Artificial Lift

This session will explore and introduce a hydraulic drive and transmission system harnessing natural gas engines, to achieve variable speed control, regardless of the power infrastructure available at the well site. 

When paired with an automatic Pump-Off Control system and a De-Gas Compressor, which is available with a dual drive transmission option, the patented hydraulic drive system...

Surface coatings are often needed for sucker rod pump components to protect them from the harsh downhole environments of corrosives, formation solids, and even treatment chemicals. Most coatings have both positive and negative characteristics in protecting from each of the downhole aggressors, therefore further precautions must be taken to ensure the survival rate of components, given the...

Extending the run life of wells with Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESP) becomes a crucial need since it is one of the most economically expensive types of ALS. Following the need, a sand regulator has been designed to protect the pump during shutdowns, and it has been incorporated into traditional sand control configurations to offer extensive protection above and below the pump. This paper will...

Rod pumping unconventional wells is becoming increasingly challenging due to unpredictable downhole environments. Many unconventional wells exhibit significant deviation accompanied with corrosion making them difficult to rod lift without exposing downhole equipment to unpredictable damage mechanisms – specifically the rod string.

Continuous rod is a proven technology in these deviated...

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...

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...