Definition

Noun: 1. An oil well with very low production: A "stripper well" is an oil well that is nearing the end of its productive life and yields a very small amount of crude oil, specifically less than ten barrels per day over a sustained period.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The company decided it was no longer economical to operate the stripper well.
  • Many stripper wells across the region continue to produce small amounts of oil.
  • Despite being classified as a stripper well, it has been producing steadily for decades.

Advanced Usage

• The term "stripper well" is a technical and economic classification within the petroleum industry. It signifies that the well is in its final, or "stripper," stage of production, where operators are essentially "stripping" the last remaining oil from the reservoir.
• The specific production threshold (e.g., ten barrels per day) can be defined by regulatory bodies for tax or reporting purposes and may vary slightly by jurisdiction.

Variants and Related Words

• Stripper (noun, in this context): Often used informally as a shortened form of "stripper well."
  • The field is now mostly strippers.
• Marginal Well (noun): A broader term that can include both stripper wells for oil and low-producing natural gas wells. All stripper wells are marginal, but not all marginal wells meet the strict barrel-per-day definition of a stripper.

Synonyms

• Marginal well (as noted above, a close but not always exact synonym)
• Low-productivity well
• Pumpjack well (common colloquial term, as these wells often use a pumpjack or "nodding donkey" to lift the small amount of oil)

Notes on Meaning

• The term is specific to the oil and gas industry and carries no relation to the more common use of "stripper" meaning a performer. The meaning is entirely dependent on the context of energy production.

Noun

1. an oil well whose production has declined to less than ten barrels a day