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There has been the concept that a long stroke and slow pumping speeds are the best way to design sucker rod lifted wells. Typically, longer fatigue life is one of the reasons to rationalize this practice. Additionally, slow versus fast pumping speeds are relative numbers. This paper will discuss the various operating concepts, the background on pumping equipment capabilities, maximum design considerations and provide rod string design comparisons showing rod loading and power comparisons resulting in new considerations for optimizing sucker rod lifted wells.

For a number of years, controversy has arisen as to the most efficient way(s) to accelerate the rate of reserve recovery from ultra-low permeability carbonate reservoirs. Efforts were undertaken to locate and study a sufficient number of wells that would be representative of this issue, and that would clearly distinguish naturally occurring reservoir parameters from man-induced processes.

Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) processes have been shown to produce extremely stable reverse (oil-in-water) emulsions. Although Invert Emulsion Polymer (IEP) technology has proven to be cost effective, IEPs pose application challenges requiring make-down water and auxiliary equipment, incurring additional cost and logistical challenges. A novel reverse emulsion breaker (REB) has been developed and implemented successfully that offers reduced application monitoring, reduced equipment needs, improved handling and product stability over IEPs.

Follow me on a venture through the mystic of the "black box" in the chemical business. A portion of the paper will be directed toward the process of selecting a chemical company that will provide the most effective way of solving problems. The cost of chemical is insignificant compared to the side effects resulting from a poor chemical program. The following topics will be directed toward the process of selecting a chemical company that will provide the most effective method of solving problems through Continuous Quality Performance. l Increase service from chemical suppliers.

Significant gains in production can be realized by reducing crude oil and natural gas processing costs. One area of the production process where significant economic gains can be realized is in the incorporation of enhanced processing technology into the surface production equipment used to process crude oil and natural gas to pipeline standards. One such product specifically developed to minimize the amount of energy required to process a barrel of oil to pipeline standards will now be discussed.

A major decision often confronting an individual while planning his or her estate involves the disposition of their oil and gas properties. Many people elect to place the future management responsibility of their property in the hands of an individual or corporate fiduciary. In order to provide a total management service to their clients and customers, many banking institutions, particularly in the Southwest, have assembled a staff of experienced professional personnel to oversee property held in trust.

EOG Resources, Inc., in cooperation with surface management agencies, has pursued numerous methods to help minimize potential adverse environmental impacts and to improve reclamation of well locations, access roads, and pipeline routes. Among the primary issues when considering the location of well pads, roads, and pipelines are slopes, drainage patterns, and vegetation.

Stage separation as applied to oil production is a process in which the oil and gas mixtures, flowing from producing wells, are separated into liquid and vapor phases by two or more equilibrium flashes at consecutively lower pressures. The ideal method of separation, to retain the maximum amount of fluid flowing from an oil well, would be that of true differential liberation of the gas by a steady decrease in pressure from that existing at the well head to the atmospheric, or near atmospheric, pressure maintained in the storage tanks.

Spills of oil and hazardous substances are one of the primary concerns of EPA. Presently, an estimated 15,000 spills of oil and hazardous substances occur annually in the navigable waters of the United States. These spills are expected to significantly increase over the next 30 years, if left unchecked, as a result of greater production, transport, storage and transfer. It is estimated, based on existing reporting functions, that of the 15,000 total spills, approximately 75 percent involve petroleum products.

The routine use of minimum density cement slurries (4-11 lb/gal) in oil field applications has been limited in the past; primarily because no convenient, cost-effective process existed which could provide useful compressive strength development at low densities. The careful selection and use of surfactants and foam stabilizers in addition to the use of properly designed field equipment has enabled the mixing and placement of stable foam cement slurries with instantly variable, but controllable downhole slurry densities from 3.5 - 14 lb/gal over a wide range of conditions.

There are approximately 600,000 producing crude oil wells in the United States, the majority of which use electricity to meet their production needs. Of these wells, approximately 75 % are classified as "Stripper Wells", producing an average of 2.34 barrels per day [I]. Many of these wells are only marginally economic, and an efficiency improvement project may make the difference between continuing to extract oil from a well and having to shut it in.

Lightning damage costs the oil industry millions of dollars each year in lost production, replacement equipment and service. Simple compliance with the National Electric Code is not sufficient because oil field operations involve concentrated electrical loads widely separated from each other. To efficiently serve these loads three-phase power is typically distributed at 12,470 volts. Installing lightning arresters only at poles having or feeding equipment is simply inadequate.

Types of plastics available, their uses and mis-applications. Quality control of plastic materials and the applied coatings.

Flow back and produced waters in the oil field are heavily laden with contaminates including insoluble iron sulfides,
poisonous hydrogen sulfide, residual gels, friction reducers, and other chemicals. In this paper we will look at chlorine dioxide (ClO2) as one possible solution to these problems. As a powerful, yet selective oxidizer, ClO2 has the ability to break up the residual gels and friction reducers while removing the insoluble iron sulfide and killing the hydrogen sulfide.

A system is described which utilizes a strain gage dynamometer permanently attached to each well for sensing well operation. The system also utilizes standard aerospace telemetry techniques and telephone lines for gathering the well data to a central office where individual wells performance may be monitored and simple control functions provided.

The year of 1976 represents a milestone for Amoco Production Company as they complete a decade of experience in computer-controlled oilfield automation. Table 1 presents a summary of percentages of wells and production being received by automation projects which Amoco had installed as of the first of this year and what they currently estimate their position in automation to be within the next five years. As can be seen, as of January 1,1976, Amoco had 35% of its company-operated oil wells and 6% of its company-operated gas wells automated and under computer control.

As most of the energy companies struggle to remain competitive in the domestic market, one of the costs which seems to continue to climb is the cost for electricity. For some operations, these costs can represent as much as fifty percent of the operating costs. To continue to operate in the domestic market, it is imperative that energy companies explore all avenues for reducing this cost to a minimum level.

A properly engineered project requires the use of accurate and reliable data. So it is with the design and selection of submersible pumping equipment. In order to gain maximum benefit from any submersible pump installation, one should make efforts to acquire the best possible quantitative and qualitative data available. Such factors as static and working fluid levels or static and producing bottom-hole pressures are vitally important as is knowledge of well and fluid conditions such as the ambient temperature down-hole and the corrosiveness if the fluid.

This paper discusses the basic principles by which computer-automation-systems and devices are operated. Some of the topics discussed included go/no-go devices, thermocouples and thermistors, piezoelectric devices, strain gages, potentiometric transducers, linear voltage differential transformer applications, the force-balance principle, and digital output transducers.

Admixtures of 50:50 Class H (or Class C): Pozzalon with 2% bentonite have functioned effectively worldwide for almost 50 years as lightweight slurries, for situations where heavier completion cements posed a risk of exceeding low fracture gradients in a particular wellbore. Pozzolanic materials are lightweight, and effectively combine with calcium hydroxide that is liberated during the hydration of portland cement.

A quality control survey of 162 acidizing fluids revealed the following problems: 1. Acid concentrations were often too high or too low. 2. Frequently, fluids were not thoroughly mixed. 3. In some cases, fluids contained incompatible additives. A field test kit and conventional laboratory analyses were used to determine the acid concentrations in fluids from 44 acid jobs done in Southern California during the last four years. On 41% of the jobs, the acid concentration of at least one fluid varied more than 30% from the specified value.

The recent trends in the use of on-site computers to calculate bottom hole treating pressure has created a need for a better understanding of insitu fracturing pressures and treating fluid friction properties. This paper discusses several Permian Basin fracturing operations with special emphasis on optimum pressure monitoring procedures. The theories of critical pressure, height growth, closure pressure and formation heterogeneity are discussed in an effort to provide techniques for on-the-job interpretations. Actual job examples have been presented with analysis and discussions.

Removal of calcium sulfate scale from wells is presently accomplished by several methods including scraping and chemical treatments. The most widely used chemical methods employ either: 1) a time-consuming and moderately expensive two-step conversion/ acid dissolution process or 2) a very slow reacting and expensive, alkaline chelating agent treatment.

This paper will present case histories from openhole horizontal completion projects using a new hydrajetting fracturing process to place multiple fractures in openhole. The new hydrajetting factruing method can be applied to cased or openhole situations, and does not require mechanical isolation between treatment points. The method works well with both acid and proppants fracs.

Dramatic change in the economic climate of the petroleum industry over the past year places a demanding challenge on oil producers to achieve positive cost effectiveness in their producing operations. Overall lifting costs for artificially lifted wells will be a significant factor in meeting this challenge. A new long stroke sucker rod pumping system has been developed which offers benefits to deal with these cost factors. Performance results to date confirm reduced energy consumption and improved pumping performance.