Dan Phillips and Scott Listiak, Conoco, Inc.
As gas wells are produced and reservoir pressures decline, it is often necessary to install wellhead compression to maintain production. As the well continues to decline, gas rate and velocity in the tubing will decrease to the point where liquids cannot be lied out of the wellbore. Even on compression, liquid loading will become a problem and production impairments will result. One remedy to the problem of liquid loading is to install a plunger lift system coupled with compression.
Joseph H. Norton & John C. Paul, Oklahoma State University
Developed is an analytical analysis from which a synthesized dynamometer card can be calculated and plotted from generally known oil well parameters. The analysis preserves the time of displacement variable necessary for the calculation of instantaneous loads at any time or any position of the polished rod throughout the pumping cycle. The nonlinear boundary conditions introduced by the fluid pump are linearized and result In the applicability of superposition of loads in proper phase relationship.
Lior Azulai, BP, Rodney Sans, Harbison Fischer
The polished rod is the uppermost joint in the string of sucker rods used in a rod pump artificial-lift system. Polished rod related failures take time to manifest themselves but early simple preventive maintenance can significantly reduce them. This paper will discuss typical failures related to the polished rod, their causes and possible remedies.
Rodney Sands; Harbison-Fischer Manufacturing Company
The polished rod carries the weight of the entire rod string plus the fluid load and the imposed dynamic loads. This paper will show that polished rod failure is caused by fatigue-type stress due to improper installation. It will also review how to recognize the alignment problems and what steps can be done to prevent polished rod failure.
A.A. Hardy, W.C. Norris Division, Dover Corp.
Practically all sucker rod breaks are fatigue failures. These breaks are brittle type fractures which occur at a stress much below either the ultimate strength or yield strength of the metal after a great number of stress reversal cycles. This type of failure is common to all metals and all kinds of metallic structures subjected to cyclic loading. To design a structure so that such failures cannot occur, we must determine the fatigue endurance limit of the metal we are using, then limit the working stresses to a safe value below this figure.
Jerry T. Thornhill, Texas Water Commission
During the past three years, regulatory agencies and industry have given increased attention to protection of surface and ground water from all types of pollution. Because of this publicity some may think that water pollution is a new problem. This certainly is not the case. In many instances, the pollution problem has been masked by the geographic size of the State, the availability of water for dilution purposes, and the lack of exploration for and use of ground water. Therefore, more cases of pollution are being identified as greater development of water resources occurs.
James C. Herring, Railroad Commission of Texas
The disposal of produced oilfield brines and the associated problems have been studied closely for the past several years. The change-over from open pit disposal to underground disposition has been nearly completed. The paper includes steps taken by the Railroad Commission to eliminate pollution of surface and subsurface waters by produced oil-field brine and details some of the problems still to be solved.
Roy D. Payne, Railroad Commission of Texas
The salt water disposal and control problem is discussed in relation to the fresh water needs of the State, and information is presented as to the present status of the situation. The Railroad Commission program for control is outlined and its record of past and present activity is discussed. The use of earthen pits as a means for the disposal of produced salt water has repeatedly been found to be a source of pollution to various water supplies.
Stanley D. Adams, K.M.A. Pipe Co., Inc.
Polyethelene pipe is a petroleum-base product. It is highly resistant to corrosion from all forms of acid with the exception of banana oil. Polyethelene pipe is effective from approximately 0 to 325 pounds of working pressure, depending on the size of the pipe, the well thickness of the pipe, and the temperature. The main ingredient in polyethelenepipe is resin. The quality of the pipe is determined by the type of resin used.
Calvin Turner and David Bishop, Fasken Oil and Ranch, Rob Davis, Western Falcon
Fasken Oil and Ranch has been using Western Falcon Polylined tubing for over 9 years in production and injections wells. This paper will address updated and additional case studies since the original paper presented in 2005 titled "Cost Effective Option Using Poly Lined Tubing". The combination of lower priced energy prices with tubular goods prices on the rise, many operators are looking at ways to reduce tubular replacement and workover costs due to corrosion and rod on tubing wear failures.
Arturo Pena and Aaron Fuhr, ConocoPhillips; Dan Pender, Gel-Tec
The use of a polymer gel to reduce large volumes of water production in an aquifer-supported oil reservoir will be presented. Water invasion from the underlying aquifer had begun to water out the completion and repeated plug backs and cement squeeze attempts failed to block the water movement into the wellbore. A vertical permeability channel to the upper perforations in the near wellbore region was suspected to be the cause. A polymer gel treatment through the bottom perforations was selected to shut-off or divert the water.
B. Kevin Carathers, Shane Milson & John M. Terracina; Halliburton Services
This paper discusses the use of Polymer Gelled Block (PGB) as a diverting agent in staged acid stimulations performed in the San Andres Formation of the Slaughter Field in Hockley County, Texas. Improved results were obtained using this new material as compared to rock salt and benzoic acid flake blocks that were previously used. Several clear advantages of low residue PGB mixed "on the fly" over solid type blocking agents are discussed. Included are viscosities of the PGB during placement in the formation and then after the gel system has set up following the required 30 minute shut-in time.
Robert Tiner, Halliburton Services
The word "polymer" is used almost every day in discussions concerning the oil field. However, even though polymers are used in almost every phase of the drilling, completion, and production of oil and gas wells, they continue to mystify many oilfield personnel. Few people in the industry understand what constitutes a polymer or the properties exhibited by these polymers.
Dennis Dull, Texaco E&P Inc.
As a part of the reservoir characterization and for calculation of original oil in place, it is necessary to correct the porosity logs to the core data. The Mabee field has 800+ logs with a majority of them consisting of old gamma ray neutron logs. The modern porosity logs were calibrated to core porosity by crossplotting log porosity against core porosity. Linear regressions were constructed which are defined by the slope and the y-intercept. The linear regressions demonstrated excellent linear correlation.
Dennis W. Dull, Texaco Exploration & Production Inc.
As a part of the reservoir characterization and for calculation of original oil in place, it is necessary to correct the porosity logs to the core data. The Mabee field has 800+ logs with a majority of them consisting of old gamma ray neutron logs. The modern porosity logs were calibrated to core porosity by crossplotting log porosity against core porosity. Linear regressions were constructed which are defined by the slope and the y-intercept. The linear regressions demonstrated excellent linear correlation.
O. Lynn Rowlan and Jim McCoy, Echometer Company, A.L. Podio, University of Texas at Austin
To efficiently and economically operate a plunger lift well one of the most important requirements is to: KNOW THE PLUNGER LOCATION AT ALL TIMES, otherwise the operator has to guess, even when using electronic controllers. Except for when the plunger is at the surface, detected electronically or by ear, it has been difficult to determine the position of the plunger inside the tubing during the plunger fall and when it reaches the bottom of the tubing through the liquid column that has accumulated during the flow period.
E.P. Price, Department of Electrical Engineering, Texas Tech
Users of electric energy, especially in the field of power applications, sooner or later become interested in power factor and methods used in correcting bad power factor conditions. This interest is usually brought about by the bill presented to the user by the power supplier. On this bill the user will observe an energy charge, a demand charge, and a charge or penalty for low power factor. Usually, he can easily understand the energy charge and the demand charge, but he may not understand the power factor charge or penalty.
Gabor Takacs, University of Miskolc, Hungary
On average, two-thirds of the world's oil wells are produced by sucker rod pumping installations. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure that these systems work at their peak efficiencies. Thus, calculating the energy efficiency of sucker-rod pumping is a very important task of the production engineer. To accomplish this task, one has to define the in-, and output powers of the system and the different kinds of losses occurring in the various parts of the downhole and surface equipment.
Roy L. James & Jimmy W. Culp, Southwestern Public Service Company
This presentation discusses the use of electrical power in oilfield lifting and injection systems. Paramount to efficient power usage is the maintenance of proper power factors. Included are remarks pertaining to causes of "poor" power factor, its cost in equipment and money and the best way to correct a "poor" power factor. A typical oilfield distribution system, with colored slides, will be discussed in this presentation.
Ernest Showalter, Sargent Oilwell Equipment
In recent years the cost of electrical energy to pump oil wells. has become a prime concern. The terms Kilowatt costs, Kilowatt demand, Fuel adjustments and Power Factor Penalties are showing up on monthly power bills. Utilities have numerous methods to influence the bills which have caused some misunderstandings of the true meaning of each of these. Power Factor and the methods to obtain a desired Power Factor may be the least understood.
Rhey W. Hedges, Mellin Industries, Inc. & Jerry Drew, Xencom Communications Inc.
Energy Economizer Technology (EET) introduces a new approach to motor control. 50 granted USA and International patents say it provides power management that is truly different from familiar old-technology motor-control processes. The vital role AC electric motors play in profit return on investment is universal. They are the "motive resource" that turn the wheels of productivity in every industry; the Petroleum Industry's dependency on motors is a prime example. When pump motors stop, profit stops and "downtime" costs begin. This condition spans the globe.
A.B. Neely, Consultant; K.E. Opal, MagneTek Inc.; H.A. Tripp, Shell Development Co.
In 1985, a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) device was installed on a sucker rod pumping well in the North Hobbs Unit, New Mexico, to eliminate a potentially severe structural shaking on unit start-up. On the basis of limited tests on this unit that indicated possible power savings and load reductions, a joint Shell-MagneTek test program was carried out in 1988 on seven pumping wells in West Texas and near Ventura, California. The SCR device was used to turn the motor off for one or two intervals during each pumping stroke.
Tor Meling
Wavefront Technology Solutions
Powerwave has been employed in three injection wells for 24 months to improve oil recovery from this field. Excellent results have been realized from the significant production and economic oil volume benefits that have been realized during this period:
Overall Project Results: 68% drop in Oil Production Decline. Oil production decline from the three production patterns dropped from a pre Powerwave value of 3.4% per month to 1.1% per month with Powerwave. This represents a 68% reduction in the decline rate.
170% Increase in Oil Production.
H.L. Adams, Jr., The Western Company
Hydraulic Perforating has opened many new avenues in remedial and completion techniques. This paper contains a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this process and the economic factors involved. Research data are incorporated which define performance that may be expected. Examples are given of most favorable applications.
George Kite, National Tank Company
This paper discusses the theory, operation and practical application of automatic net oil computing systems in lease commingling and well-testing operations.