Denbury's 'Big Data' Solution Optimizes Rod Pumping In Mature Red River Wells By Tyler Palmer and Mark Turland PLANO, TX.-Technological advancements in diagnostic tools for rod pump systems, such as fluid level guns and dynamometers, have enabled operators to make better decisions on individual well bases. At the same time, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and supervisory control and data acquisition systems allow for better decision making on a multiple-well scale. However, managing these systems and the data they generate can become increasingly difficult as well counts increase and equipment types vary. A data science revolution has materialized in step with the U.S. shale revolution. Big data, data mining, cloud computing and predictive analytics technologies continue to expand throughout the oil and gas industry, including in rod pump applications. Denbury Resources Inc. is leveraging some of these visualization and analytics capabilities to optimize rod-pumped wells in a mature waterflood in the Cedar Creek Anticline in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. JUNE 2017 83