American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2019 - 85

A new long-stroke pumping unit
from Forland Services LLC features adjustable stroke lengths
and speeds. According to the
company, the unit also boasts a
reversible motor and an openloop chain and sprocket system,
which minimizes forces imposed on the belt drive and allows for using a smaller motor
and gearbox.

maintenance issues. Zeng says its openloop chain and sprocket system minimizes
the force imposed on the unit's belt drive,
enabling the unit to use a smaller motor
and gearbox.
According to Zeng, Forland's pumping
unit also offers:
· The ability to handle polished rod
loads as great as 30 tons and fluid volumes
as high as 7,000 bbl/d;
· A soft-reversing mechanism that
reduces impacts on rods and downhole
pumps;
· Easy on-site installation (90 percent
of the unit is preassembled); and
· A dual-traveling sprocket structure
that doesn't use the carriage as a traversing
mechanism, which reduces torque and
allows for smaller motors and gear reducers.
Forland began developing its longstroke unit in 2002, and began field tests
in three major Chinese oil basins in 2011.
Zeng says the company now is selling
the machine in the United States, with
the first installation in Utah.
Zeng notes the unit is particularly
suitable for wells with initial production
in the 200-1,000 bbl/d range. The longstroke unit's high maximum and low
minimum capacity allow it to remain in
place for an extended period, Zeng says.
She adds that it often can eliminate the
need to install an electric submersible
pump, or allow a switch from an ESP at
an earlier stage.
"This system's rod pump controller

analyzes data such as the polish rod's
load and position to optimize the stroke
speed, or even stop pumping in an emergency whenever there is a problem with
the well," she concludes.
Anchors
New anchors from D&L Oil Tools
give well operators more flexibility in
well design and reduce the risk of gas
bubbles damaging downhole pumps. The
Trilobite Quarter Turn and Hydro anchors,

both of which use the company's patentpending slip/cone design, are the first
anchors capable of being used in a 27⁄8inch borehole, says Heath Bringham,
D&L's vice president, engineering and
technical services.
Both anchoring systems feature steel
alloy, double-acting slips that provide
maximum holding power in tension or
compression while allowing for access
both outside the anchor and inside through
the tubing. Bringham points out that operators may utilize the extra space to run
capillary lines or monitoring cables past
the anchor, allowing access deeper into
the wellbore than that provided by conventional anchors.
"The flow areas inside and outside
the anchor provide space around the anchor, which allows gas to pass up the
borehole in greater volumes," Bringham
says. "A gas slug traveling to the surface,
if restricted, can build up below the
anchor. These anchors help keep the gas
flowing to the surface and help reduce
pump problems lower in the well."
Both units also have catcher systems
that stop the tubing from moving during
pumping strokes and hold it stationary in
the event of tubing failure, the company
reports.
The Trilobite Quarter Turn Anchor
offers a quarter-turn, set/quarter-turn and
right-hand release, as well as a safety
shear release, he notes, mentioning it is
available for use in 51⁄2-inch casings. The
Trilobite Hydro Anchor can be used in
51⁄2- and 7-inch casings.
D&L has sold more than 70 units to
U.S. and overseas customers, Bringham
reports.
r

Heath Bringham, D&L's vice president, engineering and technical services, holds one of
the company's new Trilobite Quarter Turn anchors. It and another offering, the Hydro anchor, feature internal and external ﬂow areas that provide space to allow greater volumes
of gas to travel up the borehole.

FEBRUARY 2019 85

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2019

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