American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015 - 82

SpecialReport: Artificial Lift Technology
plunger pumps. The pump can operate
with a closed or blocked suction line,
and can run dry indefinitely without damage, he notes.

Superod's fiberglass rods with proprietary steel end fittings for deep wells, high-volume
loads, and corrosive downhole conditions now are available with factory-installed rod
guides to solve deviated and horizontal wellbore problems.

stroke, providing 192-degree crank rotation
to add more time for pump fillage while
reducing sucker rod forces and peak
torque requirements. "The EG's optimized
design and phase angle extend the maximum permissible load range, with more
lifting capability using less horsepower,"
Crow states.
Both beam unit designs are available
in API sizes ranging from 57 to 1,280.
"Every well is different, and determining
the best type and size of unit to deploy
should be done on a well-by-well basis,"
he says. "But ultimately, it depends on
how much fluid an operator is trying to
lift and from how deep."
The HE design is a straight-crank,
conventional-style pumping unit, Crow
clarifies. "It is the structure design that
gives it the 186 degrees of crank rotation,
and it offers operational advantages in
rod-pumped wells because of this characteristic," he relates.
The EG is a phased-crank design. "It
has totally different characteristics," he
asserts. "Operators really can see the difference between the two designs in downhole dynamometer cards showing pumping
unit loading during upstrokes and downstrokes. In some cases, if a conventional
pumping unit was maxed out, you possibly
could do the job with one size smaller
EG because of the phased cranks."
Gas Lift, Jet Pumping
Gas lift and jet pumping are also viable

82 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

solutions in liquids-rich horizontal plays,
and often are used in tandem with beampumping units over a well's early-phase
production life cycle, Crow says.
"The increased number of horizontal
wells has increased the need for both gas
lift and jet pumping," he notes. "For a
variety of reasons, the operator may not
put a pumping unit on a well until several
months after it has been completed. In
the interim, gas lift can provide an effective
alternative form of artificial lift.
"The same goes for jet pumping,"
Crow continues. "Operators tend to use
jet pumps early in the production phase,
such as during flowback, or in cases
where a well is not a candidate for rod
pumping or gas lift. Jet pumping generally
is suitable in these wells, as long as there
is enough bottom-hole pressure."
To keep pace with demand, the ULTRA-FLO™ hydraulic jet pump system
by JJ-Tech, serviced and distributed by
Liberty Lift, has undergone design developments, including combining JJTech's Select-Jet™ downhole pump with
the T-Series™ hydra-cell diaphragm pump
from Wanner Engineering.
Crow says the Select-Jet pump allows
the operator to operate in normal or
reverse flow without requiring a sliding
sleeve or having to pull the completion.
The Hydra-Cell pump, which is available
in models from 3,000 to 5,000 psi, significantly reduces maintenance problems
associated with conventional packed-

Rod Guides
According to Russ Rutledge, founder
and chief executive officer of Superod,
rod guides are critical in horizontal and
directional wellbores, as well as deviated
and out-of-gauge vertical wells. They
prevent damaged or broken rod strings
and minimize lost production, he says.
Instead of sending rods off site to be
fitted with guides and then brought back
for installation, Rutledge says Superod
is committed to providing operators lightweight fiberglass sucker rods with guides
already installed, which he says will both
improve logistics and reduce cost.
"The horizontal well market really
has driven this need for rod guides to be
more accessible," Rutledge relates. "Having our guides in stock will cut the customer's operating and transportation costs,
improve well site logistics, and allow
him to start lifting more quickly."
The in-stock rod guides should be
available by July, Rutledge confirms,
adding that having a guide on the rod reduces wear and tear on both the tubing
and the rod to increase the lifespan and
efficiency of rod-pumped wells.
"Rod guides are something any operator with a crooked well should have,"
he declares. "While exact savings will
vary depending on well size and scope, I
estimate having preinstalled rod guides
will reduce well costs significantly."

Gas Separators
Superod also has a fiberglass mud anchor/gas separator that was developed
jointly with its lightweight fiberglass
sucker rods. "The mud anchor/gas separator is optimal for wells with high
GORs," he states. "It can start separating
the gas from the liquids before it gets
into the pump."
Rutledge says Superod's fiberglass
sucker rod can reduce energy consumption
by 15-25 percent due to its light weight.
"The key to building the perfect fiberglass sucker rod is balancing the hoop
stress in the metal end fitting with the
compressive force capability of the rod
body at the point where they are attached.
Those forces must be properly distributed
to obtain the maximum strength and
longevity of a string of rods and connected
end fittings," he remarks. "Superod's

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2015

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