downholen.adj.adv.
/ˈdaʊnhəʊl/, U.S. /ˈdaʊnˌhoʊl/ (As adjective and adverb, especially in final position, also)Brit. /daʊnˈhəʊl/, U.S. /ˌdaʊnˈhoʊl/ Chiefly Mining and Oil Industry.
A. n.
A hole or shaft (in a mine, oil field, etc.) that is drilled vertically downwards or with a downward inclination.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > passage > other passages
by-lane1697
winze1759
spout1820
spout hole1861
downhole1880
1880 Brit. Trade Jrnl. Sept. 456/1 Hence it was impossible to obtain anything like effectual drilling in the harder rocks in any but down holes in a vertical position.
1891 Stone July 80/2 It pays to use machines that are powerful enough..to penetrate the mud and muck which is invariably at the bottom of a ‘down’ hole.
1904 H. P. Gillette Rock Excavation 78 It will be noticed that the down hole required much longer to drill than the up hole in the cases of the Ingersoll and the Sullivan drills.
1918 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 58 24 The results in down holes indicate the cutting speed varies inversely as the square of the diameter.
1985 B. A. Bolt Bullen's Introd. Theory Seismol. (ed. 4) xvii. 446 Seismograms obtained by vertical arrays of strong-motion accelerometers placed in down holes drilled through the soil layers.
2004 Y. Liu & T. Lu in W. Yuehan et al. Mining Sci. & Technol. 338/1 In order to investigate the effect of borehole diameter on methane production, a number of downholes were drilled with different diameters.
B. adj. (chiefly attributive).
Originally: used to drill a downhole; of or relating to the drilling of downholes. In later use also: located, performed, occurring, or used within a downhole.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [adjective] > used or performed in well
downhole1895
downwell1946
1895 Mining Industry & Rev. 12 Sept. 89/2 The single-handed down hole event was in native granite.
1921 Commerc. Amer. Feb. 63/1 It will fill all the requirements of a medium weight sinker or downhole drill.
1953 Jrnl. Acoustical Soc. Amer. 25 714/1 This type will not operate above 212℉ and is intended primarily for tandem use in shallow holes, as a high fidelity ‘downhole’ seismometer.., and for experimental surface work.
1954 World Oil Mar. 121/1 This downhole instrument offers something new.
1975 Daily Tel. 29 Sept. 17/3 On some of the newer units, with computers to determine downhole conditions, electronic and electrical engineers are required.
1991 Pop. Mech. May 28/3 Flowing backward, the mud propels the down-hole machinery to the surface.
2005 Wired Dec. 243/1 (chart) Oil companies are connecting downhole sensors to seismic models, linking far-flung operations into seamless, real-time webs.
2017 H. Liu Princ. & Applic. Well Logging (ed. 2) vii. 230 Previously, tool operation..had to be preset at the surface and was not adjustable once the tool was downhole.
C. adv.
Within a downhole; downwards in or towards the bottom of a downhole.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [adverb] > down or in drilled hole or well
downhole1948
downwell1975
1948 Corrosion 4 88/1 If treatment is desirable after oil and brine reach the surface of the ground, it should have a protective effect ‘down hole’.
1958 Oil & Gas Jrnl. 17 Nov. 174/2 The efficiency with which hydraulic power is transmitted downhole is equal to the ratio of the pressure drop across the downhole device.
1977 Offshore Engineer May 42/1 The remaining well was shut down due to mechanical problems downhole.
1988 New Scientist 14 Apr. 36/2 At present, oil companies have no tools that are used ‘down-hole’ to guide the drilling of a relief borehole.
2016 P. G. Talalay Mech. Ice Drilling Technol. ix. 181/1 Concentrated glycol was sent downhole in the bailer on each coring run.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.adv.1880