Rod Pump Solution

Wells and fields have different characteristics that affect the type of solution best suited for automation/optimization. These characteristics involve more than just the volume of fluids that are being produced. Wells in shallow production, typically heavy oil producers, require different features than deep wells. Producing sand wells require different features than producing clean fluid wells.

eP has grouped together multiple technological systems and field experienced personnel to provide the best configurations for any combination of scenarios that you may be facing in your field. Our rod pump solution is a complete solution for optimizing your rod-pumped wells through wellsite automation and data analysis. By integrating rod pump controllers (RPCs), variable speed motor drives, remote diagnostic software, and communication systems, eP enables operators to properly optimize rod-pumped wells.

The solution includes intelligence at the wellhead and in the remote software. The RPC and the motor controller alter the operation of the pumping system in real time, based on real-time data. The software provides remote configuration of the wellsite hardware and the diagnostic analysis to make informed decisions about individual well and total field operation.

eProduction Solutions offers several solution configurations for rod-pumped wells based on your needs. These solutions are used with over 30,000 wells around the world.

Wellsite Intelligence with the Rod Pumping Solution

Rod Pump Controller (RPC)

An affordable solution that matches well inflow and system displacement, the RPC has been shown to reduce down time for wells and power consumption while increasing or maintaining production.

By using the RPC, operators can infer daily fluid production to provide daily flow rate information and minimize fluid pound from pump-off. The graphical interface offers an easy way to navigate and trend well performance at the well head.

Remote radio communications enable operators to centralize data collection and maximize system use. With the RPC, operators can tune their wells using operating set points in the system and can detect well failures immediately. The RPC's modular design provides plug and play I/O. eP's RPCs use Nema 4X enclosures to withstand harsh environmental conditions.

RPCs

eP offers three RPCs that are manufactured in house. In addition, the solution can incorporate existing RPC or RPCs from another provider that the customer prefers. The RPCs that eP provides are able to fill specific needs based on the characteristics of the field's operations.

Budget RPC

The Budget RPC is an affordable RPC that offers the control needed to reduce failures and increase the efficiency of rod-pumped wells. The Budget RPC offers some expandability and two serial ports for radio and other connections.

Utility RPC

The utility RPC uses a more advanced internal design of separate cards rather than a single board. This RPC provides additional I/O capabilities than the Budget RPC for adding analogs, meters, discretes, or other devices.

Multi-port RPC

The Multi-port RPC can be used with wells fitted with a variable speed motor controller. It provides the most I/O and serial port connections. It is based on multiple card technology and the latest advances in technology.

Vector Flux Drive (VFD)

eP's Vector Flux Drive provides infinite speed control with constant torque control throughout the speed range. The VFD can be used by itself or coupled with downhole sensors for more defined control. An intelligent RTU can add data logging capability for finer resolution in data capture. Our VFDs are available in different drive package sizes based on needed horse power.

By using the VFD, crews no longer have to travel to the wellsite to change sheaves and belts to match reservoir inflow to the well. The VFDs gain improved efficiencies by using Nema B instead of Nema D motors. eP's VFDs reduce failures by controlling the stress on the rod string. Reduced costs are gained by minimizing rod string failures. In most cases, one or two rod string failures in the life time of the well pays for the installation. eP's VFD can help to increase production, if there is more oil available down hole. Wells with VFDs are normally set so that the wells do not pump off, but fluid level is maintained at a minimal level above the pump intake.

This can be advantageous in wells with high solids content and may serve to increase overall inflow due to the reduced hydrostatic on the reservoir. By avoiding pump off conditions, the problems associated with pumping off are avoided.

Traditionally, variable speed drives have used dynamometer cards only to analyze the rod forces in the well in non-real time (after-the-fact) situations. With eP's VFD for rod pumping, the information used to generate dynamometer cards is used for real-time speed, torque.

By combining an RPC and a VFD on one well, you can obtain the benefits from both. While the RPC optimizes the production of the well, the VFD optimizes the performance of the motor.

Our case study ePAC Flux Vector Rod Pump Controller Variable-Speed Control show how companies have benefited from our rod pump and VFD solutions.

End Devices

eP provides the end devices that are needed to complete the rod-pump automation solution. These devices include clamp-on beam load transducers, position sensors, inclinometers, and load cells. Because of the openness and versatility of eP's solution other manufacturer's instruments can be integrated with the solution. These instruments include net oil computers, flow control devices, and multiphase meters.

The downhole pressure sensors provide valuable data for detailing well performance characteristics. By adding this device to the solution, previously unidentified information can be used to take proper action to correct inefficient operations.

Desktop Intelligence with the Rod Pumping Solution

eP provides state of the art software for total field automation and optimization. The LOWIS Software enables the user to monitor, analyze, control, and design rod pumping systems. Through its advanced analysis capabilities, the user is able to do downhole analysis, card pattern matching, and receive diagnostic reports. These features allow the user to optimize the operation of every well and identify probable future problems.

eP provides software for both analyzing and designing rod-pumped systems. The software allows use of the surface dynamometer card to calculate a downhole pump card and provide other diagnostic data such as gearbox torque, rod stress, pump efficiency, electrical cost, etc. The downhole analysis is then used to create diagnostic reports to guide the user in optimization. This information is for well analysis, well optimization, and system design changes.

By combining RPCs and/or VFDs with the analytical software, you can put together a complete optimization/ automation solution. The software remotely collects data from the RPC and VFD. This data is analyzed and presented in a format that quickly alerts you to immediate problems, but more importantly to potential problems that can be addressed before they manifest themselves into expensive repairs. Using a communication system that best fits the situation allows real-time information and analysis to be available 24 hours per day. The real-time analysis provides a solution to optimize well production efficiently.

eP Rod Pump Solution Components

Hardware

• ePIC Rod Pump Controller
• 2000 Rod Pump Controller
• 8800 Rod Pump Controller
• ePAC Vector Flux Drive for Rod Pumping
• Clamp on Beam Load Transducer
• DPS (Dual Position Sensor)
• Oil Field Inclinometer
• Qualitative Clamp on Load Transducer
• Stainless Steel Polished Rod Load Cell
• Downhole Pressure & Temperature Sensors

Software

• LOWIS Software
• Automatic Control Logic
• Configuration Manager
• OPC Server

Communications

• 109 Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)