TY - THES

T1 - Sucker Rod Pump Standing Valve Movement Dynamics Investigation

AU - Peroutka, Jörg

N1 - no embargo

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Sucker rod pumps are among the oldest and most widely used artificial lift systems. They are well understood by the field personnel and are relatively simple to operate. However, the exact behavior of the downhole components is hard to predict and mostly relies on approximations due to dynamometer data gathered at the surface. The surface data is then converted in such matter that it's applicable in predicting the component's downhole movement. The difference between surface and downhole movement is due to the elongation of the sucker rod string. This can lead to misinterpretations and ultimately, decreases the efficiency of such an artificial lift system, resulting in high operating costs or early technical failure. Technical failures necessitate a workover which is time-consuming and expensive. This thesis aims to improve the knowledge of the actual downhole behavior of the sucker rod pump standing valve in particular, by utilizing a specially designed transparent Plexiglass valve cage. All tests are conducted at the Pump Test Facility at the University of Leoben. The test setup enables the visual depiction of the ball movement of the check valve, and the utilization of a pair of inductive sensors to measure the exact position of the ball during pumping cycles at any time. This setup also enables the observation of phenomenons associated with a sucker rod pump standing valve. One of the main findings is mid-cycle valve closing which can lead to fast deterioration of the valve ball and seat. The data gathered from the experiments are then used to verify a Coupled-Valve Sucker Rod Pump simulation model provided by the company AC2T research GmbH. The model is capable of capturing the behavior of the test rig by using a correction or calibration factor. In addition, the simulation model can easily be adjusted to different valve cage geometries and can verify the square-root dependency of the critical plunger speed on the ball density.

AB - Sucker rod pumps are among the oldest and most widely used artificial lift systems. They are well understood by the field personnel and are relatively simple to operate. However, the exact behavior of the downhole components is hard to predict and mostly relies on approximations due to dynamometer data gathered at the surface. The surface data is then converted in such matter that it's applicable in predicting the component's downhole movement. The difference between surface and downhole movement is due to the elongation of the sucker rod string. This can lead to misinterpretations and ultimately, decreases the efficiency of such an artificial lift system, resulting in high operating costs or early technical failure. Technical failures necessitate a workover which is time-consuming and expensive. This thesis aims to improve the knowledge of the actual downhole behavior of the sucker rod pump standing valve in particular, by utilizing a specially designed transparent Plexiglass valve cage. All tests are conducted at the Pump Test Facility at the University of Leoben. The test setup enables the visual depiction of the ball movement of the check valve, and the utilization of a pair of inductive sensors to measure the exact position of the ball during pumping cycles at any time. This setup also enables the observation of phenomenons associated with a sucker rod pump standing valve. One of the main findings is mid-cycle valve closing which can lead to fast deterioration of the valve ball and seat. The data gathered from the experiments are then used to verify a Coupled-Valve Sucker Rod Pump simulation model provided by the company AC2T research GmbH. The model is capable of capturing the behavior of the test rig by using a correction or calibration factor. In addition, the simulation model can easily be adjusted to different valve cage geometries and can verify the square-root dependency of the critical plunger speed on the ball density.

KW - SRP

KW - Sucker Rod Pump

KW - Pump Test Facility

KW - Inductive Sensor

KW - Simulation

KW - Dynamics Valve Movement

KW - SRP

KW - Gestängetiefpumpe

KW - Pumpenteststand

KW - Induktiver Sensor

KW - Simulation

KW - Dynamik Ventilverhalten

M3 - Master's Thesis

ER -