glossary

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Kelly	The heavy square or hexagonal hollow steel member, which is suspended from the swivel, that connects to the drill pipe. It is engaged in the rotary table, via the kelly bushing, to rotate the drillstring. Drilling fluid is pumped through the Kelly into the drillstring (see drilling fluid type)

Kerogen	The naturally occurring, solid, insoluble organic matter that occurs in source rocks and can yield oil upon heating. Kerogen is the portion of naturally occurring organic matter that is nonextractable using organic solvents. Kerogens have a high molecular weight relative to bitumen, or soluble organic matter. Bitumen forms from kerogen during petroleum generation. When such kerogens are present in high concentration in rocks such as shale they form possible source rocks. Shales rich in kerogens that have not been heated to warm temperature to release their hydrocarbons may form oil shale deposits.

Kill a well	Placing a column of heavy fluid into a wellbore in order to prevent the flow of reservoir fluids without the need for pressure control equipment at the surface. The weight of the kill fluid should be enough to surpress the pressure of the formation fluid.

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