2018017 ENHANCING WELL OPTIMIZATION THROUGH ROD LIFT AUTOMATION

Automation of rod pumping systems has been a part of the oil and gas industry for over 65 years.  Starting with time clocks in the 1950s, the invention of the pump-off controller in the 60s, and variable speed drives in the early 2000s, the amount of technology available to both control and analyze the system has increased and improved drastically. Several of the driving factors to automate include high initial production rates, followed by a steep decline, gas slugging, high degrees of rod and tubing friction, and paraffin build.  This paper will detail several of the automation packages and features that are available on the current market, the applications of each feature, and how they can be beneficial in preventing premature failures of the main components involved in a rod lift system.