The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall
have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise.
(1) Adjacent estuarine zones--This term embraces the
area inland from the coast line of Texas and is comprised of the bays,
inlets, and estuaries along the gulf coast.
(2) By-product--Any element found in a geothermal formation
which when brought to the surface is not used in geothermal heat or
pressure inducing energy generation.
(3) Casinghead gas--Any gas or vapor, or both, indigenous
to an oil stratum and produced from such stratum with oil.
(4) Commission--The Railroad Commission of Texas.
(5) Common reservoir--Any oil, gas, or geothermal resources
field or part thereof which comprises and includes any area which
is underlaid, or which from geological or other scientific data or
experiments or from drilling operations or other evidence appears
to be underlaid by a common pool or accumulation of oil, gas, or geothermal
resources.
(6) Cubic foot of gas or standard cubic foot of gas--The
volume of gas contained in one cubic foot of space at a standard pressure
base and at a standard temperature base. The standard pressure base
shall be 14.65 pounds per square inch absolute, and the standard temperature
base shall be 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Whenever the conditions of pressure
and temperature differ from the standard in this definition, conversion
of the volume from these conditions to the standard conditions shall
be made in accordance with the ideal gas laws, corrected for deviation.
(7) District office--The commission-designated office
for the geographic area in which the property or act subject to regulation
is located or arises.
(8) Dry gas--Any natural gas produced from a stratum
that does not produce crude petroleum oil.
(9) Exploratory well--Any well drilled for the purpose
of securing geological or geophysical information to be used in the
exploration or development of oil, gas, geothermal, or other mineral
resources, except coal and uranium, and includes what is commonly
referred to in the industry as "slim hole tests," "core hole tests,"
or "seismic holes." For regulations governing coal exploratory wells,
see Chapter 12 of this title (relating to Coal Mining Regulations),
and for regulations governing uranium exploratory wells, see Chapter
11, Subchapter C of this title (relating to Surface Mining and Reclamation
Division, Substantive Rules--Uranium Mining).
(10) Gas lift--Gas lift by the use of gas not in solution
with oil produced.
(11) Gas well--Any well:
(A) which produces natural gas not associated or blended
with crude petroleum oil at the time of production;
(B) which produces more than 100,000 cubic feet of
natural gas to each barrel of crude petroleum oil from the same producing
horizon; or
(C) which produces natural gas from a formation or
producing horizon productive of gas only encountered in a wellbore
through which crude petroleum oil also is produced through the inside
of another string of casing or tubing. A well which produces hydrocarbon
liquids, a part of which is formed by a condensation from a gas phase
and a part of which is crude petroleum oil, shall be classified as
a gas well unless there is produced one barrel or more of crude petroleum
oil per 100,000 cubic feet of natural gas; and that the term "crude
petroleum oil" shall not be construed to mean any liquid hydrocarbon
mixture or portion thereof which is not in the liquid phase in the
reservoir, removed from the reservoir in such liquid phase, and obtained
at the surface as such.
(12) Gatherer--Includes any pipeline, truck, motor
vehicle, boat, barge, or person authorized to gather or accept oil,
gas, or geothermal resources from lease production or lease storage.
(13) Geothermal energy and associated resources--
(A) All products of geothermal processes, embracing
indigenous steam, hot water and hot brines, and geopressured water;
(B) Steam and other gases, hot water and hot brines
resulting from water, gas, or other fluids artificially introduced
into geothermal formations;
(C) Heat or other associated energy found in geothermal
formations;
(D) Any by-product derived from them.
(14) Geothermal resource well--A well drilled within
the established limits of a designated geothermal field.
(A) A geopressured geothermal well must be completed
within a geopressured aquifer.
(B) A geopressured aquifer is a water-bearing zone
with a pressure gradient in excess of 0.5 pounds per square inch per
foot and a temperature gradient in excess of 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit
per 100 feet of depth.
(15) Marginal well--Any oil well which is incapable
of producing its maximum capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift,
or other means of artificial lift, and which well so equipped is capable,
under normal unrestricted operating conditions, of producing such
daily quantities of oil as herein set out, as would be damaged, or
result in a loss of production ultimately recoverable, or cause the
premature abandonment of same, if its maximum daily production were
artificially curtailed. The following described wells shall be deemed
"marginal wells" in this state.
(A) Any oil well incapable of producing its maximum
daily capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift, or other means
of artificial lift, within this state and having a maximum daily capacity
for production of 10 barrels or less, averaged over the preceding
10 consecutive days of stabilized production, producing from a depth
of 2,000 feet or less.
(B) Any oil well incapable of producing its maximum
daily capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift, or other means
of artificial lift, within this state and having a maximum daily capacity
for production of 20 barrels or less, averaged over the preceding
10 consecutive days of stabilized production, producing from a horizon
deeper than 2,000 feet and less in depth than 4,000 feet.
(C) Any oil well incapable of producing its maximum
daily capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift, or other means
of artificial lift, within this state and having a maximum daily capacity
for production of 25 barrels or less, averaged over the preceding
10 consecutive days of stabilized production, producing from a horizon
deeper than 4,000 feet and less in depth than 6,000 feet.
(D) Any oil well incapable of producing its maximum
daily capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift, or other means
of artificial lift, within this state and having a maximum daily capacity
for production of 30 barrels or less, averaged over the preceding
10 consecutive days of stabilized production, producing from a horizon
deeper than 6,000 feet and less in depth than 8,000 feet.
(E) Any oil well incapable of producing its maximum
daily capacity of oil except by pumping, gas lift, or other means
of artificial lift, within this state and having a maximum daily capacity
for production of 35 barrels or less, averaged over the preceding
10 consecutive days of stabilized production, producing from a horizon
deeper than 8,000 feet. (Reference Order Number 20-59,200, effective
May 1, 1969.)
(16) Natural gas or gas--These terms shall have the
same meaning, as used in the rules, regulations, or forms of the commission.
(17) Natural gasoline--Gasoline manufactured from casinghead
gas or from any natural gas.
(18) Oil well--Any well which produces one barrel or
more crude petroleum oil to each 100,000 cubic feet of natural gas.
(19) Operator--A person, acting for himself or as an
agent for others and designated to the commission as the one who has
the primary responsibility for complying with its rules and regulations
in any and all acts subject to the jurisdiction of the commission.
(20) Person--Any natural person, corporation, association,
partnership, receiver, trustee, guardian, executor, administrator,
and a fiduciary or representative of any kind.
(21) Product--Includes refined crude oil, crude tops,
topped crude, processed crude petroleum, residue from crude petroleum,
cracking stock, uncracked fuel oil, fuel oil, treated crude oil, residuum,
casinghead gasoline, natural gas gasoline, gas oil, naphtha, distillate,
gasoline, kerosene, benzine, wash oil, waste oil, blended gasoline,
lubricating oil, blends or mixtures of petroleum, and/or any and all
liquid products or by-products derived from crude petroleum oil or
gas, whether hereinabove enumerated or not.
(22) Sour gas--Any natural gas containing more than
1 1/2 grains of hydrogen sulphide per 100 cubic feet or more than
30 grains of total sulphur per 100 cubic feet, or gas which in its
natural state is found by the commission to be unfit for use in generating
light or fuel for domestic purposes.
(23) Sweet gas--All natural gas except sour gas and
casinghead gas.
Cont'd... |
