Artificial Lift

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...

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...