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    Sub Surface Sucker Rod

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    4 views10 pages

    Sub Surface Sucker Rod

    Uploaded by

    Hassan Khalid
    Sub Surface Sucker Rod

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 10
    Chapter 8 Subsurface Sucker-Rod Pumps James R, Hendrix, Ones Div of US. Ste! Comp." Introduction ‘The general principles of sucker-rod pumps as used in oi ‘wells are well known. Fundamentally, they consist of the usual simple combiration of a cylinder and piston or linger with a suitable intake valve and elischarge valve for displacing the well fluid into the tubing and to the surface. However, the varicty of problems encountered in pumping oil wells has resuked in a great number of ‘modifications of this fundamentally simple unit to make it more effective for the various conditions encountered In general, the pumping of oil wells often presents the widest variety of adverse conditions possible in a single Instllasion of any pumping application. These may In- clude high discharge pressures; low intake pressures; severe ubrasive conditions resulting from sand or other solids in suspension; severe corrosive conditions resulting from corrosive gases or salt watery; deposits of lime, salts, or other solids from the water pumped: paraf- fin deposits from the oil pumped; and the requirement thatthe pump hancle liquids. permanent gases, and con- lensable vapors under the pressure and temperature con- ditions existing atthe pump. Strong magnetic forces that, ‘may interfere with valve action when the valves are ‘made of magnetic material are encountered often, and electrolytic corrosion is likely to occur as a result of us ing dissimilar materials ‘The bores of reciprocating ollwell pumps can range from 1.04% in, in diameter, The 424-in, bore pump has a displacement about 22% times that of the I-in, pump for a given spoed and stroke length, This wide range of pump capacities is necessary to permit selection of the most efficient and economical pumping equipment for all condiivns encountered. In way wells ics evessity to pump large volumes of water along with the oi, s0 the ump must have a capacity several times that indicated by the net oil production ‘Subsurface pump bores now standandized by the APL “Sagal sr 1868 ston en by Ray Ow are 1'4, 1M, 15,2, 24, 204, and 2M in. Stroke lengths ange from 3 few inciies up more dan 30 f, ak! produe tion rates with this type of pump range from a fraction of a barrel per day—with pan-time operation—to approx: imately 3,000 B’D, There are (v0 broad classifications of pumps operated bby sucker nods, The olde «ype is mow kuowas as a tub ing pump." This term indicates that the pump barrel is attached directly to the tubing of a pumping well and Jowered to the bottom of the well, or to any desired loca tion for pumping, as the tubing is run into the well. The plunger, or traveling valve, of @ tubing pamp is run in on the lower end of the sucker rods until it contacts the lower-valve (or “standing-valve™) assembly. The rods are then raised sufficiently to prevent bumping bottom at the end of the downstroke and connected (0 a pumping. lunit, oF jack, at the surface ‘A’ more recent development is the “inser” or “rod” pump in which the entire assembly of barrel, traveling valve, plunger, and standing valve is installed with the sucker rods and seated in a special seating nipple, a tub: Ing pump bartel, oF other device designed for the pur pose. The rod-type pump hes the obvious advantage that ‘the entiro pump may be removed from the wel for repair for replacement, with only a rod-pulling job, whereas with a tubing pamp it is necessary to pull both rods and tubing to remove the pump barrel. The rod pump, however, is necessarily of smaller maximum capacity for ‘given tubing size Tubing-type pumps may have a standing valve seated ina coupling oF seating shoe at the lower end of the bat rel, or the standing valve may be seated In a coupling at the lower end of an “extension nipple" that extends below the Inwer end of the barrel The ID af the exten sion nipple is somewhat larger than that of the barrel to ‘permit the pamp plunger to stroke out both top and bot- tom to proguce uniform barrel wear and preven ccumulations of solids on the barre! wall PETROLEUM ENGINEERING HANDBOOK ‘TABLE 6.1—API PUMP DESIGNATION ‘Tyo0 of Puma Fos ‘Stationary barel. op anchor Stationary Baral, botom anchor Traveling bare, botlom anchor Tubing Lee Rod.type pumps may’ also be equipped with extension nipples above and below the barrel for similar reasons. In addition, rod pumps may be “top-seating™ (pump suspended from top of barrel), “bottom-seating” (pump seated at bottom of barrel), “sationary-bartel™ (travel- ing plunger), or “traveling-barrel.” Bos tubing- aon od-uyye pumps ate equipped wile one-piece "full bares, ‘The API has adooted standard designations for the combinations listed above. ‘The classification system given in Table 8.1 is from API Standard 11AX." ‘The following definitions are provided to clarify some of the more important terms used in connection with sub- surface oilwell pumps since a majority ofthese terms are peculiar to deep-well pumping terminology. Barrel, The bavi of an vilwell pump is the cylinder into which the well lid is admitted and displaced by closely fitted piston or plunger. Plunger. The pump plunger is @ closely fitted tubular piston filted with a check valve for displaciog well uid from the pump barrel. This may be all metal or equipped with cups, rings. orother soft packing to forma seal with the barrel Standing Valve. This isthe intake valve of the pamp and generally consists of a ball-and-seat-type check valve. The valve assembly remains stationary during the pumping cycle ‘Traveling Valve. This is the discharge valve and moves with the plunger of a stationary-barrel pump and with the barrel of a traveling-barrel pump. The entire assembly of a cup-type plunger. or plunger equipped with other type of soft packing. along with the check valve, is flew called a “taveling valve.” Standing Valve Puller, This isa tool designed t0 at- tach to the standing-valve cage of a tubing-type pump when the sucker rods are lowered 10 the bottom. The suaudig-valve assembly is due unseated by rai Uae rod string and is removed along with the pump plunger SoltPacked Plunger Pumps Heaywal Trnava Barel Baral PWA = RSA we Ee FUT = Ast w . I when the rods are pulled. This avoids having ing w remove the standing valve of dhe wubing-type pump. Valve Rod. Valve rods are used in rod-type stationary- ‘barrel pumps to connect the lower end of the sucker ‘rg Go the pur plunger. The valve rod runs dlnouy guide atthe top of the pump. API valve-rod sizes range from %. to 1% in. im diameter. Moditied line vibe threads are standard for APL valve rods (sce Table 1 of Ref. 1), Pull Tube. Pull tubes are used in rodctype traveling barrel pumps to connect the plunger with the seating assembly oF “*holddown.”” (See Ref. | for thread dimen- sions for straight threads.) Tapered threads are used on Sonne sizes of pull tubes by sone manufacturer. Seating Assembly. A seating assembly isan anchoring Gevice for retaining a rod pump in its working position, The seating assembly is. sometimes more commonly called a “holddown."* The seating asseurbly may be located either atthe top or bottom of a stationary-barrel od pamp but can be located only at the bottom of & traveling-barrel_pump. A seating assembly may be equipped with composition cups or rings that form a tight Fi in seating apple, or coupling, to old the pump in its working position by friction, or it may be provided ‘with spring clips that snap into position under a Sboulder and require a definite pull upward on the rods to unlatch for removal. With the cup-type seating assembly. the ‘ups oF rings also serve as a seal to prevent leakage of Aid from the tubing back to the well after it has passed through the pump. With the mechanical seating assembly, an accurately ground seating ing fitted on a tapered mandrel seats on a mating taper 10 form a Teakpioof seal Pump Selection ‘The selection of a proper subsurface pump forthe ap- plication i sometimes point of eanjecture. The Fallow teconmuindains generally ave asceyned sulle tions. Fig. 8.1 shows cross sections of SUASUIRFACE SUCKER-RON PUMPS Eo @ o 33 are cna ee |) fom seaal |" a ~G sxe [4B sie aim e @ Fig. 8.1—API subsurface pump classification. API pump classifications. There are many variations of {he putas shown, some with the specification Uf APL and some that afe non-APL that will sill perform the desired function of puraping oil to the surface Fig. 8.la shows a stationary-barrel od pump with op- seating holddown, This a pump thats ran into the well ‘vite sucker rus. 1 uns pup Ure plunger Is tac 10, and moves up and down with, the sucker-tod sing, ‘The: hart is held atonary at its top end hy the seating assembly. The barrel is on the left and the plunger assembly is onthe right. This i the preferred seating for {he Tod pump when posse. The top seating hoiduown provides a seal jst below the cage, where the well ud ‘x dischargd into the tubing. so sand or other solid pa- tiles are prevented from setling between the Barrel and the tbing, and the pump is not apt to become stuck in te cubing by packed sand. Since te body of he pup pivots from this top-Seating arrangement, i aligns itself in crooked wells mor readily than other tvpes of pumps. ‘Also, there is no tendency forthe barrel to wear by rub: bing against the tubing. This type of pump can handle Towegravity cae il down 400 Gp quis well, I he stripper wells and in wells with low fluid levels, the top- seating design ofthe pump allows the standing valve to be submerged deep into the well uid. This makes i possible to pump the oil level lower than can be done with a bouomrseated pump. This is panticular advan- tage when the fluid flow from the oil reservoir is weak. Fig. 8.1 shows a stationary-barrel rod pumo with bottom-seating holddown. In this pump, the plunger is also attached to, and moves up and dowa with, the sucker-tod suing. The bail, ot the Leh, tionary by a bowom-seating holddown, either mechanical lock or cup type. which isthe type shown in the figure ‘This pump is more suitsble for use in the deeper wells, ‘Weiglt oF dhe uid i dhe cubing, Sine die lady of the purnp pivots from its botiom-seating arrangement, i 00 ‘can be used in eraoked wells. However. there is a tendency for the valve rod to wear against the upper rod guide in this case. This pump also can handle low- gravity crude olf down «9 400 cp quite well, Because of its bottom-seating arrangement, the pump can be seated ‘easily in an old existing tubing pump barrel without pull- ing the tubing, where a top-seated rod purap might be 0 Jong to pass through an old tubing barrel. ‘The sti gisavantage oF thi gps uf pis At te pump barrel extends upward into the tubing. This makes it inadvisable 10 use along bump. since its not anchored a the top, and the action of the sucker-rod string will, Lt al ® © Fig. 8.2—Piain (a) and grooved (o) metal:e-metalplungers fend to weave it back and forth, which may cause premature failure, Also, this pump iz not recommended Tor extremely sandy conditions, because there is no ci culation ofthe well fluid around the outside ofthe barrel For this reason, the pump may become stuck inthe tub ing by packed sand, Fig. 8.l¢ shows a traveling barrel rod pump. Many ‘operators prefer this type of pump because of its simplicity and because its construction also relieves the pump barrel of a tension load resulting from the weight, ‘of the fluid column, A theoretical advantage ofthis type ‘of pump is that the pressure differential across the plunger is such thatthe high pressure is on the bottom of the plunger on the intake stroke and the direction of leakage, or slippage, past the plunger is opposite to the direction of the force of gravity, which tends to cause sand to setle on the plunger. For this reason there is less tendency for sand 10 be forced into the clearance space between the plunger and barrel and accelerate wear, Although the triveling-barrel rod pump is bottom seated, itis not so likely to become sanded in the tubing as is 3 bottom seated stationary barrel rod pump since there isa ‘continual surging of the well fluid in and out of the lower tend of the barre! while in operation, Also, the construc- tion of this pump is such that sand cannot setle into the barrel when the pump is shut down. A disadvantage of the traveling barrel rod pomp is the long and somewhat restricted inlet for oil to be admitted to the pump barrel ‘This may result in a relatively high pressure drop through the “pull tube™ and plunger to liberate excessive quan tities of free gas or to cause the formation of condensable ‘vapors that will adversely affect the volumetric fficien cy of the pump. PETROLEUM CNOINEEAME HANIEBOOH Some suppliers otler a combination top-seal_ and bottom-seating stationary-barrl rod pump. While this pump ic canciered “nonstandard,” it combines the ad- vantages of top-seating and bottom-seating pumps, Tt is particularly advantageous when a long pump is required Ina deep well. This type of pump reduces the possibility of a collapsed barrel caused by external pressure and tnees sedimentation around the barrel tube. Because of additional sealing arrangements, this pump is more cost- ly than standard API pumps. Fig. 8.10 shows the tubing pump, so named because its barrel assembly, including barrel, extension nipples Gf any), and seating nipple, is serewed onto, and becomes a part of, the tubing. Since the bing and barrel assembly are lowered into the well together, i is easy to position tubing pump at any desired depin tor pump- ing, After the barrel assembly is in position, the standing-valve assembly is placed in the thing, and it falls until itis stopped and held by the seating shoe. The plunger can be lowered into the well by attaching ito the Sucker-rod string or by lowenng it wilh the barrel assembly. In the latter case, an “‘off-and-on'” attachment is used to connect the sicker mds to the plunger Another device, called a "*standing-valve-puller™” (see Fig. 8.1 insert), can be attached to the plunger to hold he stanoing-valve assemly. so Dotn can Be lowered together. The standing-valve assembly is released from the stanting-valve puller hy. tnming. the sucked string; so the standing valve assembly remains in place, hheld by the seating nipple. I this action is reversed. the Stanging-valve assembly can be attached to the plunger and pulled out of the well with the sucker-rod string ‘This eliminates the necessity af pulling the complete i ing string to replace the standing-valve assembly. Another advantage of using a standing-valve puller is ‘that the standing-valve assembly 48 not in danger of be- ing damaged or becoming stuck, as is possible if it is dropped threuigh the bing Tubing pumps have larger bores and correspondingly ‘greater displacements for a given stroke length than rod Dumps thst can be used with the same size tubing, Therefore, tubing pumps commonly are used where is necessary to lift large volumes of find and a pump of high displacement is required, A tubing pump has fewer ‘working parts and is often lower in cost than a rod pump of corresponding size. However, the greater Volume and resulting heavier fluid load may cause a loss inthis ad~ vantage by excessive sucker rod and tubing stretch Also, the entire tubing string must be pulled to service the barrel of a tubing pump. Plungers Fig. 8.2 illustrates the two most common types of “metal-to-metal” plungers used for displacing well fluid in oilwell pumps. The left side shows a plain plunger with “box-end”” threads. This type of plunger generally is finished somewhat undersize at each end opposite the thrads. This provides for the slight expansion of the plunger when tightened, without causing binding of the plunger in the pump barrel. The right side shows grooved “pin-end”” plunger, Most subsurface-pump manufacturers provide both plain and grooved plunges in va never been demonstrated conclusively that either type of SUBSURFACE SUCKER-ROD PUMPS ‘TADLC 0.2—LOSSCS RESULTING FROM SLIPPAGE ‘OF 3p OIL PAST 25 Sliopage Past Plunger PUMP PLUNGER ‘Btppage Loss in Pum ft 15 sirokesimin Diametial Sippage Rate Percent Pome (comnimn), cumnimn _ wo __Bsplacornent 1143 572 088 02 as 458 68 18 4240 2200s ta 33900 169502518 502 construction has any particular advantage over the other, ‘Many operators feel that grooves facilitate lubrication of closely fitted plungers by providing spaces for the well fluid to accumulate in considerable quantities. However, there is considerable slippage past any plunger operating under usual conditions where the differential pressure across the plunger is Several hundred or even thousands ‘of pounds per square inch. This slippage will provide adequate lubrication with either type of plunger if the fluid has any lubricating value. One possible advantage ‘ofa grooved plunger is that any solid particle, such as a sand grain of a sel chip that gets between the plunger and the barrel, may become lodged in a groove and rminimize scoring ofthe harrel and plunger. With a plain plunger, panicles cannot escape from the Finished sur faces until they have traveled the full length of the plunger. On the other hand, a grooved plunger stroking ‘out of a barrel increases the probability of picking up and corying solid material into the barrel ‘The high differential pressures encountered in pump- ing deep wells require an effective sealing oF packing ‘means on the plunger. For wells of extreme depth, closely fited metallic plunger is almost always used to form a satisfactory seal with the barrel. Such plungers ‘are commonly supplied with nominal clearances. of (0,001, 0.002, 0.003, oF 0.005 in. in the barrel. Such plunger fs are commonly Teferred ro as ~ 3. ‘or =5 fits, For metal-o-metal pumps the API tolerance for barrels is +0100 in. —0.08K) in. and the tolerance for plungets is +0.0000 in,, —0.0005 in., making it possible forthe fit fa —1 plunger. for example, to vary fom 0.0010 t0 0.0033 in. dlamerra clearance. Slippage Past Plungers In slippage past a closely fited plunger, the low be ‘ween the plunger and the barrel is in the viscous range, 0 leakage of slippage is Inversely proportional ro the a solute viscosity and to the plunger length. It is directly propanional 1a the phinger diameter, the differential pressure between the two ends of the plunger, and the cube of the diametra clearance. The apsolute viscosity of well Muids commoniy pumped will range from approximately 1 to 100 cp at femperatures existing at the pump setting. In some cases, the viscosity may be as high as 1,000 cp. As a result of isosity variations, the slippage past the plunger of paricular plunger-pump assembly with a given plunger fit, length, and diameter may vary by as much as 100 to ‘under fairly common conditions. and as much as 1.000 to L under extreme conditions withthe same differential pressure across the plunger. Ths itis seen that a plunger pump may operate with acceprabe efficiency In a well producing a highly viscous oil, whereas the same pump operated atthe same speed and stroke may filo deliver ny cil tothe surface when installed atthe samme depth in a Well producing 0 of low viscosity ‘The following equation can be used o determine sip page losses pasta pump plunger with suficent accuracy for most purposes. xdapad,? : XE ” where 4 = slippage loss, cv in.imin (or 0.2371 m/s), plunger diameter. in. ap = differential pressure across plunger, pi, ‘Ad, = diamerral clearance. in., = length of plunger. in.. and 11 = absolute viscosity. cp. A specific application of this equation will illustrate the importance af phinger fits far a primp of a partir bore and stroke, operating with various plunger fits in fluids of various viscosities. It we assume 2 244-in.-bore pump having a 0.003-in, diametral clearance and operating with a pressure dif ferential of 7,000 pi betwen the tin onde nf 9 Rin plunger ata rat of fifteen 48-in, stokes per minute in oil having a viscosity of 3 cp, then Eq. | becomes £X2.25%2,0002.7% 10-* 3xaBXD. EXIT 11 AV om in fri If we assume that the Volume oF the barrel below the plunger is completely filled during the upstroke, this rate ff leakage can occur only during the spetenke, ar ape proximately one-half of the total time, The net slippage past the plunger is 5.72 cu in./min, or 0.85 B/D. The ‘isplacement of a 2'4-in. pump operabing at rinteen 448-in_ strokes per minute is 426 BID, and the slippage in this case is only about 0.2%. which is insignificant. The results of this and other plunger clearances with 3-cp oil ate shown in Table 8.2. Tithe case of 0.020-in. plunger clearance, she slippage Joss when water or oil witha viscosity of 1 ep is pumped would be 755 RID. which is mom than the puimn

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