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The Penny Pincher gets its name from
its price: $1,495 plus a $250 installation fee. Lindsey
reports that over 9,000 of these POCs have been installed
domestically and worldwide. Overseas applications include
Columbia, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Africa, and recently, Poland.
While most of the wells employing these POCs are stripper
wells, Lindsey adds that some wells producing as much as
200-300 BOPD have them installed. Operators using the bigger
bore pumps find the Penny Pincher helpful in preventing
fiberglass rod parts.
Following up this low-cost POC option, D-JAX
has also recently introduced a wireless dynamometer system
priced at $5,995, about half the cost of conventional systems.
This product includes a load sensing and data transmission
unit that clamps to the polished rod and a data receiver that
sits on a truck dashboard and connects to a laptop computer.
The system operates up to a distance of 300 feet. D-JAX is
currently working with a software developer to provide
analytical software.
iBeam
Controller Provides High Tech at Low Cost
Another option for operators looking to
achieve a level of optimization in their rod-pumped wells is a
new wireless rod pump controller recently rolled-out by
e-Production Solutions Inc. (eP): the iBEAM RPC. According to
Karl Sakocius with eP, Houston, the iBEAM adds a low-cost
option to eP's established product line of rod pump
controllers.
The iBEAM responds to operators' reluctance
to install controllers on low-productivity wells with a
unique, self-contained design that uses proven technology
without requiring the traditional cabling and trenching
associated with most RPCs. "The wireless design eliminates the
installation costs of laying cables
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iBeam Components
from the load cell and position sensor on
the pumping unit to the controller, resulting in a unit that
costs less than $2,000," says Sakocius. "That is about half
the cost of prior industry technology."
The controller uses a strain gauge to
measure load and an accelerometer to measure the position of
the polished rod, accepted approaches that are used in a
variety of RPCs offered by eP and others. Historically, this
has proved to be the most accepted method to control
rod-pumped wells. A radio signal sends commands to the well's
motor starter relay, and communicates operational data for
remote monitoring. The radio can also be used to provide data
to an operator's handheld device. The controller optimizes the
restart timing by readjusting idle time, based on the most
recent pump cycle history. Proper timing of the pump cycles
keeps the fluid level low, allowing maximum inflow in a low-
iBeam beam-mounted,
self-contained, solar-powered sensor and communication unit
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pressure reservoir, but avoiding the fluid
pound mentioned above.
The controller uses the load and speed
information to generate a dynamometer card that can be used to
identify pumped-off status. This data, as well as run time,
can also be stored for later analysis. The self-contained
unit, clamped to the walking beam of the rod pump, is powered
via solar power.
According to Sakocious, a recent beta test
of the iBEAM RPC on a low-productivity well in Texas
illustrates its benefits for marginal wells. "The well was
pumping 6 BOPD at 50% cut from 2,300 ft., on a timer set to
pump 12 hours each day. After installing the iBEAM controller,
pumping time was reduced to 3 hours per day, with no reduction
in oil. With the monthly reduction in pumping hours totaling
nearly 270 hours, the monthly savings in power cost alone was
$125."
But the savings expected from a reduction in
the number of repairs could be much more significant.
Depending on the specific conditions, RPCs have reportedly cut
the incidence of pump and rod failures more than 20%. The cost
savings of a single avoided workover to repair parted rods
more than likely would be sufficient to cover an iBEAM
installation's entire cost.
The iBEAM RPC provides a relatively low-cost
yet technically robust solution to the problem of monitoring
and controlling low-productivity rod-pumped wells. It can also
serve as a first step for operators who, after becoming
convinced of the economic benefits such systems can provide,
take further steps toward building an even more sophisticated
system for instantly responding to RPC-reported changes in
well performance. Ultimately, this can lead to more efficient
application of a limited workforce, further cost savings, and
improved profitability.
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State-of-the-Art
Summary