Writer-director Taylor Sheridan created the series with actor Billy Bob Thornton foremost in his mind for the key role of Tommy Norris.
Terms used:
- Blowout - uncontrolled release of gas or formation fluids from the well to the surface.
- Christmas tree - collection of gauges, valves and chokes mounted on a well casing head. These are used to control the flow of oil and gas from the wellhead
- Drillstring - The column of pipe that transmits drilling fluid and torque from the top drive/rotary table/kelly drive to the drill bit.
- Fluid impaction - refers to a situation where the flow of fluids (oil, gas, water) within the wellbore is severely restricted due to solid particles within a fluid (like oil or drilling mud) collide with and become lodged against a surface due to their momentum, typically occurring when the fluid is flowing through a narrow passage or encountering a sudden change in direction, effectively "impacting" against the surface and building up a deposit
- Fracking - Is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing, which is the process of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting specialized fluid at high pressures into cracks to force them to open further. Fracking increases the rate at which water, petroleum, or natural gas can be recovered from subterranean wells.
- Joint - A length of drill pipe, that is 30 - 32ft long. Joining a few of these pipes together, it becomes a drill string
- Perforation - When an oil well is drilled to the desired depth, it is a question of accessing the reservoir oil and gas in the surrounding rock. To do so, one perforates or adds small holes through the casing (barrier that is added to prevent the collapse of the wellbore) of the well, creating a pathway for oil and gas to flow from the reservoir formation into the wellbore.
- Scaling - Over the course of time, solid mineral deposits that form within the wellbore and production equipment. It usually occurs when dissolved minerals in the produced water (brine) precipitate, dissolved substance separates from a solution and forms a solid, and accumulate on surfaces. As a result, these deposits restrict the flow of oil and gas.
- Pumper - Another term for 'Lease Operator' is a worker in the oilfield whose job is to tend to the wells (Pumpjacks) and record data such as pressure at the wellhead and perform maintenance when applicable. Most Pumpers also tend to the central tank batteries (CTB) in which the wells pump the oil into tanks and the pumper is responsible for calculating how much production was made in a 24 hour period.
- Tong - specialized type of wrench
- Tripping pipe - refers to pulling "joints" of pipe back out of - or putting them back into - the well.
- Wellbore - The drilled hole, including the open hole or uncased portion of the well, or the shaft that extends from the surface down into the ground, atop of which is the wellhead
- Wellhead - the physical structure built above the ground, over an oil or gas well, essentially the point where the well connects to the surface, the wellhead's primary function is to control pressure during drilling and production through the use of the Christmas tree
- Workover - The process of repairing or maintaining an existing well to restore or increase production.
- Worm - An inexperienced oilfield worker
Jon Hamm and Demi Moore, both said this is the first time they portrayed characters that were part of a couple that liked each other.
The Permian Basin is named after the Permian geologic period, which took place between 299 and 251 million years ago. The basin is named for the period because it contains some of the thickest deposits of rocks from that time.The Permian Basin is a large sedimentary basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. It's known for its rich deposits of petroleum, natural gas, and potassium. The basin's origins can be traced back to Precambrian tectonic events that occurred between 1.3 and 850 million years ago.
The Permian Basin is one of the oldest and most well-known hydrocarbon-producing areas in the world. The first well was drilled in the basin in 1920, and since then over 30 billion barrels of crude have been recovered
A Landman, at least one who works in the petroleum industry, will act as the middleman between the exploration companies and the landowners. Typically, a landman's job is to research county records, calculate the mineral interests owned, and then to negotiate and finalize leases to the company they represent. Once a well unit is created, a landsman's job is done. The drilling crews are then sent to the pad site. This show is actually about "roughnecks" or patch workers. Landmen are a specific profession within the oil and gas industry. For further insights into what a landman does, consult the mini-documentary "Inside the Blueprint: Emerging Energy Trends: An Education in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Rights" on Mountain Lion Oil and Gas.