Paper: Using Sucker Rods To Lift Large Fluid Volumes

Recent studies have shown that in many instances large fluid volumes can be lifted by sucker rods with great effectiveness, from shallow to medium depth wells. Wherever this is feasible, significant reduction in cost of elevating a barrel of fluid may be realized by the operator. The advent of longer stroke units with improved geometry, larger speed reducers and bottom-hole pumps, as well as the new high strength sucker rods, have combined to make high volume rod pumping a practical and economical achievement. In the past, applications of this type have generally been considered only for bottomhole centrifugal pumps. This paper reviews some actual field studies and emphasizes the practicality of high volume production with sucker rods.