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The use of rod rotators is key to extend the life of sucker rod string couplings in all intentionally and not intentionally deviated wells. Its applicability has proved to be a low-cost solution, giving an even wear on sucker rod couplings, extending considerably their run time. One of the major issues with conventional cable actuated rod rotators is the integrity of the cable, its installation...

There are three components to a successful rod lift surveillance and analysis program. One, a rod pump off controller is needed to match inflow to outflow, reduce fluid pound when configured properly, and to shut the well down in the event of a downhole failure. Secondly, a host system is needed to provide immediate identification of downed wells, remote surveillance, and the ability to monitor...

Today, a good upstream or production engineer must understand the running condition of every well of which he is in charge in order to optimize production & profitability, usually by adjusting various setpoints. Typically, he will use data recorded by a pump-off controller (POC), fluid level shots, etc. as well as often coupling this wellhead-level data with intermittent information from stock...

With the development of new digital technology over the last several years, our industry has seen many benefits of remote monitoring and automation in sectors within drilling, completion, and production. One area that has lagged is remote monitoring and automation of production chemicals applications. This paper will review initial pilot testing of automated chemical pumps on a group of newly...

Vulnerability of remote monitoring and control systems in the Oil and Gas industries By George Tyson and David Allen, Oiltek Systems LLC The Modern oil and gas industry extensively uses systems to remotely monitor and control operations throughout the process. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems have had wide acceptance and used for years. Many SCADA systems use the Modbus...

The Midland Basin teaches a hard lesson in drilling harder rock. SM Energy first drilled there in 2008 before launching a successful horizontal drilling campaign in 2013. This work focuses on a successful application of the limiter redesign process supported with downhole sensors. Whirl suppression generates ROP performance improvements. This objective is complicated with a coupling to stick slip...

The Downstroke Pump and Special or Unusual Sucker Rod Pumps Explained This paper will explain the author’s theory of operation of the pump that lifts fluid on the downstroke, using the weight of the rods, and its loading of the sucker rod string and pumping unit. Other special sucker rod pumps will be likewise explained, using the author’s understanding, including the family of double displacement...

The capability of a gas lift system is heavily dependent upon the available gas lift injection pressure. Gas lifting a well from the deepest point of the formation results in higher drawdown pressure, more production with less lift gas, and less gas lift equipment yielding a more efficient system. However this cannot always be achieved because of limited injection pressure, limited gas injection...

Mechanical rod rotators have been used as part of the beam lift artificial lift system since the concept was first patented in the late 1930’s. By rotating the rods, the frictional wear surface can be distributed around the circumference of the rod, versus on a single side of the rod. By distributing the wear surface, the rod life will be significantly extended. In the same way, the industry has...

Plunger Assisted Gas Lift (PAGL) in the Permian Basin Over the last few years Gas Lift has become a popular artificial lift choice for producing unconventional wells in the Permian Basin. Gas Lift is a good choice for producing wells with high bottom-hole pressures (BHP) and high gas liquid ratios (GLR). Gas Lift is also a good choice for wells that produce solids or have deviated wellbores. Gas...

Understanding rod loading is vital to reducing failure rates in reciprocating rod lift systems. By changing the minimum stress and using the modified stress analysis instead of the modified goodman diagram, manufacturers are “tricking” you into using high tensile strength and/or premium sucker rods in your rod designs. This presentation will attempt to explain rod loading why most rod lift...

When rod pump wells are operated in corrosive environments, corrosion induced sucker rod parts can lead to premature well failure and expensive, repeat workovers. Many corrosion mitigation solutions exist to combat this type of failure, including metallurgy, chemical inhibitor, and epoxy coatings, but they can be costly and not all solutions are appropriate for all types of wells.

In deep wells...

Sucker rod pumping is largely regarded as the final artificial lift method in a well’s lifecycle. Until now, the industry standard application of sucker rod pumping systems has been up to 400 barrels per day fluid production. With the industry advancing towards deeper wells and increasingly aggressive production targets, the challenge of meeting these application parameters while decreasing costs...

Due to the ESP motor’s inefficiencies, heat is produced when converting power from electrical to shaft power. This generated heat is either transferred to the surroundings (i.e., through the producing fluids) or absorbed by the motor. In the absence of proper cooling, the motor temperature keeps increasing until either the motor fails or it reaches a temperature high enough to transfer the...

Abstract In 2019, we presented the early results of a design change on our insert sucker rod pumps in the Highway 80 field. The information presented previously was eighteen months of data after this change was made. We also included over seven years of data prior to the change. Today we will discuss the forty-eight months of data collected after the design change and more than 11 years reviewing...

Shooting fluid levels has become a well-known practice in support of daily production operations. The practice of shooting fluid levels is so well-known, in fact, that the term, “shooting fluid levels” is assumed to mean checking the fluid level to determine if a well is producing the maximum fluid potentially available from the formation. The most common use of an acoustic liquid level instrument...

This presentation will discuss a new method of locking out beam pumping unit using a patented and engineered hydraulic sheave lock to support reducing risk at the well site when the pumping unit is shut down for routine maintenance or workovers. It will explore merits of keeping workers entirely out of the swing zone, allowing personnel to accomplish tasks safely and easily, without risk of brake...

The objective of this paper is to share insights on mitigating sucker rod corrosion damage in vertical, horizontal and deviated wells with aggressive corrosive conditions such as H2S and CO2, particularly those with histories of corrosion-related rod/tubing failures.

Corrosion is a common problem in production operations, accounting for two-thirds of all rod string failures and costing billions...

With today’s highly dynamic unconventional wells, gas separation is essential after the conversion from electric submersible pumps (ESPs) to rod lift. Unconventional wells in the Permian Basin have high initial rates with steep declines rates, which result in a high gas-to-liquid ratio very early in the life of the well. As the reservoir pressure draws down below bubble point pressure, increasing...

Failures due to Rod wear and tubing wear account together for an approximate range between 50% to 70% of the OPEX in Rod Lifted systems. Industry has made significant improvements by separating the steel components during their relative movement by using different materials in between them and as sacrifice components. The rod guide is one of them and it comes today in several shapes and...

For decades sucker rod pump artificially lifted wells have used devices called pump off controllers (POC) to match the pumping unit’s runtime to the available reservoir production by idling the well for a set time where variable frequencies drives are not available. In doing this the POC allows the well to enter a set period of downtime when the downhole pump fillage is incomplete to avoid...

Production performance monitoring has existed in Rod Lift Artificial Lift for decades, however there has lacked any action based on performance parameters. The Total Production Real Time (TPRT) Monitoring System incorporates data acquisition with artificial intelligence and automation to provide safer production operations for personnel and environment. TPRT collects live production data at...

The objective of this paper is to share insights from a case history of jet lift applications in the Permian Yeso play. Apache Corporation was among the first operators to deploy horizontal drilling and multistage fracturing in the Yeso formation in Eddy County, N.M., targeting dolostone/limestone/sandstone reservoirs interbedded with shale and anhydrite. The Yeso yields oil and liquids-rich gas...

Black Mamba Rod Lift’s helical centralizer stabilizes the rod string during pumping chaos. Chaos is understood as sucker rod buckling and negative loading (compression), which is impossible to eliminate in beam lift wells. The source of compression is often from nature (gas interference, fluid pound, gas pound) but can be operator induced (seating the pump, pump tagging), or compression as part of...

With the increase in the number of horizontal wells drilled in the past 15 years, the technology for predicting downhole conditions and troubleshooting problem wells has not kept up with the increased complexity of these deeper and deviated wellbores. The systems in use are no longer accurate or sensitive enough to determine what is causing the problem(s) resulting in shorter meantime between...