1. n. [Drilling]

Another term for a tapered string: a string of drillpipe or casing that consists of two or more sizes or weights. In most tapered strings, a larger diameter pipe or casing is placed at the top of the wellbore and the smaller size at the bottom. Note that since the pipe is put into the well bottom first, the smaller pipe is run into the hole first, followed by the larger diameter. Other than the different sizes, which are usually chosen to optimize well economics, there is nothing distinctive about the pipe sections. However, pipe-handling tools must be available for each pipe size, not just one size, as is the typical case.

Synonyms: tapered string