: A collection of materials including cutting and/or ll that dehydrates or is held by pressure and stops circulation of ¤uid in a wellbore. Packoff: (1) A seal between or around equipment to isolate pressure or areas within the well. (2) A seal formed in the tubing or around the top of a screen or packer to isolate a ¤ow path. PACV: Pressure-activated circulating valve. Pad: A volume of ¤uid, without proppant, injected in front of a frac job to establish frac width. PAD: See Petroleum administration for defense. Paddle Blender or Mixer: A mixing chamber, usually in a small tank or pod that uses a rotating paddle to mix the ¤uid and the additives. PAL: Producer, articial lift. Paleocene: A geologic time period from 250 to 570 million years ago. Paleontology: The study of fossils. Useful for dating and identifying rocks. Paleozoic: An era of geologic time lasting from 570 million years ago to 245 million years ago. PAL (Lift): Producer, articial lift. PAL (Log): Pipe analysis log. Paraf–n: (1) A white, odorless, tasteless, chemically inert, waxy substance derived from distilling petroleum; a crystalline, ¤ammable substance composed of saturated hydrocarbons. (2) A white, tasteless, odorless, chemically inert, waxy substance obtained from some petroleum oils. (3) Normal or straight carbon chain alkanes with carbon chain lengths of C18+. The alkanes in this range solidify at temperatures from 80°F to over 200°F. Parafn is amorphous but may appear to have structure in slow growth examples. Paraf–n-Base Crude: A type of crude oil containing predominantly parafn hydrocarbons as distinguished from asphaltic-and naphthenic-base crudes. It is a source of high-quality lubricating oils. Paraf–n-Base Oil: Oil with API gravity greater than 30. Paraf–nic: Having the characteristics of parafns, that is, saturated hydrocarbons of open chain structure. Paraf–n, Liquid: Highly rened, colorless, heavy USP oil used for medicinal purposes and other applications. Paraf–n Scraper or Scratcher: A wire line tool to remove parafn deposits. Paraf–n Wax: Hydrocarbons of solid consistency having a relatively pronounced crystalline structure, extracted from certain petroleum distillates. Rened parafn wax has a very low oil content and is white in color, with some degree of translucency, almost tasteless and odorless, and slightly greasy to the touch. Parallel Operation: Wastewater being treated is split, and a portion ¤ows to one treatment unit, while the remainder ¤ows to another similar treatment unit. Parasitic Bacteria: Parasitic bacteria are those bacteria that normally live off another living organism, known as the “host.”
