Artificial Lift

Sucker Rod Pump

PEG4102 - Production Engineering - Downhole
Instructor: Dr. Simon Paul
Group Members:
Carlos Ralph - 1034292
Harvey Stoll - 1033784
Simeon DeAbreu -1034900
What are Artificial Lifts?

● In order to increase the well's rate of production, a

technique known as artificial lift is employed to reduce
the producing bottomhole pressure on the reservoir.

● To decrease the flowing pressure at the pump intake, this

can be accomplished with a positive-displacement
downhole pump.

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When Do We Introduce Artificial Lift
Systems in a Well

● Artificial lifts are introduced when natural flow ceases to

produce hydrocarbons due to reservoir pressure
reducing to a lower pressure than that of surface
pressure. Reservoir pressure < surface pressure= No
production.

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Types of Artificial Lift Systems

Types of Artificial lifts systems include:

● Downhole Pump. These include:

1. Sucker Rod Pumps
2. Electrical Submersible Pump
3. Power Oil
4. Progressive Gravity Pump

● Gas lift

1. Gas lift pump

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What is Downhole Pumping?

Downhole pumping is basically done by operating a pump at

the bottom of the well. These downhole pumps boost the
transfer of liquid from the bottomhole to the wellhead by
eliminating back pressure caused by fluids flowing in the
tubing.

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Sucker Rod Pump

As we can see in the previous slide they are numerous

amounts of artificial lift systems, but in this presentation we
will mainly be focusing on the Sucker Rod Pump.

Sucker rod pumps, also called the nodding donkey use a power
source on surface to drive the downhole assembly which
generates the means for the artificial lift. They are primarily
used in onshore locations and not offshore due to their weight
and limited operating depths.

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Requirements for Oilwell Pump
Sizing
1. To determine pump requirements in the well

2. To select a pump to fulfill the pumping requirements

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Determining the Pumping
Requirements
The pumping requirement is the pumping pressure needed to
maintain a targeted wellbore flowing pressure or a targeted
production rate.
Through the combination of the following, the pumping
requirement can be determined:
● The wellhead pressure and the pressure traverse in the
production string
● The well’s inflow performance
● The maximum permissible pressure drawdown in the well, or
the maximum allowable production rate

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Main Components of a Sucker Rod Pumping
System

Figure 1: Showing Sucker Rod Pump with Main Components

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Main Components of a Sucker Rod
Pumping System
The main components of a Sucker Rod Pump can be
categorized according to those on surface and downhole. This
is depicted in the table below:

Table 1: Main Components of a Sucker Rod

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 The operations of all the Sucker Rod
Components
Surface Components:
● Prime mover - The prime mover provides the necessary power to operate this
means of artificial lift. It is usually powered by an electric motor or field gas fired
engines.
● V - belt - This component transmits energy from the prime mover to the gearbox.
● Gearbox - The gearbox transforms rotational motion to vertically reciprocated
motion (up and down)
● Walking beam - The walking beam carries out the up and down movement.
● Samson Post - This serves as a pivot for the walking beam.
● Counter weights - These distribute the power evenly throughout the system.
● Sucker rod - The sucker rod connects the horsehead to the downhole components.
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 The operations of all the Sucker Rod
Components (cont’d)
Downhole Components:
● Ports - The ports provide a pathway for the reservoir fluids to flow from the
pump barrel to the tubing.
● Tubing - This is the conduit that transports reservoir fluids from downhole to the
surface.
● Pump barrel - A cylindrical component of the dowhole assembly resemble for the
accumulation of reservoir fluids during the upstroke.
● Pump plunger - The pump plunger displaces the reservoir fluids.
● Traveling valve - The traveling valve controls the fluid’s movement from the
pump barrel to the tubing.
● Standing valve - Permits and restricts the entry of reservoir fluids into the pump
barrel.
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Downhole Operations

Upstroke:
● The standing valve opens.
● Formation fluid then enters and fills the pump barrel. As the pump
is filled, the pump plunger rises until it reaches its uppermost
position.
Downstroke:
● The standing valve closes.
● The plunger descends and the traveling valve opens. This will allow
the fluid in the pump barrel to flow through the ports, into the
tubing and eventually into the flowline.

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Ways to Adjust Pump Rate

1. The size on the v - belt sheave can be increased or

decreased to change strokes per minute.
2. Using a different hole on the cranking unit to change the
pump stroke.
3. A smaller or larger diameter pump can be used.
4. A pump - off controller to turn off the pump in an effort
to manage loads or to turn off the pump when reservoir
pressures are fluctuating.

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Detecting Downhole Pumping
Problems
● One way to detect downhole pumping problems is
through the use of Dynamometer Cards.
● A dynamometer card displays the load on the sucker rod
over a stroke. Analyzing this will evaluate and diagnose
the working conditions of the sucker-rod systems.
● According to the shape of the card, it will indicate a
corresponding working condition and performance of the
pump, which indicates any potential problems

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Detecting Downhole Pumping Problems Cont’d

Figure 2: Showing Dynamometer Cards of Sucker Rod Operations

A. Normal Operation Condition E. Insufficient Liquid Supply

B. Downstroke Pump Bumping
F. Gas Interference
C. Upstroke pump bumping
D. Combination of Leaking standing G. Sand Production
and traveling valves H. Abnormal Dynamometer Card
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Some Example Problems Encountered During
Pumping and their Solutions

1. Problem: High Fluid Level. The pump is doing little work due to the high fluid
level in the casing-tubing annulus.

Solution: Lowering the fluid level by - increasing the strokes per minute

- increasing the stroke length

- or replacing the pump with a larger one.

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Some Example Problems Encountered During
Pumping and their Solutions Cont’d

2. Problem: Pumped off/Fluid Pound. This occurs when the

pump displacement is more than the well inflow rate,
which results in an incomplete pump fillage. It can also
cause buckling and eventual parting of the rods.

Solution: - Reducing the pump speed

- Shortening the stroke length

- Reducing the plunger diameter and/or time cycling

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Some Example Problems Encountered During
Pumping and their Solutions Cont’d
3. Problem: Too much gas being produced, this allows the gas compressibility to
interfere with the normal actuation of the Travelling Valve and Standing Valve.
This results in a low pump efficiency.

Potential signs of Gas interfering may be recognized by:

● The well is pumping but with no production of fluid at the surface.

● Pump jack experiencing heavier than normal loads
● Low pump efficiency
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Problems Encountered During Pumping and their
Solutions Cont’d

Solution: Install a Downhole Gas Separator to separate the gas.

Design considerations of the the Downhole Gas Separator:
1. It should be placed appropriately so that gas naturally bypasses the Fluid Entry
Ports on the Mud Anchor.

2. It should be designed so that the downhole fluid velocity is slower than the Gas
Bubble Rise Velocity, which allows the gas to escape.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, sucker rod is the most popular type of artificial

lift since it is extremely dependable, cost-effective and
requires minimal maintenance.

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References

● Fetoui, I. (n.d.). All what you need to know about sucker rod pumping system. Retrieved from Production
Technology: https://production-technology.org/sucker-rod-pumping-system/
● Haibo Cheng, H. Y. (2020). Automatic Recognition of Sucker-Rod Pumping System Working Conditions
Using Dynamometer Cards with Transfer Learning and SVM. Retrieved from Pubmed Central:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7582724/#:~:text=The%20dynamometer%20card
%20displays%20the,card%20under%20a%20static%20load.
● Rdissi, A. (1984). Dynamometer Testing on Pumping Wells: Field Applications in the Appalachian Basin .
Retrieved from SPE:
https://watermark.silverchair.com/spe-13361-ms.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7
Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAu8wggLrBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggLcMIIC2AIBADCCAtEGCSqGSIb3D
QEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMg5rgXcwLjw2-My1XAgEQgIICovm3-vQD3FA0rVvzsjacf1Ya
fckNf1Ydl0W15cGq1k
● Samayamantula, J. S. (n.d.). AN INNOVATIVE DESIGN FOR DOWNHOLE GAS SEPARATION. Retrieved
from n.d.: https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/4497d96c/files/uploaded/DN_GS_Paper.pdf

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