Oil & Gas Glossary | Industry Terms Explained

Combustor System

An enclosed combustion chamber that destroys VOC and methane vapors from tanks or process vents when those vapors are not recovered to sales.

Flare Stack

An elevated combustion stack that burns produced or waste gas at a wellsite or facility when that gas cannot go to sales.

Vapor Recovery Unit

A compressor package that captures hydrocarbon vapors from tanks or vessels and returns them to sales or fuel instead of venting or flaring.

Wellhead Compression

A wellsite compressor package that lowers wellhead pressure so a well can unload liquids and flow into a higher-pressure gathering line.

Meter Run

A precision pipe section with an orifice (or other primary element) used to measure natural gas flow to custody-transfer or allocation standards.

Instrument Air System

A compressor, dryer, and receiver package that supplies clean dry air so pneumatic valves and controllers do not bleed natural gas.

Optical Gas Imaging

Infrared camera method used to visualize hydrocarbon gas leaks that are invisible to the eye, commonly applied in LDAR and OGI surveys.

Quad O Regulations

EPA New Source Performance Standards for oil and gas (NSPS OOOO, OOOOa, OOOOb, and related OOOOc) that limit VOC and methane emissions from wellsites and facilities.

Methane Abatement

Field practices and equipment used to reduce methane released from tanks, pneumatics, flares, and leaking components.

VOC Control

Equipment and operating methods that keep volatile organic compounds from tanks and process vents out of the atmosphere.

Leveling Plate

A heavy steel plate, often greaseable, placed under oilfield skids so equipment sits level and does not dig into a pad or foundation.

Dehydration Unit

A process unit that removes water vapor from natural gas, commonly a glycol contactor, so the gas will not freeze or corrode downstream pipe.

Gas Flaring

The controlled combustion of natural gas at a flare stack or pit when the gas cannot be sold, used as fuel, or recovered.

Fugitive Emissions

Unintended hydrocarbon leaks from valves, connectors, thief hatches, and other components, as distinct from designed vents or flares.

Pneumatic Controller

A gas- or air-driven device that positions valves on separators, compressors, and other production equipment.

Scrubber Vessel

A pressure vessel that knocks liquid droplets out of a gas stream before the gas enters a compressor, meter, or sales line.

Permian Basin

The oil-and-gas producing region of West Texas and southeast New Mexico where Redhead Services is based and supports field equipment.

Natural Gas Liquids

Hydrocarbons heavier than methane—ethane, propane, butanes, and natural gasoline—recovered from produced gas in processing and stabilization.

Midstream Operations

The gathering, compression, treating, processing, and pipeline segment between the wellhead and the downstream market.

Decoding Industry Jargon: Oil & Gas Terminology Explained

The Glossary

Essential Oil & Gas Terms: Your Guide to Industry-Specific Vocabulary

We're not just a supplier,
we're a reliable partner.

Decoding Industry Jargon: Oil & Gas Terminology Explained

The Glossary

Essential Oil & Gas Terms: Your Guide to Industry-Specific Vocabulary

We're not just a supplier,we're a reliable partner.

We're not just a supplier,
we're a reliable partner.