•Dimensions

•Materials of
Construction

•Threads

•Alignment

Polished Rods
The polish rod is the connecting link between the surface
pumping unit and the downhole rod string. It’s surface is
ground to close tolerances and has an extremely smooth
surface to provide a sealing surface for the elastomer seals
(packing) that allow vertical movement of the polish rod.
Polish rods are typically 1/4 inch larger diameter than the top
rod.
Recommended PR sizes:
Size of sucker rod Size of polished rod
5/8 inch 1-1/8 inch
¾ inch 1/1/8 inch
7/8 inch 1-1/4 inch
1 inch 1-1/2 inch

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 Polished Rods
Polished rods should never be screwed into a sucker rod
coupling. Polished rods do not have undercut pins, as sucker
rods do. A polished rod coupling should always be used when
a polished rod is installed.

Most have a pin connection on each end that differs from a

conventional sucker rod in that it has a 9° taper at the back of
the thread because there is no shoulder on which to make up
the coupling. This requires that a special polish rod coupling
be used to connect the polish rod. Using a standard coupling
on the polish rod will increase the risk of failure.

PR COUPLING NOT SAME

AS ROD-ROD COUPLING:
PR COUPLINGS HAVE A
SHALLOW 9 DEGREE
TAPER THAT CONFORMS
TO THE PR PIN-THREAD
CONE.

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 Polished Rods
Polished rods are made of the following materials:
Piston steel- cold drawn 1045 carbon steel, used
where corrosion is not a factor
Nickel Moly – cold drawn 4620 steel, recommended
for mildly corrosive conditions
Stray metal – piston or nickel moly steel with a
spray metal surface applied to most of the OD,
recommended for abrasive and corrosive
environments.
Stainless Steel- 304 stainless steel, recommended
for lighter loads under almost all corrosive
conditions.
HF material

Polished Rods
Polished rod liners can be used to extend the life of a
polished rod if the maximum well head pressure isn’t
expected to exceed about 500 psi. It is a ¼ inch larger
diameter than the polish rod and it fits over and it is
installed below the polish rod clamp. It has a packing
element that is tightened around the polish rod to
prevent the escape of well fluids. It can be made of
brass or steel with a spray metal surface. Replacing a
worn or corroded liner is less expensive than replacing
a polish rod. They are thin and easily bent so they must
be handled carefully. Polish rod liners shouldn’t be used
in CO2 floods because the packoff could leak under
high shut in or operating pressures

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 USE POLISH
ROD OR
LINER TO
CONNECT
RODS
THROUGH
STUFFING
BOX:

Use sucker rod coupling

Use PR coupling

Polished Rod Lengths

Polish rods come in various lengths from 8 feet to 36 feet long. They
must be long enough to accommodate the stroke length, the additional
distance above the stuffing box that is required for clearance and
clamping and some extra length to extend below the stuffing box.

To determine the PR length, add the maximum available stroke length on the
pumping unit, the distance from the well head stuffing box to the carrier bar of
the unit, plus an extra length length for clamping and extra length to extend
below the stuffing box.

Example:
Max unit stroke: 120”
Diatance SB to CB 64”
Extra for clamp: 36”
Extra for stuffing box: 24” From Harbison-
Total 244” or 20.33’ Fischer Pump Manual
Lengths are 8’, 11’, 16’, 22’, 26’, 30’ and 36’.
For this example choose the 22” long PR

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 Polished Rod Clamps
The polish rod clamp is used to secure the polish
rod so the rod string doesn’t slip into the well while
pumping. Except for very light loading conditions,
the recommended clamp is a hinged three bolt
indention style. The indention clamp will support
more polish rod load than a friction type clamp at
lower bolt torques.

Don’t install a polish rod clamp on the spraymetal

surface of the polish rod. It will cause a crack in the
spraymetal and premature failure of the polish rod.

Alignment
The polish rod is normally the strongest component of the rod string
and should not be expected to fail. When they do fail, it is almost
always due to fatigue caused by bending loads. Typical conditions
that can cause bending are:

Misaligned pumping units - shifting ground conditions

or rapid release of load due to a high rod part can cause a
pumping unit to shift. Alignment over the wellhead should be
checked every time a pulling unit rigs up on a well.
Misaligned wellhead assembly – The API recommends the
casing head, tubing head, flow tee and stuffing box assembly should
be vertical to within 1 1/2 inches in 20 feet.
Unlevel carrier bar - the load on the polish rod will force the
bottom of the clamp flush with the top of the carrier bar. This will
bend the polish rod. A leveling plate can be installed to compensate
for a deviation of up to 2° out of level.

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 Alignment-Cont’d
Uneven surface on the carrier bar - If the surface is worn or
grooved, it should be machined flat or replaced. A leveling
plate can compensate for some of this.

Uneven polish rod clamp - The bottom of the clamp

should be flat, in a common plane and perpendicular to the
axis of the polish rod. You can test for uniform contact with a
feeler gage or sheet of paper as the rod string is being
lowered. This can’t be done with the full weight applied
because the equipment will deflect and close any gaps.

Polished Rod
Visible cracks on only one side of the polish rods is an indication of misalignment.After
a polish rod part or a high rod part, check the alignment of the pumping unit over the
wellhead. Hard pounding of fluid or bumping bottom can cause the pumping unit to
move out of alignment.

Separation of the polish rod clamp from the carrier bar should be avoided because this
can cause severe impact loading when they come back in contact during the stroke
reversal.Nicks, cuts or grooves in the polish rod can shorten the life of stuffing box
packing. Scale buildup on the polish rod can provide a rough surface that damages the
packing.

Gas locking or overpumping can cause overheating of the polish rod that will reduce
packing life.

When the polish rod diameter is larger than the pump plunger diameter, there will be
suction in the tubing throughout the upstroke. Depending on how effectively the
packing is sealing, this could permit air to be sucked into the well. There will be a brief
suction for any sized pump during the period of the upstroke when the rod string is
stretching due to picking up the fluid load. This phenomenon may explain severe
corrosion in the pumping tee and at the top of the rod string in some wells.