GLOSSARY 309
V
Vacuum distillation: A secondary distillation process which uses
a partial vacuum to lower the boiling point of residues from
primary distillation and extract further blending components.
Viscosity: A measure of the ability of a liquid to flow or a measure
of its resistance to flow; the force required to move a plane surface of area 1 square meter over another parallel plane surface 1
meter away at a rate of 1 meter per second when both surfaces
are immersed in the fluid; the higher the viscosity, the slower
the liquid flows.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Name given to light organic
hydrocarbons which escape as vapor from fuel tanks or other
sources, and during the filling of tanks. VOCs contribute to
smog.
Volumetric sweep: The fraction of the total reservoir volume within
a flood pattern that is effectively contacted by injected fluids.
VSP: Vertical seismic profiling, a method of conducting seismic
surveys in the borehole for detailed subsurface information.
W
Waste streams: Unused solid or liquid by-products of a process.
Waste vegetable oil (WVO): Grease from the nearest fryer which
is filtered and used in modified diesel engines, or converted to
biodiesel through the process of transesterification and used in
any ol' diesel car.
Water-cooled vibrating grate: A boiler grate made up of a tuyere
grate surface mounted on a grid of water tubes interconnected
with the boiler circulation system for positive cooling; the structure is supported by flexing plates allowing the grid and grate
to move in a vibrating action; ash is automatically discharged.
Watershed: The drainage basin contributing water, organic matter,
dissolved nutrients, and sediments to a stream or lake.
Watt: The common base unit of power in the metric system; one
watt equals one joule per second, or the power developed in a
circuit by a current of one ampere flowing through a potential
difference of one volt. One Watt = 3.412 Btu/hr.
Wellbore: The hole in the earth comprising a well.
Well completion: The complete outfitting of an oil well for either
oil production or fluid injection; also the technique used to
control fluid communication with the reservoir.
V
Vacuum distillation: A secondary distillation process which uses
a partial vacuum to lower the boiling point of residues from
primary distillation and extract further blending components.
Viscosity: A measure of the ability of a liquid to flow or a measure
of its resistance to flow; the force required to move a plane surface of area 1 square meter over another parallel plane surface 1
meter away at a rate of 1 meter per second when both surfaces
are immersed in the fluid; the higher the viscosity, the slower
the liquid flows.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Name given to light organic
hydrocarbons which escape as vapor from fuel tanks or other
sources, and during the filling of tanks. VOCs contribute to
smog.
Volumetric sweep: The fraction of the total reservoir volume within
a flood pattern that is effectively contacted by injected fluids.
VSP: Vertical seismic profiling, a method of conducting seismic
surveys in the borehole for detailed subsurface information.
W
Waste streams: Unused solid or liquid by-products of a process.
Waste vegetable oil (WVO): Grease from the nearest fryer which
is filtered and used in modified diesel engines, or converted to
biodiesel through the process of transesterification and used in
any ol' diesel car.
Water-cooled vibrating grate: A boiler grate made up of a tuyere
grate surface mounted on a grid of water tubes interconnected
with the boiler circulation system for positive cooling; the structure is supported by flexing plates allowing the grid and grate
to move in a vibrating action; ash is automatically discharged.
Watershed: The drainage basin contributing water, organic matter,
dissolved nutrients, and sediments to a stream or lake.
Watt: The common base unit of power in the metric system; one
watt equals one joule per second, or the power developed in a
circuit by a current of one ampere flowing through a potential
difference of one volt. One Watt = 3.412 Btu/hr.
Wellbore: The hole in the earth comprising a well.
Well completion: The complete outfitting of an oil well for either
oil production or fluid injection; also the technique used to
control fluid communication with the reservoir.