Oleochem have listed below, the most common acronyms and abbreviations used within onshore/offshore Oil and Gas production laboratories.
GENERAL
| ABS | American Bureau Of Shipping |
| AIChE | American Institute Of Chemical Engineers |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| API | American Petroleum Institute |
| ASCE | American Society Of Chemical Engineers |
| ASTM | American Society For Testing And Materials |
| ATEX | Equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres |
| BA | Breathing Apparatus |
| BEIS | Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy |
| BOD | Biological Oxygen Demand |
| BP | Boiling Point |
| BS | British Standard |
| BS EN | British & European Standard |
| BS&W | Basic Sediment & Water |
| BTEX | Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene |
| c.c | Closed Cup (Flashpoint) |
| CIMV | Chemical Injection Metering Valve |
| CIV | Chemical Injection Valve |
| Cl | Chlorine |
| CO | Carbon Monoxide |
| CO2 | Carbon Dioxide |
| CoC | Certificate of Conformance |
| COSHH | Control of Substances Hazardous to Health |
| CTU | Cargo Transport Unit |
| DBB | Double Block and Bleed |
| DECC | Department For Energy And Climate Change (Obsolete, See BEIS) |
| DG | Dangerous Goods |
| DO | Dissolved Oxygen |
| DP | Dew Point |
| EC | European Commission |
| EC | Electrical Conductivity |
| ECHA | European Chemicals Agency |
| ECITB | Engineering Construction Industry Training Board |
| EDX | Energy Dispersive X-Ray |
| EM | Electromagnetic |
| EN | European Standard |
| EPA | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| ESD | Emergency Shut Down |
| ESEM | Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy |
| EU | European Union |
| FAT | Factory Acceptance Testing |
| FC | Fume Cupboard |
| Fe | Iron |
| FLIV | Flowline Isolation Valve |
| FM | Flowmeter |
| FO | Fuel Oil |
| FP | Flashing Point / Flash Point |
| FPC | Floating Piston Cylinder |
| FT | Flow Transmitter |
| FWKO | Free Water Knock Out |
| GC | Gas Chromatography |
| GC/MS | Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry |
| GCMS | Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry |
| GHB | General Heterotrophic Bacteria |
| GLR | Gas Liquid Ratio |
| GOR | Gas Oil Ratio |
| H2S | Hydrogen Sulfide |
| HC | Hydrocarbons |
| HCI | Hydrochloric Acid |
| HDPE | High Density Polypropylene |
| Heavy Oil | Has an API gravity of less than 22° and a viscosity of less than 100 centipoise |
| HFE | Human Factors Engineering |
| HP | High Pressure |
| HP | Hydrostatic Pressure |
| HT | High Temperature |
| HTHP | High Temperature, High Pressure |
| IATA | International Air Transport Association |
| IBC | Intermediate Bulk Container |
| ID | Inner Diameter |
| IEA | International Energy Agency |
| IECEx | International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC Version of ATEX) |
| IP | Institute of Petroleum (now Energy Institute) |
| IR | Infra-red |
| ISO | International Organisation for Standardisation |
| KF | Karl Fischer |
| LDPE | Low Density Polyethylene |
| LEL | Lower Explosive Limit |
| LEV | Local Exhaust Ventilation |
| Light Oil | Has an API gravity of at least 22° and a viscosity less than 100 centipoise |
| LNG | Liquefied Natural Gas |
| LP | Low Pressure |
| LP | Liquid Petroleum |
| LPG | Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
| LSA | Low Specific Activity (Scale) |
| LTEL | Long Term Exposure Limit |
| MAOP | Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure |
| MAWP | Maximum Allowable Working Pressure |
| MEG | Monoethylene Glycol |
| MPN | Most Probable Number |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheets |
| MWP | Maximum Working Pressure |
| NACE | National Association of Corrosion Engineers |
| NG | Natural Gas |
| NGL | Natural Gas Liquids |
| NOGEPA | Netherlands Oil And Gas Exploration And Production Association |
| NORM | Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material |
| NRB | Nitrate Reducing Bacteria |
| o.c | Open Cup (Flashpoint) |
| OB | Overboard |
| OD | Outer Diameter |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer |
| OIW | Oil in Water |
| OOS | Oil on Sand |
| OPITO | Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization |
| PE | Polyethylene |
| PG | Pressure Gauge |
| pH | Potential of Hydrogen |
| PI | Pressure Indicator |
| POSSM | Pressurised Oil Sub-Sampling Syringe Method |
| PP | Pour Point |
| PP | Polypropylene |
| PSV | Platform Support Vessel |
| PSV | Pressure Safety Valve |
| PTW | Permit to Work |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride |
| PVT | Pressure Volume Temperature |
| PW | Produced Water |
| PWRI | Produced Water Re-Injection |
| RVP | Reid Vapor Pressure |
| RVPE | Reid Vapour Pressure Equivalent |
| SADP | Shaw Automatic Dewpoint Meter |
| SCBA | Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus |
| SDI | Silt Density Index |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheets |
| SEM | Scanning Electron Microscopy |
| SFCA | Surfactant-free Cellulose Acetate |
| SG | Specific Gravity |
| Sour Oil | Crude oil containing a high amount of sulfur (Typically H2S) |
| SRB | Sulphate Reducing Bacteria |
| SS | Stainless steel |
| STEL | Short Term Exposure Limit |
| SW | Salt Water / Sea Water |
| TDS | Total Dissolved Solids |
| TEG | Triethylene Glycol |
| TOC | Total Organic Content |
| TPH | Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons |
| TSS | Total Suspended Solids |
| TTCE | Tetrachloroethylene |
| TVC | Total Bacteria Count |
| TVP | True Vapour Pressure |
| v/v | Volume per Volume |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Compounds |
| VPCRx | Vapour Pressure by Expansion Method |
| VPP | Vapour Phase Processor |
| w/v | Weight per Volume |
| w/w | Weight per Weight |
| WEL | Workplace Exposure Limit |
| WI | Water Injection |
| WP | Working Pressure |
| XRD | X-Ray Diffraction |
| XRF | X-Ray Fluorescence |
Measurement
| Bbbl | Billion Barrels (Oil) |
| Bbl | Barrel(s) (Oil) |
| Bcf | Billion Cubic Feet (Natural Gas) |
| Bcfd | Billion Cubic Feet per Day (Natural Gas) |
| Bcfe | Billion Cubic Feet (Natural Gas Equivalent) |
| boe | Barrels (Oil Equivalent) |
| boe/d | Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| boed | Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| BOEPD | Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| boepd | Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| BOPD | Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| BOPE | Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| BOPM | Barrels per Month (Oil) |
| bpd | Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| C | Celsius / Centigrade |
| cm | Centimetre |
| F | Fahrenheit |
| ft | Foot (feet) |
| g | grams |
| g/m3 | Grams per Cubic Meter |
| Hz | Hertz |
| in | Inch |
| K | Kelvin |
| kg | Kilograms |
| kg | Kilograms per Cubic Meter |
| kHz | Kilohertz |
| km | Kilometre |
| L | Litre |
| m | Meter |
| Mbbls | Thousand Barrels |
| Mbd | Thousand Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| Mbod | Thousand Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| mg | Milligrams |
| mg/L | Milligrams per Litre |
| mg/m3 | Milligrams per Cubic Meter |
| MHz | Megahertz |
| mL | Millilitre |
| mm | Millimetre |
| MMbbl | Million Barrels |
| MMbd | Million Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| Mmbod | Million Barrels per Day (Oil) |
| Mmboe | Million Barrels (Oil Equivalent) |
| Mmboepd | Million Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) |
| MMcf | Million Cubic Feet (Natural Gas) |
| MMcf/d | Million Cubic Feet per Day (Natural Gas) |
| MMcfd | Million Cubic Feet per Day (Natural Gas) |
| Mmcfe | Million Cubic Feet per Day (Natural Gas Equivalent) |
| ppb | Parts per Billion |
| ppm | Parts per Million |
| ppt | Parts per Trillion |
| t | Ton |
| μg | Micrograms |
| μL | Microlitre |
| μm | Micrometre (Micron) |
Disclaimer
This list is for reference only.
Note that abbreviations can have many different meanings accross different locations and industries; if you are unsure, always consult with the author to ensure the correct interpretation.
Back to news