Application Note AP040066EN Effective February 2014

Pump Jack AFD Application

Introduction
Pump Jacks (aka. Beam Pumps) are used to mechanically pump oil from a well when the pressure in the
well is not high enough to force the oil to the surface. These machines operate in the same fashion as a
teeter-totter with a weight and a counter weight. On one side is a metal “sucker rod” which can extend
roughly 3km into the earth. On the other side is a large counter weight to offset the weight of the sucker
rod head and oil. At the end of the sucker rod, there is a one way valve which traps the oil and forces it to
rise through tubing as the counter weight descends and the sucker rod rises. This concept is shown in
Fig. 1 in which load on the motor is cyclic because of the nature of the beam pump design.

Figure 1. Basic Beam Pump

Application Note AP040066EN Pump Jack AFD Application
Effective February 2014

Counter Weights
Counter weights are sized for each individual installation and are designed to maintain as constant a load
as possible on the motor. To explain this further, let us consider a pump pump application where the res-
ervoir is very full and has a high head pressure when it is initially drilled. The counter weight is sized so
that when pumping begins, the motor must provide maximum torque while lifting the counter weight and
minimum torque when the sucker rod is being lifted. This is because there is a higher level of oil in the
reservoir and it is easier to extract it. As the well begins to be drained, there will be a period where the
motor will deliver constant, or near constant torque while lifting both the sucker rod and the counter
weight. Finally, as the reservoir begins to run dry, the motor will have to deliver the most torque while
lifting the sucker rod and the least amount of torque while lifting the counterweight. The conditions de-
scribed here are not indicative of every installation, but are merely presented here to describe how a
counter weight is sized to try to maintain constant motor torque.

Motor Slip Basics

In order to understand the unique role that drives can play in this kind of application, it is very important to
understand the concept of motor slip. Motors are designed to operate at one fixed speed; this is called
synchronous speed. Synchronous speed, measured here in RPM and denoted by in equation
(1), is determined by the number of poles ( ) and the driving frequency ( ) of the motor.

(1)

Induction motors exhibit a phenomena known as slip, or percent slip, where they have speeds below
synchronous speed, here denoted as ( ) see equation (2). This difference in speed occurs when the
motor begins to deliver torque to the load.

(2)

Standard NEMA A, NEMA B, and NEMA C motors are designed to operate between 1 to 5% slip. As
percent slip increases for these motors, we will quickly end up on the left side of the hump of the percent
slip vs. percent torque curve. When this happens, torque will drop off as percent slip increases and the
motor will produce less torque per amps. See Fig. 3.

Motors that are designed to have percent slips between 8 to 13% slip fall into the NEMA D category. As
slip increases for these motors, the torque will continue to increase until we have maximum torque at
100% slip (see Fig. 3). As a result, NEMA D motors have increasing torque per amps as they move from
synchronous rotation to a locked rotor state (i.e. high starting torque). This however, comes at a cost as
these motors are typically 2 to 3 times the price of their low slip counterparts.

2 EATON CORPORATION www.eaton.com

Application Note AP040066EN Pump Jack AFD Application
Effective February 2014

Figure 3. % Slip vs. % of Full Load Torque for NEMA Class Motors

Motors and Pump Jacks

NEMA A, NEMA B, and NEMA C are also “very responsive” with the torque they deliver. What this
means is that as soon as the motor begins to change its slip, it delivers high torque. This is good for
many applications, but not for pump jacks. Pump jacks can experience mechanical failure, valve ware,
fluid inconsistencies, and many other events that can change the load on the motor. Motors that are
“very responsive” can provide too much torque and break components like the sucker rod. NEMA D mo-
tors on the other hand provide “sloppy torque” where their slip can change without the motor delivering
large amounts of torque to the load. This prevents damaging pump mechanical components.

Additionally, a NEMA D motor is often used to account for the cyclical nature of the load in beam pump
applications. The high slip motor is able to provide torque across the full range of speeds – i.e. “sloppy
torque”. And as such, it is able to “iron out” the inherent load peaks and valleys that are specific to pump
jack applications. This harkens back to the example that was outlined earlier with the sizing the counter
weight to attain a more constant torque profile for the pump jack over the lifetime of the well.

Drives and Pump Jacks

Drives can be utilized to make NEMA B motors, of the same size horse power, act as the NEMA D motors
that would normally be used. This is done by varying the driving frequency so that the motor is able to
deliver torque across a wide range of speeds. In order to not damage the sucker rod on the down stroke,
Eaton drives utilize resistive braking to slow down the decent of the sucker rod. In addition to this, there
are several other aspects of pump jack operation and preventative maintenance for which drives offer
unique solutions.

Any down time is very costly for the pump jack operators. There are several complications, commonly
seen with this application that leads to down time. Some examples and their remedies are listed below.

1.) Sucker rods can break from cyclic fatigue and deteriorating operating conditions in the well. If
the sucker rod breaks, then the oil column will not be lifted and the counter weight will be too
large for the motor to lift. This can lead to motor burn outs and large replacement costs. To
remedy this, torque limits can be set to stop the motor and prevent unnecessary ware.

2.) Valves can become worn or filled with sediment. This can be caused by wells beginning to
run dry or by the oil reservoir containing high amounts of sand. In these situations, the valve

EATON CORPORATION www.eaton.com 3

Application Note AP040066EN Pump Jack AFD Application
Effective February 2014

will act as a viscous damper which leads to very high inefficiencies. This situation can be de-
tected and remedied by setting trip points for motor and drive operation.

3.) A third situation can arise where the oil level inside the well drops to the level of the one-way
valves. This is caused either by pumping the oil too rapidly or by an empty reservoir. This sit-
uations gives rise to destructive vibrations and a sharp drop in efficiency. This condition can
be detected and pumping can be stopped using the control system of a drive.

Programming Eaton Drive

As stated earlier, Eaton drives utilize resistive braking to provide a solution for pump jack applications.
Before discussing parameters, it is necessary to go over some terminology. The brake chopper is a cir-
cuit that recognizes when motor is acting like a generator and is charging the DC bus. The brake resistor
is the element that the brake chopper circuit diverts power to when the motor begins to deliver power to
the DC bus. Brake resistors are large and generate heat to dissipate the power being delivered by the
motor to the DC bus. For this reason, braking resistors are not kept in the same enclosure as the drive.

The Multi-purpose application within the SVX9000 drives software is the ideal method for programming
the drive’s operation for pump jack applications. To start, we will first access the Basic Parameters (G1.1
Group) to set the motor information and specify how it will be controlled. From there, we will have the
drive identify the motor. To do this:

 Go to the P1.1.15 – Identification

 Set the parameter to “1=ID No Run”,
 With the motor wired to the drive, hit the start button.

This will allow the motor to run but not spin. In this state the drive will “pulse” the motor to get the motor
characteristics. With this information, the drive can ensure smoother operation of the motor. Upon com-
pletion, the drive will stop and this parameter will go back to 0=No Action.

Next, we must enable the brake chopper and resistor that is connected to the drive. To do this:

 Go to the ”Brake Chopper” parameter (P1.4.5 – Brake Chopper)

 Depending on where the brake chopper is located; either internal or external will determine this
parameters setting.
o If the brake chopper is internal, set this value to “1=used when running”, “3=Used when
Stopped/running”, or “4=used when running (no Testing)”.
 1 is used when running is indicating the brake is only used when the drive is in a
run mode
 3 is used when it is running or stopped; each of these the drive tests to verify re-
sistor is connected.
 4 is used when running but it does not pulse to verify resistor.
o If an external brake chopper is connected to the DC bus of the drive then the value
“2=External brake chopper” is used.

With the brake chopper enabled it is required to tell the drive to use the external brake resistor. Go to the
internal brake resistor connection parameter (P5.7.1 – Internal Brake Resistor Connection) and set it for
Not Connected to indicate and external brake resistor is connected. With these parameters set in the
drive, the drive will be able to control the pump jack by applying power to the motor when necessary and
dissipating energy when needed.

If the operator is experiencing issues with current trips on starting, due to hard starting torque require-
ments of the motor, the drive can compensate for this with a torque boost (P1.1.16 – V/Hz Boost). When
Application Note AP040066EN Pump Jack AFD Application
Effective February 2014

set to “1=Auto Torque Boost,” the drive will give an additional voltage boost when starting to provide more
starting torque. This will help to start motor rotation; after it is moving, the drive will continue by operating
in the set V/Hz curve.

G1.1 - Basic Parameters

Code Parameter Min. Max. Unit Default ID Note
P1.1.1 Mi n Frequency 0.00 Pa r 1.1.2 Hz 0.00 101
P1.1.2 Ma x Frequency Pa r 1.1.1 320.00 Hz 60.00 102
P1.1.3 Accel era ti on ti me 1 0.1 3000.0 s 3.0 103
P1.1.4 Decel era ti on ti me 1 0.1 3000.0 s 3.0 104
P1.1.5 Current Li mi t 0.1xI H 2xI H A IL 107
P1.1.6 Nomi na l Vol ta ge of 180 690 V SVX-2: 230V 110 Motor na mepl a te va l ue.
the motor SVX-4: 460V
SVX-5: 575V
P1.1.7 Nomi na l Frequency 0.00 320.00 Hz 60.00 111 Motor na mepl a te va l ue.
of the motor
P1.1.8 Nomi na l Speed of 0 65000 rpm 1720 112 Motor na mepl a te va l ue.
the motor
P1.1.9 Nomi na l current of 0.1xI H 2xI H A IH 113 Motor na mepl a te va l ue.
the motor
P1.1.10 Power Fa ctor 0.30 1.00 0.85 120 Motor na mepl a te va l ue.
P1.1.11 Loca l Control pl a ce 1 3 2 171 1 = I/O Termi na l
2 = Keypa d
3 = Fi el dbus
P1.1.12 Remote Control 1 3 1 172 1 = I/O Termi na l
pl a ce 2 = Keypa d
3 = Fi el dbus
P1.1.13 Loca l Reference 0 15 8 173 0 = AI1
1 = AI2
2 = AI1+AI2
3 = AI1-AI2
4 = AI2-AI1
5 = AI1xAI2
6 = AI1 Joys ti ck
7 = AI2 Joys ti ck
8 = Keypa d
9 = Fi el dbus
10 = Motor Potenti ometer
11 = AI1, AI2 mi ni mum
12 = AI1, AI2 ma xi mum
13 = Ma x Frequency
14 = AI1/AI2 s el ecti on
15 = Encoder A1
P1.1.14 Remote Reference 0 15 0 = AI1 174 s ee Pa r. 1.1.13
P1.1.15 Identi fi ca ti on 0 1/2 0 = No a cti on 631 0 = No Acti on
1 = ID No Run
SPX Onl y
2 = Id wi th Run
P1.1.16 V/Hz Boos t 0 1 0 = None 109 0 = None
1 = Auto Torque Boos t

G1.4 Drive Control Parameters

Code Parameter Min. Max. Unit Default ID Note
P1.4.5 Bra ke Chopper 0 4 0 504 0 = Di s a bl ed
1 = Us ed when Runni ng
2 = Externa l Bra ke Chopper
3 = Us ed when Stopped/runni ng
4 = Us ed when runni ng (no tes ti ng)

S5.7 Hardware Settings

Code Parameter Min. Max. Unit Default ID Note
P5.7.1 Interna l Bra ke 0 1 0 0 = Connected
Res i s tor Connecti on 1 = Not Connected

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Application Note AP040066EN Pump Jack AFD Application
Effective February 2014

Additional Help
In the US or Canada: please contact the Technical Resource Center at 1-877-ETN-CARE
or 1-877-326-2273 option 2, option 6.

All other supporting documentation is located on the Eaton web site at www.eaton.com/Drives

Eaton
1000 Eaton Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44122 USA
Eaton.com

© 2014 Eaton Eaton is a registered trademark

All Rights Reserved of Eaton Corporation.
Printed in USA
Publication No. AP040066EN All other trademarks are property
February 2014 of their respective owners