SocIety of Petroleum Engineers

SPl: 25447
Simplified Computer-Aided Analysis of Electrical Current in Motors
Used for Beam Pumping Systems
J.N. McCoy, * Echometer Co.; A.L. Podia, * U. of Texas; J.W. Jennings, * Consultant;
K.S. Capps, * SA Holditch & Assocs. Inc.; and Jerry West, M-W Instruments
·SPE Members

Copyright 1993, Society 01 Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared lor presentation at the Production Operations SympOsium held in Oklahoma City, OK, U.S.A., March 21-23, 1993.

This paper was selected lor presentation by an SPE Program Commillee Iollowlng review ollnlormation cOntained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents 01 the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correctiOn by the authot(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect
any position 01 the Society 01 Petroleum Engineers, Its officers, or merhbers. Papers presenled at SPE meetings are sUbjllcllo publication review by Editorial Committees ollhe Society
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01 where and by whom the paper is presented. WrRe Librarian, $PE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT.

ABSTRACT constunption of individual beam ptunping units. The one electrical

A substantial cost for operating most oil properties is the
monthly electricity charge. Analyzing the motor current in a beam
pumping system is a difficult task in that the current is normally
chartging from consumption to generation during each pump stroke. A
gear "slap" will occur during a pump cycle when the motor changes
from driving the pumping system to being driven by the
counterbalance and the unit's inertial forces. Conventional clamp-on
current meters indicate the magnitude of the current flow in the wire
but do not indicate whether the motor is constuning or generating
elecnicity.
A new computerized technique for acquiring motor CUl'I'ent
using a clamp-on prObe permits the acquisition of apparent current and
the calculation of real ( or active) current. The apparent current is
acquired at a one kilohertz rate. These data are processed to obtain real
current A plot of the active current ( showing consumption and
generation) along with the apparent C\l1Tent is preseIited to the user.
This plot is extremely beneficial for determining electricity costs,
pumping unit balance, cost per barrel of oil lifted and other power
consumption factors.
INTRODUCTION
The effort to reduce lifting coslS in beam ptunping operations
has focussed the attention of production persortnel to reduction of
electrical power consumption 1.2,3. A recent studyl shows that
properly operated beam pumping systems prOVide very good
efficiencies in the order of 1.1 to 1.4 kw-hr/bbl when lifting fluid
from 4300 to 6700 ft respectively. EquiValent submersible pumping
systems exhibited efficiencies of the order of 1.8 to 2.5 kw-hr/bbl.
This study shows that when properly designed and operated, the
beam pumping systems exhibit overall efficiencies of the order of
57%, where overall efficiency was defmed as the ratio of the power
out of the system ( based on net depth of lift, fluid gravity and
production rate) to the power into the system as measured kw-hr.
Unfortunately a large ntunbcr of pumping systems are not
properly designed nor properly opcrated to achieve such a high
efficiency. One of the reasOns stems from the fact that it is not
customary to routincly take measurements of electrical power
measurement that is commonly made in the oil field is motor current,
us'mg a standard clamp-on amp probe, with the objective of adjusting
the unit's counterbalance. Normally current data is displayed at a rate
of one reading per second and corresponds to the average of the
apparent motor current over the last second.
The majority of operators do not have readily available means
of determining the true electrical power consumption of a given beam
ptunp and thus cannot establish whether it is operating efficiently or
the motor is oversized or even if the unit is properly balanced.
The principal objective of the system described in this paper is
to prOVide a Simple, inexpensive and acceptably accurate means to
determine the electrical performance of a beam ptunping system based
only on the measurement of motor current using the conventional
clamp-on probe which is part of the standard equipment provided with
the Well Analyzer system4 • The Well Analyzer is a PC-based data
acquisition and analysis package that allows automatic measurement of
annular fluid level, calculation of producing bottom hole pressure,
measurement of polished rod dynamometer data and calculation of
downhole ptunp dynamometers and includes the measurement of
motor current and power.
ELECTRIC MOTOR PERFORMANCE DURING A
SUCKER·ROD PUMP CYCLE
The cyclic nature of the pumping systcm and the variable
loading which is dependent on the mechanics and efficiency of the
down-hole ptunp and sucker rod string, result in a continuously
variable current flow over a pumping cycle. This translates in the fact
that averaged values of apparent current are not indicative of the actual
power usage and requirements. Moreover to reduce torque
requirements, counterbalancing of the rod load plus one half of the
fluid load is commonly used and most installations exhibit torque
reversals during the ptunping cycle even if properly balanced. This
means that during portions of a pump stroke the prime mover drives
the gear box and that during other portions the gearbox drives the
motor. In the first case the motor is using electrical power, in the
second case it is generating electricity. The most common indication
that this reversal in current flow is taking place is the Widely observed
"gearbox backlash". The clanking sound which may be noted in the

References and Illustrations at end of paper.

375
2SIMPUFJEP OOMPtrrER-AJDED ANALYSTS OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT IN MOTORS USED FOR BEAM PUMPING SYSTEMS
gearbox at such times is due to the transfer of load from the front side
to the back side of the gear teeth. The conventional clamp-on current· pumping systems5 whereby predictive dynamometer algorithms have
meter (transformer) is incapable of differentiating between the current
flowing from the line to the motor or from the motor to the power line.
In order to determine the actual power utilization it is necessary to
make additional measurements that yield information regarding the
instantaneous power factor and voltage. Such measurements are not
commonly made because of the complexity and cost of the additional
equipment.
In electrified oil fields, most beam pumping wtits are powered
by three-phase induction motors which exhibit performance
characteristics similar to. those shown in Figure 1. In this figure, three current would be a useful technique for controlling the cost of beam
parameters are plotted as a function of the motor speed in RPM: the
torque, the apparent or actual line current and the efficiency. The
motor is rated at an operating point near the maximum cfficiency and at
such a current so as not to exceed the recommended operating
temperature.
The torque produced by the motor varies from a large quantity
at zero (locked rotor) and speeds below 1000 RPM then rapidly
decreases to zero at the synchronous speed ( 1200 RPM).
Correspondingly the motor current is a maximum at zero speed
and reduces to a minimum at the synchronous speed. This minimum
current generally is of the order of 1/3 of the motor full load rated
current and is defined as the magnetizing current which is used in
providing the motor's rotating magnetiC field plus thermal losses. At
synchronous speed the motor current is lagging very near 90 degrees
the voltage applied to the motor's stator windings.
The motor's efficiency is defined as the ratio of output to input
power. It ranges from zero at locked rotor conditions (power = torque
* speed) then increases to a maximum ncar motor rated speed and
decreases sharply to zero at the synchronous speed.
The diagrams also indicate that if the motor is driven past the
synchronous speed into the regenerative region the current and
efficiency curves are nearly mirror images of the motoring curves
relative to the synchronous speed. The torque is also mirrored but with
the opposite sign. This indicates that torque is required to drive the
motor past the synchronous spced and that the motor is essentially
acting electrically as a generator and mechanically as a brake.
Applying these characteristics to the cyclical nature of the beam
pumping system the following may be concluded:
• Since the polished rod load is cyclical so will be tlJ.e torque
on the reducer. The relationship between torque and motor
current will thus result in a cyclical motor current.
• The motor's RPM will also exhibit a cyclical behavior varying
in the vicinity of the motor rated speed if the motor is properly
sized.
• If the reducer torque becomes zero during the pumping cycle
the motor will tend to run at its synchronous speed. At this
condition the motor current will be minimtun.
• If the the un.it's counterbalance and inertia are sufficient to
reverse the torque on the reducer, the motor will be driven
into the regenerative mode. The currcnt will increase in
proportion to the speed in excess of synchronous speed. This
power is returned to the distribution system.(power
~ompanies usually install ratcheted (detented) meters to
prevent credit for back-driven power).
Given these relationships it becomes apparent that measurement of
motor speed (assuming no slippage between the motor sheave and the
V-bells) is a possible means of inferring the pumping unit torque curve
over a pumping cycle. The calculation requires knOWledge of the
specific motor performance curves such as those shown in Figure 1.
Moreover if the unit's geometry and inertia arc known it is possible to
convert the torque into polished-rod load and thus generate a
dynamometer diagram without requiring direct measurement of the
376
polished rod load. This method has also been applied to the design of
been extended to calculate the electrical requirements of a given
system.
Unfortwtately the majority of operators do not have ready
access to electrical motor performance curves that can be applied to the
analysis of their pumping systems. On the other hand most operators
are familiar with and have used motor current measurements to check
the cowtterbalancing of the beam pumps. It thus appears that a method
that allows determination of electrical power consumption, motor
loading, motor efficiency, etc. from the measurement of electrical
pumping operations.
Ideally such method should nOt require other measurements
nor sensing devices and measurements should be completed in a
matter of minutes. In order to satisfy these requirements it is necessary
to accept reduced accuracy with the realization that if a precise
measurement is necessary then one should rely on multi-sensor
systems 6.
DIGITAL ANALYSIS OF MOTOR CURRENT
As indicated earlier, the system described in this paper is based
on application of the Well Analyzer's capability to accurately acquire
data at rates as high as 1000 samples per second. The motor current
sensor consists of a conventional split-jaw transformer. It is connected
to the auxiliary input of the Analyzer. The probe is installed arowtd
one of the power wires which is feeding electricity to the induction
motor. The probe generates a signal which is proportional to the
instantaneous current flowing through the wire around which the
probe is clamped. The output signal from the probe is digitiZed by the
well analyzer at a rate of 1000 Hz and recorded in the computer's
memory.
A sehematic representation of the measurement is shown in
Figure 2 where two cycles of the pumping unit are recorded. The
electrical current data are shown in relation to the polished rod
position. Measurements are made in rough synchronization with the
pumping wtit by manually starting acquisition at the bottom of the
polished rod stroke and stopping acquisition approximately after two
complete strokes. Data processing will take care of determining the
exact pump cycle and adjust synchronization of the pumping cycle
with the digitizing rate as will be discussed in the following section. At
the bottom of Figure 2 are shown, on an expanded scale, the first 0.5
seconds of motor current. data. The complete data series is then
subdivided into groups of 100 data points, corresponding to 0.1
second duration as shown in Figure 3. These data groups arc used to
characterize the current as a fwtction of time as explained in detail in
the next section.
The digital analysis of the apparent current to determine the
portions of the cycle where the motor is generating is based on the
following assumptions:
1- .Electrical generation occurs during at least one
portion of the pumping cycle.
2- The pumping wtit is operating at steady state so that
two successive pumping strokes result in very
similar apparent current vs. time curves.
3- The minimum apparent current corresponds to points
where the motor operates at synchronous speed.
4- At synchronous speed the current and the voltage are
out of phase by 90 degrees.
5- The minimum apparent currcnt corresponds to the
reactive load of the motor (KVAR)
The first assumption- seems to be valid for the great majority of
ptunping installations. Of the many units that have been studied to date
(ranging from conventional to Rotaflcx ) all have exhibited some level
SPE 25447 J.N. McCOY. A. L. PODIa. K. CAPPS. J. WEST and J. JENNINGS
of electrical generation during the pumping stroke. It is conceivable
that for some special cases where the unit is pumping at slow speed or
is driven by high slip motors, both of which tend to reduce the inertial
effects, generation does not occur.
The second assumption seems reasonable for those cases
where the well is not beginning to pump off and is either pumping a
full stroke or has reached a constant partial pump fill-up.
The remaining assumptions are based on simplifications of the
electrical performance of induction motors. They are justified by
agreeing that some accuracy may be sacrificed in exchange for
simplicity and rapidity of the measurement.
Data processing
Motor current data is acquired 1000 times per second. The data
is separated into groups of 100 data points each. Thus, each period
represents 0.1 seconds of time. Please refer to Figure 3a which
represents the first group of motor current samples. The frequency of
the motor current is 60 hertz on this data set. Thus each 16.7 data
points represent approximately one cycle of the 60Hz current data.
The motor current amplitude is determined by detecting the
positive peak and negative peak values immediately surrounding the
zero crossing point of interest. The RMS of the current in each group
is determined and plotted.
Induction motor current lags the voltage.Since the 0.1 second
group interval will contain an integral number of AC cycles, the
difference in time of the zero crossing of motor current in each group
can be used to determine the phase angle of each group when the
phase angle of anyone group is known. Please refer again to Figure
3a. The first zero crossing time that occurs after 50 milliseconds of
data is determined. This number is determined utilizing the two data
points on each side of zcro crossing and calculating the precise time at
which the zero crossing would occur. Note that the zero crossing time
,is 62.52782 milliseconds from the beginning of the data set and it is
indicated by a vertical dashed line.
Please refer to Figure 3b which represents the data obtained
during the 41st group. The zero time crossing for each group
following the first group is determined utilizing the two data points
that occur within 4 milliseconds of the previous group's zero crossing
time. The zero crossing time in this example is 62.54797 milliseconds
from the beginning of the data.
Please refer to Figure 3c which represenl~ data obtained during
the 132nd group. Again, two data points on each side of zero crossing
that occur within 4 milliseconds of the previous zero crossing time are
utilized to determine the zero crossing time for this data set. The zero
crossing time for this data set is 66.2666 milliseconds.
Data is acquired for two strokes of the pumping unit beginning
at the bottom of the polished rod stroke and stopping two strokes later
at the bottom of the stroke. The precise time for one cycle is
determined by finding the maximum current peak in the first half of the
data. Thcn the precise time of the maximum current peak in the second
half of the data, that is within 1/2 second of when the second peak is
expected, is utilized to determine the time of one stroke. The second
maximum current peak is expected at a time which is equal to the time
of the first peak plus 1/2 of the data set time. The difference between
the two peak times represents the time duration of one stroke.
Please refer to Figure 4. The upper curve represents the
plotting of the characteristic zero crossing times that occurred
throughout the 181 groups or a total of 18.1 seconds of data. Note that
the data acquisition rate of the computer is not in synchronization with
the AC power line frequency. The zero crossing time occurred at
approximately 62.5 milliseconds in the first group of data and it
occurred at approximately 70 milliseconds at the last zero crossing
time. Since both groups correspond to a polished rod position near the
boltom of the stroke, their values of zero crossing time should be very
similar.
377
3
Note the ramping upward of the zero crossing times. Other
data sets may ramp up or down at different rates depending on the
difference between the analog to digital converter sampling rate relative
to the AC power line frequency. This data set needs to be de-ramped
so that a specific current data point in the first pumping cycle
coincides in time with the same point in the second pumping cycle.
De-ramping is accomplished by determining the maximum current data
point in the first cycle of data. Then the maximum current data point in
the second cycle of data is identified. The phase angle at maximum
current in both data sets should be very similar. Thus the zero crossing
time for both these data points should be identical. The data set is
adjusted using the difference in the two zero crossing times in each
half of the data set. Please refer to the lower de-ramped data set in
Figure 4, which shows that the two maximum current data points have
been adjusted so that the zero crossing times are identical. The dotted
lines mark the data groups of maximum current.
The next problem is to determine the lag that is occurring in the
current zero crossing times from the voltage. Please refer to the data
set in the upper plot on Figure 5. This data set is a plot of the apparent
current over two cyeles. The minimum current value found in the first
pump stroke of data is assumed to be contained in the group where
the motor current is lagging 90 degrees with respect to the voltage.
When the motor is driving the pumping system, more motor current
will be consumed. When the pumping system is driving the motor, the
apparent current also increases. Thus when the apparent current is at a
minimum value the current is 90 degrecs out of phase with the voltage.
If the zero crossing time occurs earlier than this time, the motor is
consuming electricity. If the zero crossing time occurs later than 90
degrees out of phase, the pumping system is driving the motor and
generating electricity.
The power factor is defined as the Cosine of the phase angle
difference between the voltage and the current wave forms. The phase
angle between the group in question and the group that contains the
minimum current zero crossing time can be determined knowing the
difference in time between the zero crossing time for the group in
question and the minimum current zero crossing time using the
following relation ( for 60 Hz):
Angle difference = (Thmc - T zgr) x 360x60
1000
where:
Tzmc = time of zero crossing for group containing the
minimum instantaneous current value (in
milliseconds),
Tzgr = zero crossing time for group in question in
milliseconds)
And the angle difference is computed in degrees.
TIle zero crossing at minimum current is lagging the voltage by 90
degrees, therefore the group in question is lagging the voltage by the
following angle:
e = 90 -[Tzmc - Tzgr] x 21.6
Since the power factor is the Cosine of the angle difference e, then it
is computed as:
PF = Cos e = Cos ( 90 - [Tzmc-Tzgr] x 21.6)
Negative values of the power factor are obtained when the group's
current zero crossing time lags the minimum current zero crossing
time. The calculated power factors are multiplied by the apparent
current to obtain active current. Please refer to Figure 5 which shows
apparent current on the upper plot and active current on· the lower plot.
Note that some of the peaks on the apparent current are actually
generation peaks and not consumption peaks.
4SIMPUFIED COMPUTER-AIDED ANALYSIS OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT IN MOTQRS USED FOR BEAM PUMPING SYSTEMS
Figure 6 is a plot of two strokes of apparent current data. The within the motor from windings to frame is occurring. Note also that
apparent current data is processed to obtain the zero crossing times the time difference between each of the four sets of measurements
which occur in each group of 100 data points. The minimum apparent corresponds to about three minutes. During the twelve minute duration
current in the first stroke shown in the upper plot was found in the 6th of the tests the data show that the unit was operating at steady state
group. The zero crossing time in the 6th group is assumed to be the with little variation from pumping cycle to pumping cycle.
zero crossing time when the motor current is 90 degrees out of phase
with the voltage. Thus all other group's zero crossing times can be It must be rioted that over the series of measurements
referenced to thi~ particular zero crossing time to determine the power undertaken during the past nine months it has been observed that the
factor, whether positive or negative. majority of the motors do not operate with perfectly balanced electrical
phases. In a few instances analysis variations of up to 50% have been
Figure 6 is shown to the operator during acquisition of data as observed.
a check of the quality of the data. Should the apparent and active
current wave forms seem different in each of the two strokes, the data Lightly Loaded Motor
should be discarded and re-acquired. If the wave forms are not
similar, the program cannot accurately process the data and determine Measurements have indicated that there is a tendency to install
the active current since assumption 2, stated earlier, is not satisfied. motors which are considerably over sized in relation to the operating
load. This is probably due to the need to satisfy starting torque
Analysis requirements and the thought that an oversized motor will have a
tendency to require less maintenance and exhibit a longer mean-time-
Figure 7 displays an analysis of the acquired data and between-failures. Figure 9 shows an example of a lightly loaded
calculated results. In this, and all subsequent figures, the solid curve motor. Notice that the apparent current has a variation of peak-to-peak
represents the apparent current while the dotted line represents the amplitude of about 18 amps, from 30 to 48.2. This results in an RMS
active current. Note that the active current becomes negative at several amp load of 39 which compared to the motor rating of 75 indicates that
points during both the upstroke and the downstroke. The cost of the motor is under loaded. From a number of similar cases it has been
electricity is displayed assuming credit for generation. If several wells obserVed that a good rule of thumb seems to be that: the motor is
arc operated from the same meter, generated electricity will be utilized under loaded whenever the maximum apparent current is less thaiJ.
by other pumping wells. Generally, if only one well is present on a twice the minimum apparent current. This guideline could be used to
meter, no generation credit exists. Also displayed is the power cost per identify wells that need closer scrutiny simply from measurement of
barrel of oil and the cost per barrel of total liquid pumped. apparent current variation using a conventional hand-held current
probe. Once these wells have becn identified a detailed analysis should
Most motors have a full load amp rating. This number is be undertaken using the Well Analyzer or an electrical power meter
obtained from the name plate and displayed. The RMS value of the system.
acquired apparent current is calculated to allow comparison of the
actual loading to nameplate thermal rating. The nameplate horsepower Heavy Pumper
rating is given along with the approximate input horsepower. Input
horsepower is determined utilizing the active current and average Figure 10 shows an example of a well pumping 1861 BbiS/day
voltage entered in the well's data file. The approximate output from a depth of 1700 feet. Note that the apparent maximum current (
horsepower is assumed to be 85% of the input horsepower. 89.2 amps) is over twice the minimum (31 amps). This results in an
average RMS current of 57 which is close to the motor rating of 64
The average KVA is calculated by multiplying the well file amps. Notice also that the unit has been balanced in accordance with
voltage by the average of the apparent current from the group data sets the criterion of equalizing the apparent current peaks corresponding to
and dividing by 1000. The average KW is calculated by multiplying the upstroke and the downstroke. In this case that apparent current
the well file voltage by the average of the active current and dividing peaks also correspond to the active current peaks. For this unit, the
by 1000. In three-phase power the foregoing KVA and KW must be motor current also shows a regeneration segment past the middle of
mUltiplied by 1.732 to account for the unmonitored legs. The power the upstroke ( and occasionally at the bottom of the stroke, but
factor is calculated by dividing KW by KVA. The maximum and intermittently). This seems to be a very common characteristic of
minimum power factors are displayed. NormaIly, at least two conventional units that have been balanced in accordance with
generation periods exist during each NEMA D motor type pumping common practice.
cycle.
Chattering of Gear Box
RESULTS OF FIELD MEASUREMENTS
The measurements shown earlier in Figure 7, exhibit several
A series of measurements have bccn made on a variety of wells points where regeneration occurs, corresponding to relatively sharp
operating at various depths, pumping speeds, stroke lengths and for peaks in the apparent current during the downstroke. These features
different pumping unit geometries, with the objective of testing the could be correlated with significant noise and chattering coming from
mea~urement system and establishing its reliability and performance. the gearbox of this unit. Such features are an indication that active
current measurement can be a useful diagnostic indicator of the proper
Repeatability of pumping cycles operation of the pumping system.
Measurements were made sequentially with the current probe Overbalanced Unit
first installed on one of the three power wires and then shifted to the
other two. (designated E-east, M-middle, W-west) in order to test the This particular well, pumping about 800 barrels per day from
dependance of the data on the selected wire and to check variation in a depth of 1400 feet appears to be somewhat overbalanced from
time. Results arc shown in Figure 8, which indicates that for this well inspection of the apparent current wave form shown in Figure 11..
there is relatively little variation in the observed current wave forms. The upstroke current peak is about 48 amps, while the downstroke
Two regeneration periods arc observed in all three legs, one at mid current peaks at 83.7 amps. The tendency of the operator would be to
point on the upstroke and one near the bottom of the stroke. However adjust the counterbalance so as to level both peaks. However,
the amplitude of the apparent current varies somewhat, with the middle inspection of the activ.e current shows that the current peak on the
leg giving the smallest value. This variation is also shown by the upstroke is in reality a regenerative current peak indicating that the unit
fourth measurement, made with all three wires enclosed by the current is grossly overbal~e point that the motor is over driven-fur
probe (designated VOGTl ALL) which theoretically should register the majority of the upstroke and most of the electrical power is
zero current but in practice shows a net peak-to-peak current of about expended in lifting the counterweights. Normally the operator would
2 amps. These plots appear to indicate that the electrical load is not move the counterweights inwards so that less power would be
perfectly balanced on the three phases. Large readings of current required to raise the counterweights and more power would be
when all three wires are being measured indicate that current leakage required to raise the rods. However, in this case a small inwards

378
SPE25447 IN. McCOY. A. L. PODIO, K. CAPPS. J. WEST and J. JENNINGS
movement of the counterweights would cause the apparent motor
current on the upstroke to be even less ( less generation) and would reasonable efficiency.
confuse the operator into moving the weight back outwards. It is
likely that trying to balance this unit using only a conventional
apparent current meter could be quite confusing and may be
impossible.
Rotaflex Unit
This well is being pumped from a depth of 7822 feet using a 2
inch diameter pump operating at a speed of 3.2 strokes par minute
and producing about 280 barrels of fluid per day. Figure 12 shows the
results of the current analysis. It indicates that during the stroke there procedure and the use of safety equipment should eliminate the risk
are significant variations in current in spite of the slow pumping
speed. Note also that there are reversals of motor current at the top and
bottom of the stroke where the polished rod motion is reversed.
High Slip Motor
Figure 13 is an example of a unit powered by an Econopac
5DR motor. The unit is pumping at 9 SPM about 500 Bbls/day from
4700 feet. Notice that the unit is fairly well balanced and the motor
loading appears to be normal (max current 64.9 , minimum current 30
amps). In addition there seems to be minimal regeneration occurring
over the cycle and only at the bottom of the stroke.
Comparison With Direct Power Measurement
In a number of cases the results obtained from digital
processing of the apparent current data have been compared with
measurements undertaken using an AEMC power meter. This meter
consists of dual probes which simultaneously measure current flow in
two of the three legs of the motor cables and also measure the phase to
phase voltage. The output of the system is a voltage signal with rapid
response, which is proportional to power (thus accounting for
regeneration). The Well Analyzer's general purpose data acquisition
capability was used to record the power data on a data file which was
later processed off-line using a commercial signal processing software
package (DADISP). Processing involved integrating the measured
power over one or more pumping cycles and computing the power
usage per stroke. Results are reported in Tables la and 1b.
In general it can be seen that the results from digital processing
of the current data follow the general trend of the readings from the
power meter. They nevertheless seem to under estimate the power
usage especially in those cases where there is a significant difference
between the individual readings from each wire. Although not enough
measurements have been undertaken at this point to be able to
generalize, it appears that direct power measurement is the appropriate
procedure if representative readings of power usage are required. This
however does not invalidate the usefulness of digital current
processing in determining the performance of the prime mover and
giving diagnostic readings.
5
current rating of the motor at least by 20% in order to obtain a
These results also indicate that if the principal objective of the
measurement is to obtain accurate values of power consumption
(comparable to continuous metering over time) this computer based
system should be used in a power-measurement configuration
requiring simultaneous measurement of phase to phase voltage and
current measurement in two of the three legs. Such system is currently
under development. Although this configuration requires that the
operator connect voltage leads to the terminal inside the switch box
and thus is potentially more dangerous, proper training in the correct
and allow routine measurement of accurate power usage.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to express their appreciation to the many
operating companies that have willingly provided the opportunity to
undertake these measurements on a variety of pumping wells.
REFERENCES
1 - Lea, J. F. and J. D. Minissale: " Beam Pumps Surpass ESP
Efficiency", Oil and Gas Journal. May 18, 1992
2 - Butlin, D. M.:"A Comparison of Beam and Submersible Pumps in
Small Cased Wells" SPE Preprint 21692, Production Operations
Symposium, April 7-9, 1992, Oklahoma City, OK.
3 - Kilgore, J. J. and H. A. Tripp: "Walking Beam Pumping Unit
System Efficiency Measurements", SPE Preprint 22788, Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition, October 6-9, 1991, Dallas, TX.
4 - Podio, A. L, McCoy, J. N. and D. Becker: "Integrated Well
Performance and Analysis", SPE Computer Applications, June 1992.
5 - Gibbs, S.G.: "Utility of Motor-Speed Measurements in Pumping
Well Analysis and Control", SPE Production En~ineering, August
1987.
6- McCoy et al.:"Motor Current Analysis to Determine Efficiency,
Power Factor and Proper Motor Sizing in Beam Pumping Systems",
to be presented at the 40th Annual Southwestern Petroleum Short
Course, Texas Tech University, April 1993.

CONCLUSIONS
The usefulness of apparent motor current measltrements using
a conventional clamp-on current probe has been greatly extended using
the data processing capability of the Well Analyzer.
This paper has shown that digital processing of instantaneous
apparent motor current data, acquired at millisecond intervals, yields
information about current to voltage phase shifts that permits
determination of active current and instantaneous power factors in the
majority of the pumping installations tested.
Abnormal conditions can more easily be identified using the
processed data. Motor loading and unit balancing can be analyzed
more accurately by having a display of both the apparent and active
motor current.

A general rule of thumb seems to be supported from results to

date: the prime mover is under loaded unless the ratio of the maximum
to the minimum apparent current exceeds a value of 2 over a pumping
cycle, The maximum apparent current should exceed the nameplate

379
 SPE25447

TABLE 1-A, Results From Digitally Processed Current Data

WELL UNIT TYPE TEST p(JM) PUtvP SUBMER- SPM M:>roR M:>roR LEFT WIRE MIDDLE WIRE RIGHT WIRE 1HREE
10 RATE DISPL DEPTH GENCE HP FULL LOAD fM) AV. AV. PF COST RM3 AV. AV. PF COST RM3 AV. AV. PF COST WIRE
BID BID FT FT AMPS AMPS KV~ KW % $IMNTH AMPS KVJ KW % $IMNTH AMPS KV~ KW % $IMNTH AV.KVl

NO.10 LFKN C320 2160 1~61 1720 1054 12.4 50 64 57 41 20 48 706 56 40 14 36 513 57 41 17 41 611 17.00

No. 13 EMSC0320 1592 1670 1585 569 15.7 50 66 54 39 19 48 680 57 41 15 36 533 56 41 14 34 496 16.00

No. 41 AMACN 228 1016 863 2010 100 13.7 40 50 33 24 11 45 391 32 23 9 39 328 31 22 12 55 442 10.67

No. 45 LFKN 320 909 1117 1945 405 10.8 50 66 42 31 14 46 520 43 32 13 41 472 42 31 4 14 160 10.33

No. 36 LFKN A160 574 589 2070 222 14.8 25 32 21 15 744 234 21 15 8 51 277 18 13 7 55 256 7.33

NO.6 AMRCN228 407.5 865 1395 480 17.9 50 . 63 46 32 9 29 332 44 30 12 41 448 45 31 12 38 421 11.00

No.2 525 4769 92 8.75 5DR 47 34 25 73 904 47 35 25 70 882 47 35 22 63 788 24.00

No. C1 4 12580 3106 6.04 75 98 53 40 10 25 360

U)
(X)
o

TABLE 1-B, Results From Power Measurement

WELL 10 UNIT TYPE ~ COST ACTUAL lHEa:l EFACIENCY

KW $IMNTH KWHlBBL KWHlBBL

NO.10 LFKN C320 20 740 0.258 0.0878 34%

No. 13 EMSC0320 19 720 0.273 0.1340 49%

No. 41 AMRCN228 14 480 0.389 0.2519 65%

No. 45 LFKN 320 14.5 530 0.312 0.2031 65%

No. 36 LFKN A160 10.4 380 0.424 0.2437 58%

NO.6 AMRCN228D 11 395 0.305 0.1207 40%

NO.2 24 900

No.C1
 SPE25447

pump - -:11 i,k P

100

'6.000

~"'"
a
14.000
--- - 0

12.000
RA TED VOL TAGE: 460V
RA TED CURRENT: 110 AMPS \!
\~
FULL LOAD SPEED: , ,40 RPM
5 '0 15 20
Tilru!'. s:~co.d'i
10.000 ~ 100 1000
(- -- - ESTtMATEO)

u:III 8000 80_ 800

..J
I
~
(J
>-
~ in
0..
~ 6b'Z ,#, ::l:
~
Q)
'0

c.>
;;; 6000
:;)
oa:
l3"
ii:~C""--..!!f",
l
/
.I' 600
l-
Z
UJ
"
+"

Ci
u.
~ a:
a: .,
E
:? 4000 40 UJ ---- 400 :;) +"

/7-"", (J
UJ
<:
~
....
~
Z
2000 ~20 / 200
:::; "
'-'

SYNC~~~~~~~?PEED~
0
o "'-":::LOCKED ROTOR (0 RPM)

-2000 ~
MOTORING , I~' REGENERATIVE
BRAKING

W~~~~
-4000 I . . . . . •I
\
. Q)
-----
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 '400 '0

MOTOR SPEED (REV IMIN)

"
+"

0.

Fig. I-Theoretical performance curves for 100-hp, NEMA-D motor (efter Ref. 5).
.,E
+"
<:

t I. ~I
"
'-'

o 0.5 Sec
TIME IN SECONDS
Fig. 2-Schemetlc representation of relatlonahlp between motor current and polished rod stroke as a function of
time.
 SPE25447
Ze~o C~ossing TiMe: 62.52782~ Cu~ren~ ~8.97596

49.9k

29.9k

Go

.."
"ll

-; 9.Qk
3A
lE Group 1
29 9 8 .9 199.9
'"
~

...
Of
c:

-as.ak

-40.Bk

Zero C~ossing TiMe= 62.54797~ Curren~ 38.54638

59.Ble

.
.."
"ll.

. 3B
lE
'"
Q.9k
29 .. 8 ...
Group 41

.
Of
c:

.,
-59.19k

2e~o Crossing TiMe= 66.~5185, Current 39.35571

SCiJ.Ok

...
Go

.."..
-..
~

lE
S.ek
3C
Group 131
'"
~

..
Of
c:
.,
-59.9k

Fig. 3-Digltally sampled current amplitude at three different points during two pump strokes.

382
 a
89.9
O~ig TiMe DeRaMped TiMe vs Pe~iods
SPE25447

"15.9

II
...I:
lot

~ O~ig
"19.9
...c:
)(

0
"
II
ti:l

I
65.9
I ~J .,
"
1,1 I
I'l\. q 'l ~
; r... I
) 1 •I I ,II
I "'I
I ~" ' II : I' ..;De RMPd
.'j:,\. I I I, I I u~,'F

-'. . . . .~-
I / 'I'"
~
69 • 9 +~r-T"~r-T""T""'1f-r"T""'1r-r,...,rr~r-T""'-rT"'-rT.--rr""'rT,...,rr"'-rTTlrT,..,rr,..,rrT1rrTl
9.9 59.9 199.9 159.9 299.9 259.9
Pelfl'iod:s

Fig. 4-Variation of zero crossing time for each group of 100 current data points.

CUlfl'lfl'en't vs Pelfl'iods
45.9
49.9
35.9

~
39.9
~
:I 25.9
G:
29.9
15.9
19.9
9.9 59.9 199.9 159.9 2B9.9 259.9

199 ... s P@lfl'iods

R@al CUIfl'Ifl'@n't vs Pez-iods

49.9

39.9

29.9
~
~ 19.9
:E
G:
9.9

-19.9

-29.9
9.9 59.9 199.9 159.9 299.9 259.9

199 ... s Pe~iods

Fig. 5-Values of apparent and active motor current as a function of time during two pump strokes.

383
 W~ ID CUNN3 DATE 92-19-1992 TIME 13:18:35 SPE25 4 47
------------ STROKE 1 -----------~~---------- STROKE 2 -------------
39.4 ........
·
·
/ 'I.
.
.
._
.'.
'I.
.'.
A .
M ;
I •
'1
,
P I

~..
I.- ~ .
E ~,
I ~ \ •

R •
•
•r••••
I •
.:

I
'.
"
I'
I
I
•
"
I I'~
•
: : : : .,,.-

I I
t \I
I.

:.: • I •
•

I
•
I

•
I
I.
•

E ...
't .'
: -,
" I
" :
:.-
: I \,:
'., ~ ...'
~
I.,
I

,. :
: :

I
',,:

: ...:

S ·r+~··············--·,·+-~~··········~~·····-·········
•1.",: i. I : " :,' ,-
.... ~ .. :.~.~I
:. ~
•••••• : :
:'.. -: I,: :" ': :~ : 'I I' •
:I t : , : ' ~:~: i:
I II • I II
I I. • ••

··· .. .
I • I II

-14.9 , • II

·
Appapent Cuppent 14.81 (aMps) The Appapent and active cuppent on
..· ·Active Cuppent 9.99 (aMPs) stpoke 1 should he vepy SiMi lap to
stpoke 2, if not, peacquipe data.
Use ~- -~ keys to Move indicatop.
Hit [ENTER] to continue ...
Fig. 6-Screen display of acquired and processed data during two strokes of the pumping unit.

WELL ID CUNN3 DATE/TIME:92-19-1992 - 13:18

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----
~----------------------------~~F GENERATION CREDIT....•. $ 351
38.5 NO GENERATION CREDIT... $ 366
COST PER BBL OF OIL.... 61¢
81 COST PER BBL OF LIQUID. 41¢
A . NRMEPLATE FL AMP RRTING. 38
M . RMS AMPS................ 24
I

P .... . NRMEPLATE HP RATING..... 39

/"
I

.
'
E INPUT HP................ 14
R l;\ .:'
: I ..APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP... · 11
•
I
..

E " ..:
•
:. .1 " /
I

S .. ~~
,.1 ',: ! :"
.. _- 9 RUERRGE KUR............ 18
_-------_._-.~~-~+---
I.
I 'f 'I; f RUERRGE KW ~
. W/GENERRTION CREDIT.. 19
. WO/GENERRTION CREDIT. 19
-14.9 39 RUERRGE POWER FRCTOR... 561.
Rppapent Cuppent (RMpS)
Rctive Cuppent (RMPS) &Powep FactoI' PF (1.)
*** SCREEN SAUE ***
Hit [ENTER] to save SCREEN 01' type [N]o to not save:
Fig. 7-Screen display of digitally processed motor current data with results from analysis.

384
 SPE25447
WELL ID UOGT1W DATE/TIME:98-22-1992 - 19:36 WELL ID UOGT1ALL DATE/TIME:98-22-1992 - 19:47
BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ---- BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM
F GENERATION CREDIT, .. ,., $ 456 , PF
t
58.8
~ C'' ' "
,
1"'\ ,~~:\
. HO GENERATION CREDIT .. , $ 598
COST PER BBL OF OIL, ,.. 169¢
1.8! I
I
/.\
\
/ ,.. ' (\.. 88

fl ,: :.
83 COST PER BBLOF LIQUID. 11¢ /'''''.\
A .-'J,. . ., NAMEPLATE FL ~MP RATING, 41 A i / "':1 /"" /1'- ..' :'\ J
M . i :. / .,: '. RMS AMPS .... " ..... "". 35 M
~_..' ,,:--,' \-........... .. ':,\jv'"
P i ;: \O~\ ,,/....... ': r NAMEPLATE HP RAlING"." 39 P 1

E f...' : :, ,._1'" : .~ INPUT HP, ..... ""., .. ,. 19 E

,.-----, --.- -- ':'J

R c: :' :. APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP... 16 R I!
E E . ,
/::. t·," ':·',..AUERAGE WA. ,, ,.... ,.,, 25 S
S
D , ••••••• 7' ··r·· ...•......... ~.. 9 AUERAGE KW
: :' ';. . . . W/GENERATION CREDIT.. 13
B
roo /'.. .: WO/GENERATION CREDIT. 14 i'h:' ;:~ 28
-14.7 25 AlJERAGE POWER FACTOR.. , 59x -9.5
Apparent Current (AMpS) Apparent Current (AMpS)
Active Current (AMpS) &Powe~ Factor PF (x) Active Current (AMps) &Power Factor PF (,,)

~
(1J

WELL ID UOCT1M DATE/TIME:98-22-1992 - 19:39 WELL ID UOCT1E DATE/TIME:98-22-1992 - 19:43

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MOHTH ---- BOrrOM
,(IF GENERATION CREDIT .. ,.. , $ 253 TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----

/t
i
49.1 HO GENERATION CREDIT $ 342 -----PF GENERATION CREDIT .. ,... $ 351
COST PER BBL OF OIL, 114¢ 52.2 !
NO GENERATION CREDIT ••• $ 421
COST PER BBL OF LIQUID. 7¢ ~ /-\ (\ COST PER BDL OF OIL.... 149t
;. ' '. J ....... ~ i \ \, 189 COST PER DBL OF LIQUID. 9~

~/l'~/0VI
A 71 NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING. 41
i\~_i'\
M RMS ANPSI
I I I I I I 38
I 1.1 1'1 I t
A ' \ , \ I NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING, 41
P NAMEPLATE HP RATING..... 39 M RMS AMPS ,., , 31
E INPUT HP-t", .... " •. 13 ,1111
P NAMEPLATE HP RATING..... 39
R . . . APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP, ,. 19 E INPUT HP """ 1b"
' ; I
E
.... ,... , ,,~: ...... :'~"" ."." "... ~':: . ·1 9 AUERAGE KUA ....... " .. . 22
R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT UP, ,, 13
r.~. '. '.. . . '···".,.,-.- -. - - . . ""'\:.4. .
E ' I

,
S
AUERAGE KI4 S AUERACE KVA" .. "" .. " 23
~: WlGENERATIOH CREDIT.. 7 B AUERAGE KI4
WO/GENERATION CREDIT. 19 ~ :, . 29 WlGENERATION CREDIT., 19
-29.9 41 AUERAGE POWER FACTOR, ,. 32x > WO/GENERATION CREDIT. 12
I I
-15.9 "- AUERAGE POWER FACTOR". 43x
Apparent Current (AMps)
Active Current (AMps) &Power Factor PF (I.) Apparent Current (AMps)
Active Current (AMPS) &Power Factor PF (x)
Fig. 8-Variation of motor current analysis with location of the clamp-on current pr~be and with time.
 SPE25447

WELL ID 1P-8-3 DATElTIME:93-25-1992- 18:21

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----
F GENERATION CREDIT•• ",. $ 257
48.2 NO GENERATION CREDIT, •• $ 328
COST PER BBL OF OIL.,., 84¢
COST PER BDL OF LIQUID, 48¢
A NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING. 75
M RMS AMPS .• ,., •• ,.,.",.. 39
P NAMEPLATE HP RATING",.. 59
E INPUT HP, •• " .• , 12 I •• , , , • •

R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP,.. 19

E
S 9 AUERAGE KUA, .•.. ,.•. ", 29
AUERAGE KW
WlGENERATION CREDIT., 7
WOIGENERATION CREDIT, 9
-29.5 42 AUERAGE POWER FACTOR,., 24Y.
Appa~ent Cu~~nt (AMPS)
Active Cu~~nt (AMPS) &Powe~ Facto~ PF (Yo)
*** SCREEN SAUE ***
Hit [ENTER] to save SCREEN o~ type [N]o to not save:
Fig. 9-Example from lightly loaded motor.

WELL ID ~R~ DATElTIME:12-15

TOP
- 12:13
BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----
F GENERATION CREDIT, •• ". $ 786
89.2 NO GENERATION CREDIT". $ 891
COST PER BBL OF OIL,... 178~
COST PER BBL OF LIQUID. 1
81
A NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING,· 64
M RNS AMPS I I I I I I 57• I I •• I I I • I

P NAMEPLATE HP RATING.•... 59
E INPUT HP,." •....• ",., 39 I

R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP." 24

E
S 9 AUERAGE KUA.;."" .. ". 41
AUERAGE KW
WlGENERATION CREDIT•• 29
WO/GENERATION CREDIT. 22
-33,1 37 AUERAGE POWER FACTOR..• 48 Yo
App~ent Cu~~ent (AMPS)
Active Cu~~nt (AMPS) &Powe~ Facto~ PF (Yo)
*** SCREEN SAUE ***
Hit [ENTER] to save SCREEN o~ type [N]o to not save:
Fig. 10-Exampla from heavy pumper at shallow depth.

386
 SPE25447

NELL ID 6MIDDLE DATE/TIME:12-15 - 15:49

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----
F GENERATION CREDIT...... $ 448
83.1 NO GENERATION CREDIT... $ 632
COST PER BBL OF OIL.... 149~~
91 COST PER BBL OF LIQUID.
A NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING. 63
M RNS AMPS I I 44
• I I • I I I I • I I I I I

P NAMEPLATE HP RATING..... 59
E INPUT HP................ 24
R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP... 19
E
S 9 AUERAGE KUA ............ 39
AUERAGE KN
N/GENERATION CREDIT .. 12
NO/GENERATION CREDIT. 18
-34.3 41 AUERAGE PONER FACTOR... 41x
Appa~ent Cu~~ent (AMpS)
Acti~e Cu~~ent (AMPS) &Powe~ Facto~ PF (X)
*** SCREEN SAUE ***
Hit [ENTERl to sa~e SCREEN o~ type [Nlo to not sa~e:

Fig. 11-Example from an overbalanced pumping unit.

WELL ID JCl DATElTIME:11-11 - 13:94

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PER MONTH ----
F GENERATION CREDIT $1171
88.2 NO GENERATION CREDIT $1173
COST PER BBL OF OIL.... 139¢
COST PER BBL OF LIQUID. 13¢
82
A NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING. 52
M RMS AMPS................ 59
P NAMEPLATE HP RATING. .... 75
E INPUT HP................ 44
R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP... 36
E
S AUERAGE KUA............ 44
AUERAGE KN
N/GENERATION CREDIT.. 33
9 NO/GENERATION CREDIT. 33
-3.9 -4 AUERAGE POWER FACTOR... 74x
Ap~~ent Cu~~ent (AMps)
Acti~e Cu~~ent (AMpS) &Powe~ Facto~ PF (X)

*** SCREEN SAUE ***

Hit [ENTERl to sa~e SCREEN o~ type [Nlo to not sa~e:
Fig. 12-Example from a Roteflex unit.

387
 SPE25447

WILL ID 2M DATI/TIMI:II-29 - 11:21

BOTTOM TOP BOTTOM ---- COST PIR MONTH ----
GINERATION CRIDIT .....• $ 882
64.9 NO GENERATION CREDIT ... $ 885
COST PER BBL OF OIL.... 59¢
COST PER BBL OF LIQUID. 6¢
A NAMEPLATE FL AMP RATING. 9
M RMS AMPS................ 47
P NAMEPLATE HP RATING. .... 9
I INPUT HP................ 33
R APPROXIMATE OUTPUT HP... 27
I
S AUERAGE KUA............ 35
AUERAGE KW
W/GENERATION CREDIT.. 25
9 NO/GENERATION CREDIT. 25
-2.5 -4 AUERAGE PONER FACTOR... 79x
Appa~@nt Cu~~@nt (AMpS)
Activ@ Cu~~@nt (AMpS) &Pow@~ Facto~ PF (X)
*** SCREEN SAUE ***
Hit [INTIR] to save SCRIEN o~ type [N]o to not save:
Fig. 13-Example from an ultra-high slip motor.

388