Download Papers

Being able to calculate and predict the inflow performance from a well is critical in designing any form of artificial lift. The production/lift capability of whatever form of artificial lift chosen should closely match the current and future inflow performance of the well for the economics of the investment to be the highest.

Inflow performance estimation is also required to ensure that...

Rod pumping horizontal wells is more complicated and challenging than for vertical wells. For system reliability reasons, it is common for horizontal wells to have a rod pump placed in the vertical section above the wellbore’s curve, which limits drawdown. This means the pump is placed a vertical distance above the producing zone and a pressure gradient of fluid between the pump and the producing...

Rod pumping has been challenged by solids contained in produced fluids, as they reduce pump run-life. For horizontal wells solids risks have dramatically escalated, as hydraulic fracturing has exponentially increased in terms of number of stages and the amount of proppant pumped. EOR schemes can also escalate solids in produced fluids. To combat solids in the produced fluids reaching a pump...

The effect of traditional chemical treatments at the pump intake can be minimized due to the fluid level, high GLR, and production packers, among other reasons. Using a slow-release polymer matrix is an effective chemical treatment that was installed in several wells in the Delaware basin with Conoco Phillips. The chemicals were encapsulated in the matrix ensuring maximum absorption and then slow...

Slow strokes per minute, open pump clearances in a deep well have impacted the shape of the pump card and frequently results in the question: "Is my tubing unanchored?".  The Coefficient of Tubing Stretch, Kt, and the downhole pump dynamometer card can be used to help identify unanchored tubing.  The Unanchored Kt and Anchored Kt lines plotted on the left side of the pump card shape are the first...

OBJECTIVES/SCOPE: As gas lift utilization increases as a form of artificial lift for many assets in the Permian Basin, optimization through gas allocation remains a challenging problem. Operators are often limited on the amount of gas that can be injected downhole due to infrastructure capabilities and added operational cost. In addition to how these constraints impact production, wells may have a...

Design and analysis of sucker rod systems in deviated wells has challenged industry practitioners. Historical adaptations of the wave equation solution struggle with 3-dimensional wellbore trajectories and other system complexities. A unique finite element model, embodied in an easy-to-use software, simulates rod-dynamics in 3 dimensions. The model can predict or analyze motion of the rod string...

Inaccurate rod string spacing on rod pumped wells may result in significant maintenance costs and well productivity issues. To avoid unnecessary pump damage and optimize pump performance, precise placement of the rod string is key. This session will explore how a dual purpose well spacing tool /rod rotator addresses the need to adjust the rod string while harnessing benefits of a rod rotator. 

This paper explains the configuration, design, and mechanisms of an advanced gas regulator system installed underneath the ESP sensor to decrease downtime and stabilize the operational parameters of the pump. The gas regulation principle is based on the changes in the flow regimes found in unconventional wells where typically, gas slugging and high GLR frequently cause shutdowns and motor...

Gas and solid separation continue to be a significant challenge for operators. Gas interference causes unnecessary shutdowns in rod pumped wells, leading to difficult pumping conditions and lost production. Additionally, damage from solid abrasions leads to mechanically-incurred erosion failures. 

With a well-designed Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA), downtime as well as gas and solids passing through...

An ongoing challenge for industry is the maintenance of stuffing boxes used in rod pump wellhead applications. This important component is the primary interface between the well and the environment and the correct functioning of this system is crucial for operators. Traditionally, the maintenance and adjustment of these devices has been performed manually, with field operators visiting wellsite...

The workover process provides a unique opportunity to directly measure wellbore friction as the rods effectively probe out the wellbore. Measuring this effect is challenging as no sensor exists that can provide an accurate, high resolution, high frequency measurement during the entire workover process. This presentation will analyze data gathered from a custom load & position sensor placed in-line...

The main constraint in a gas lift system is a limitation on injection volume and surface injection pressure due to the packaging and compressor capabilities available. In an ideal world, the system would have unlimited injection gas volume and unlimited injection pressure. This is often not the case with compressor availability and/or already-existing facilities. These constrains can limit the...

In 2015 a proprietary quenched and tempered sucker rod product line was introduced to the North American market. Field results showed a considerable improvement of reliability and performance of the two proprietary rod grades (Critical Service, CS, and High Strength, HS versions) versus previously installed rod grades. The performance and reliability of over 300 installs are tracked and used to...

Automation has been used for many years now as a means for oil and gas operators to optimize sucker rod pump wells. Traditional automation for rod pump wells involved operating the well at a fixed speed and idling the well based on a preprogramed time (time clocks) or fillage (pump off control). However, utilizing a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)is a more sophisticated method to allow operators to...

One of the benefits of utilizing a Sucker Rod Pump for artificially lifted oil and gas wells is that they can achieve total drawdown the casing fluid above the downhole pump. This allows for the artificial lift method to maximize the production of the well by minimizing the back pressure on the reservoir caused by the fluid level in the casing anulus. However, in some cases the original design of...

Gas lift is long known to be an effective and versatile form of artificial lift and is widely used in oil and gas production. The gas lift process is dependent on gas pressures not naturally available from oil and gas production facilities. Rather gas must be pressurized through use of a compressor and thus compressors are a vital component to the gas lift process. Unfortunately, some operators...

Rod pumps often fail due to gas and solid interference. When the system’s check valves are unable to displace these solids or gas it can cause failure and significant damage to the overall rod pump system, such as intense ball rattling, plugged cages, inefficient pump fillage, and fluid pounding. 

Historically, the industry has dealt with these issues by utilizing stellite lined and insert guided...

Rod pump failures often times exceed the failures rates of other downhole products, such as sucker rods and tubing. The largest section of the rod pump, and most costly to replace, is the pump barrel. Barrels of all different shapes and sizes, material grades and coating options are available to the market. The available coatings have been questioned for their durability while also being limited...

Gradual diminution of the flow path of hydrocarbon in the near-wellbore area is heavily linked to formation damage accumulation and well productivity reduction. Organic deposition in the formation and well bore area can result from the use of hydrochloric acid (HCl) during acidizing, especially in the presence of free iron, addition of organic liquids such as diesel, kerosene, or gasoline and the...

Main objective of this paper is to introduce oil and gas industry the new E3000 and E1000 pump models across multiple wells in the Permian and Delaware Basins in term of performance, and operation improvements. It is intended to show a reader pump performance enhancement and comparison to older models based on operator required production rates, pump loads, power consumption and other electrical...

Sucker rods are simple in form and function, however, they operate in a sophisticated engineered system over great lengths without direct visibility. Because of this, we as engineers must do our best in predictive efforts to provide the best configuration for the highly dynamic system.

Rod string design software utilizes complex math to compute stress loading throughout the system. Design...

Since becoming a Lift Specialist in November of 2019, it was very clear we had significantly higher failure frequencies on wells with 4.5” liner, 2 3/8” tubing, and 1.75” tubing pumps vs other configurations. My knowledge is solely based on South Plains and the problems we faced.

One of my counterparts had reached out to the pump shops to understand how we could beef up pull rods. It was...

Given several pumping cycles worth of surface card data, the dv8 advanced diagnostics model is solved and the rod displacements, axial loads and sideloads are calculated, starting from the polished rod and propagating to the pump. From the axial load, the rod stress is computed. The points along the rod string are then analyzed using a modified Goodman diagram applicable to the type of rod string...

We present a survey of uses for distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOS) in oilfield production and operations. Downhole DFOS measurements of temperature, strain, and noise along the entire length of the wellbore serve as diagnostic tools for flow profiling and artificial lift monitoring. Field cases demonstrate DFOS abilities such as identifying gas lift injection points, quantifying stimulation...