4/5/2017 OilfieldDynamometerSurveys:PumpCardInterpretation&HowTheyWork

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DynoSurvey
IfyouwantaconcisesummaryofwhataDynamometerisandhowitworks,
clickHEREtogobacktotheServicesPage.

ExampleDynoCardVideos
ClickontheScreenShotimagebelow,scrollleft/rightthroughtheexampleDynoCardsandthenclickthe
"GotoLink"(belowtheimagetitlewhentheimageisexpanded)toseethevideooftheexampleDynocards.

ExampleDynoSurveyReports(EchometerreportsrelatedtotheDynoVideosabove):
1.FluidPound(PumpedOff)
2.GasInterference
3.GasInterference(CyclingGasInt.)
4.WornPump
5.TagonPump
6.UnanchoredTubing(TACNotSet)
7.TrashinPump(MissingStrokes)SVNotClosing

Page2ofmySuckerRodPumpingShortCourse(seetheResourcespagetodownload).

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4/5/2017 OilfieldDynamometerSurveys:PumpCardInterpretation&HowTheyWork

HowaDynamometerWorks:

ADynamometerisadiagnosticdeviceusedonSuckerRodPumpedWellsthatmeasurestheloadonthetoprod(PolishedRod)and
plotsthisloadinrelationtothepolishedrodpositionasthepumpingunitmovesthrougheachstrokecycle.Theplotofthepolished
rodLoadvsPositionisknownastheSurfaceCard.

Theloadonthepolishedrodisasummationofeveryloadoccurringdownholeandisthusafunctionof:thefluidloadonthepump,
therodstringdesignandthebuoyantrodweight,theaccelerationforces(whichareafunctionoftheSPMxSL,pumpingunit
geometryandthedirectionofrotation),themechanicalfrictionoftherodsontubing(andtherodsonparaffin,etc),andtheviscous
frictionalforcesgeneratedbetweentherodsandfluid.WiththeSurfaceCardbeingaffectedbysomanydifferentfactors,there
isno"standardized"shapetoSurfaceCardswhichgreatlyincreasesthedifficultyofinterpretingwhatishappeningdownhole.For
example,comparetheshapesofthe"flyingduck"SurfaceCard(fromanallsteelstring)atthetopofthepagewiththeSurfaceCard
showninthetopleftcornerofthesheetabove(50%Fiberglassrodstring).

AlthoughthereissomevaluetobegatherfromtheSurfaceCard,oiloperatorsaremuchmoreinterestedtoknowwhatishappening
downholeatthepump.Afterall,theonlyreasonforhavinganyofthesurfaceordownholeequipmentistoeffectivelyactuatethe
downholepumpsonewfluidwillbedrawnintothetubingandliftedtosurface.

Thankfully,averyintelligentmanbythenameofDr.SamGibbs[Lufkin'swellknown"SamPOC"wasnamedinhishonor]provideda
solutiontothisproblemwhenhedevelopedtheWaveEquation.TheWaveEquationmodelstheelasticbehavioroftherodstringin
itsdynamicmotionwhichallowsthesurfacemeasurementsacquiredfromthepolishedrodtobewaveddownholetothepumpto
generateaplotoftheLoadvsPositiononthepump'splunger.ThisplotisknownasthedownholePumpCard.Thebeautyofthe
WaveEquationisthatitallowssurfacedatatobeacquired(whichiseasilyaccessibleandinexpensive)andthenmathematically
filtersthedatatoillustratethedownholepumpperformanceeachstroke.Byfilteringouttheeffectsoftherodstringandeverything
elseoccurringabovethepump'splunger,theWaveEquationessentiallystandardizesthevariousshapesthePumpCardcantake
andgreatlyimprovestheabilityofthepumpperformancetobeproperlydiagnosed.However,interpretationcanstillbedifficultat
timesduetothesimultaneousoccurrenceofmultiplesfactorsaffectingtheshapeofthePumpCard.

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TheWaveEquationisalsoemployedinPredictiveRodDesignPrograms,withthebestknownprogramsbeingRODSTAR(by
Theta)&SRod(byLufkin).Theseprogramsgivetheroddesigneragreatdealofcontrolandversatilityinsimulatingvarious
downholeconditionsallowingforthepredictionofmechanicalstressesoneachrodtaperandtheexpectedproducingperformance
ofthepumpingsystem.Theseprogramscanbequitepricey.Forthosewhodonotneedtoperformmanycomplicateddesign
simulations,itisworthnotingthatEchometerprovidesacompletelyfreesoftwarethatsolvestheWaveEquationknownasQRod.
Comparedtootherprograms,QRodismuchmoresimplifiedwithfewerdesigncontrols,buttheaccuracyofitscomputationsis
comparablewiththeothertwoprogramsforverticalwellbores.YoucandownloadQRodforfreeatwww.echometer.com.

InadditiontoacquiringtheSurface&PumpCardsoverthewell'spumpingcycle,Dynamometersarealsousedtoquantifythe
amountofFluidSlippageleakingbythepump'splunger.WhenbothuppercornersofthePumpCardareroundedoffFluidSlippage
isindicatedbutthePumpCardinitselfdoesnotprovideameansofdetermininghowmuchslippageisoccurring.Inorderto
quantifythisvalueaTravelingValveTestisperformedwherethepumpingunitisstoppedatvariouspointsalongtheupstrokeand
thedynamometerrecordshowquicklythefluidloadfallsofftheplunger.Basedoffthespeedofloadloss,thefluidslippageis
calculatedanddisplayedinBFPD(barrelsoffluidperday).Thistestisveryvaluablewhentryingtodeterminehowwornapumpis
andwhetherornotthatpumpwearwarrantsperformingapumpchange.Similarly,aStandingValveTestcanbeperformedby
stoppingtherodsduringthedownstroketoseeifthepump'sStandingValveisleaking.IftheStandingValveisleaking(which
allowsfluidtodrainoutofthetubing),theDynamometerwillmeasurealoadincreaseduringthetest.AsfluidleaksoutofthePump
ChamberpasttheStandingValve,theTravelingValveballwillseatandtherodswillbegintocarrythefluidloadwhichisthereason
theDynamometerrecordsaloadincreaseduringthetest.

Inthelowerleftcornerofthepagedisplayedabove,commonexamplesofPumpCardshapesaredisplayed.Theidealcardis
representedbyarectangle:indicatingthefluidloadisrapidlypickedupandheldthroughoutthedurationoftheupstroke,andthenit
isinstantaneouslyreleased(ontothetubing)astheplungerbeginsthedownstroke.Anydeviationfromthisshapeindicates
inefficienciesandlostpumpstroke.Asdiscussedontheabovesheet,itisvitallyimportanttounderstandthattheonlypartofthe
downholeStrokeLengththatcontributestothe"pumpingaction"(orthedisplacementofnewfluidsintothetubing)istheEffective
PlungerTravel.EffectivePlungerTravelsonlyoccursinthecenterportionofthePumpCardwhentheTravelingValveisopenand
theStandingValveisclosed,orviceversa.ThisareaishighlightedontheGasInterferencesamplecard(above).

OnmanywellsinthePermianBasin,thebottomportionofthetubingisnotanchored(forfearof"planting"theTACbysettingitbelow
frackedsandproducingformations)butthisistheonlyinefficiencythatanoiloperatorwillactuallydesignintothesystem.This
producinginefficiencyisdeemedtobeacceptablewhencomparedwiththeenormouspotentialcosts(andrisks)ofatubingfishing
job.Otherthanthis,alltheotherpumpinginefficienciesthatreducetheEffectivePlungerTravelshouldbeavoidedbytheproper
designofthedownholeequipmentandtheoperationofthewell.

ThemainfactorsaffectingthePumpCardare:incompletepumpfillage,gasinterference,tubingmovement("tubingbreathing"),
andexcessivefluidslippage(indicatingawornpump).TheheightofthePumpCardisafunctionthefluidloadontheplunger,and
thefluidloadisafunctionoftheplungerdiameterandthehydrostaticNetLift.TheareaofthePumpCardisequivalenttotheamount
ofworkbeingperformedbythepump.

AdditionalinformationthatalsocanbeobservedonaPumpCardinclude:pumptagging(bottomortop),erraticvalveaction
(duetosolids/trashoraworn/pittedball&seat),plungerstickingorexcessivefriction(duetosolidsinbetweentheplungerand
barrel),andafewotheranomalies.

TwoGeneralCategoriesofDynamometersHorseshoeLoadCellsvsQuickInstallPRTStrainGauges

A)HorseshoeDynobeinginstalledbetweenthe B)Echometer'sPRTDynoclampedontothe
PolishedRodClamp&theCarrierBar(Bridle). PolishedRod(belowthePRClamp)

Itisimportanttonotethedistinguishingfeaturesofthetwogeneralcategoriesofoilfielddynamometers:
Horseshoe(orDonut)LoadCellDynamometer:TheseloadcellsareplacedbetweenthePolishedRodClampandtheBridle
whichrequirestherodstringfirstbestackedoutonthewellheadtocreateseparationforthedynamometertobeinserted(as
shownintheimagewherethestackoff"suitcase"isrestingonthestuffingboxtosupporttherodload).WiththeDynobeing
installedandthewellreturnedbacktopumping,theloadcellactslikeanordinarybathroomscaleandmeasuresthetrueloadon
thepolishedrod.ADonutLoadCelloperatessimilarlybutitisusedforcontinuousdynamometeracquisitionwithPOC's(Pump
OffControllers)whiletheHorseshoeismadefortemporaryinstallationbyaWellTech.Understandably,ahorseshoe
dynamometerismoreaccuratethanaPRTbecauseittakesdirectmeasurementsofthepolishedrodload.However,horseshoe
dyno'sarenotusedasfrequentlyasthePRTforroutinediagnosticanalysisduetomanyissuesrelatedwithitsinstallation
(describedbelow).
PRT(PolishedRodTransducer)Dyno:ThisisEchometer'squickinstallDynamometerandisthemostcommonlyused.The
PRTdoesnotdirectlymeasurethePolishedRodLoad.Ratheritisaclamponstraingaugethatisscrewedontothepolished

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4/5/2017 OilfieldDynamometerSurveys:PumpCardInterpretation&HowTheyWork

rodanditmeasurestheminutechangesindiameterofthepolishedrodalongthestrokelength.Therodscarrythefluidloadon
theupstrokebutnotonthedownstroke.Theaddedfluidloadaddsstresstotherodstringandthataxialstresscausesa
proportionalradialdiameterchange.UsingHooke'sLaw(whichisarelationshipbetweentheradialstraincausedbyanaxial
stress)theminutechangesinpolishedroddiameterareusedtobackcalculatetheaxialloadcausingthediameterchange:i.e.
thefluidload.Addingthefluidloadtothecalculatedbuoyantrodweight,theSurfaceDynoiscomputed.Fromthispointon,the
WaveEquationisusedtocalculatethePumpCardinthesamefashionastheHorseshoeLoadCell.Comparativestudies
performedbyEchometeranalyzingtheaccuracyofthePRTfounditiswithin23%oftheloadsrecordedbytheHorseshoe
LoadCellaslongasaccurateinputdataisusedandthereisnobendingofthePolishedRodduetoverticalmisalignment
(effectsdescribedbelow).

So....whileLoadCellDyno'saremoreaccurate,theirinstallationprocesscreatesotherproblems.UsuallyWellTechswillonlyuse
theclamponPRTDynounlessspecificcircumstanceswarrantmoreaccurateinformationatwhichpointtheHorseshoeDynocan
beinstalled.

ThesereasonsillustratetheinstallationissuesassociatedwiththeHorseshoeDyno:
1.InordertoinstalltheHorseshoe,thewellmusthaveagoodfunctioningbrake.Thisisneededwhenstackingtherodsouton
thewellhead.
2.Ittakesmuchmoretimetoinstall:A2nd(stackout)PolishedRodClampmustbeinstalledonthePolishedRod(shownin
aboveimage),lubricatorsoranyothernonloadbearingdevices(ifpresent)ontopthestuffingboxmustberemoved,&the
stuffingboxboltsmustbetightenedtoprotecttherubberpackingbeforestackingouttherodweight.Afterrecordingthedata,
thesestepsmuchbebacktrackedtorestorethewellbacktoitsoriginalcondition.
3.Duetostackingouttherodstringandtheotherstepsinvolved,theliabilityrisksofinjurytotheoperatorand/orwellequipment
aregreatlyincreased.
4.Thewellisturnedoffduringtheinstallationprocesswhichdisturbsthewell'snormalruntimecyclescausingthefluidlevelto
buildupandthuschangesthedownholeconditions.ThisdisturbanceusuallynecessitatesaWellTechacquirelonger
periodsofdatasothewellcanrestabilize(orriskacquiringunrepresentativedata).Also,thisdisturbancetothepumpingcycles
interfereswiththeabilitytoproperlycalibratethetimeclocktothewell'sproduction.
5.Thedisadvantagesassociatedwithraisingtherodstring.Therodstringisraised3"bytheadditionoftheHorseshoe
underneaththepolishedrodclampandthisisdisadvantageousfortworeasons:
Itchangesthepumpspacing.Thisreducesthepump'scompressionratioandcanaggravategasinterference(makingthe
acquireddatalookworsethanitactuallyisduringnormaloperation).Oritcanhidethefactthatthewellactuallyhasa23"
tagonthepumpduringnormaloperation(whichwillberemovedwhenrecordingthedyno).
Raisingtherods3"higherequallyraisestheplunger3"higherrelativetothepumpbarrel.Atthetopoftheupstroke,this
willcausetheplungertomoveintoanunsweptareaofthebarrelwhichcanbeproblematicifthepumphasbeen
downholeawhileandbuiltupscaledepositsexisthere.

Incontrast,theinstallationofthePRTDynoisextremelyeasyandcanevenbeperformedwhilethewellispumping(whichis
necessaryifthereisnoworkingbreakandunitiscounterweightheavytowherethehorseheadalwayssettlesupwhentheunitis
turnedoff).

Now,letsevaluatethedownsidesofthePRTDynamometer:
1.PRTDataAccuracy:ThePRTdataisnotasaccurateastheHorseshoeandis(slightly)morequalitativeinnaturewhen
comparedtotheHorseshoe.However,thePRTissufficientlyaccuratefor95%ofmostworkunlessmoreprecise
measurementsareneededforaparticularsituation,forexample:whenperformingascientificanalysisontheacquireddataor
whengreaterclarityinthenumbersareneededforawellthatisdifficulttoaccuratelydiagnose.
2.PolishedRodBending:ifthepolishedrodisoutofverticalalignmentwiththewellhead(orhitsthehorseheadatthetopofthe
upstroke),bendingstresseswillresultinthepolishedrod.Thesestresseswillcauseadditionalchangesintheroddiameter
whichthePRTnaturallyinterpretsasbeing"real"loadchangesoccurringdownhole.Ifthepolishedrodisoutofvertical
alignmenttheeffectwillcausethePumpCardstoslightlyslant.Ifthepolishedrodhitsthehorseheadatthetopoftheup
stroketherewillbesomeformofanomalousloadchangeduringthatsideload(agoodoperatormustrecognizethiswhileatthe
wellsite).Thedistortionstothepumpcardareoftensubtle,butnotalways.Thankfully,however,theyusuallydonotpreventthe
accuratediagnosisofthedownholepumpperformance.Sometimesthesedistortionscanevenberemovedbyrepositioningthe
PRTinrelationtotheangleofbending.
3.Load/TemperatureDrift:TheinternalstraingaugeinthePRTisextremelypreciseinmeasuringminutechangesindiameter
buttemperaturechangesonthestraingaugeitselfcausethegaugetoexpandorcontract.Thegoodgospelnewsis:thePRT
recalibratesitselftozeroeachstroke(sothetemperaturechangewillcauselittledisturbance...unlessyourSPMisreallyreally
slowandthereisasignificant,suddentemperaturechange).TheproblemwithTemperatureDriftismorepronouncedduring
ValveChecksorperformingcounterbalancetests(wherethezerorecalibrationprocessisnotoccuringasfrequently).Good
operatorpracticescanusuallyminimizethissmallannoyance.

DownholeDiagnostichasbothtypesofDynamometersandcanemployeitheroneasneeded.

RodPumpingOptimization:afewextractedslidesfromatrainingcourse...

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4/5/2017 OilfieldDynamometerSurveys:PumpCardInterpretation&HowTheyWork

WhattheDynamometerSurveyCanAnswer:
ThePumpCardinconjunctionwiththeFluidLevelSurveyformthebackboneofWellDiagnosticAnalysis.Bydeterminingifliquid
residesabovethepump&howeffectivelythepumpisfillinganddisplacingthatliquidthewell'sproducing&liftingefficiencycanbe
quantifiedandanalyzed.Basedoffthefinding,thewellcanbeoptimizedbymakingimmediateoperationalchanges(totheruntime,
pumpspacingorsurfaceequipment)anddownholeequipmentchangescanbeplannedforandmadethenexttimethewellispulled.

TheinformationoperatorsaremostfrequentlyinterestedtofindfromaDynamometerAnalysisinclude:
Isthepumpfulloffluidthroughouttheruntime?
Ifnot,atwhatpointduringtheruncycledoesincompletefillagebegin?
Duringincompletefillage,doesthePumpCardindicateFluidPoundorGasInterference?AnddoesthePumpIntakePressure
fromthefluidlevelshotagreewiththePumpCardshapeandsize?
Whatistheappropriateruntimeforthewelltogetfullproductionwithoutdamagingtheequipment?
Howeffectivelyisthedownholegasseparatorworking?
Isthewelltaggingbottom?Ordoesseveregasinterferencewarrantspacingthepumpclosertobottom?
Howwornisthepumpandisitcausingthewelltoloseproduction?
HowmuchbarrelsoffluidperdaydoestheDynointerpretthepumpisdisplacing?
Areanyanomaliesoranythingelseunusualindicated(pumpsticking,excessivefrictioninthepumporrods,etc.)?
Andarethesuckerrodsoperatingwithinmechanicallimitations?


IncompletePumpFillageandDestructivePumpingPractices:

Nodynamometerdiscussionwouldbecompletewithoutaddressingthe3mostdestructivepumpingpractices:FluidPound,Gas
Interference,&PumpTagging.Ifthereiscompleteliquidfillageinthepump,therodstringisbeingstrokedmorethannecessary.For
example,iftheaveragepumpfillageis50%thewellisstrokingtwiceasmuchasnecessary.Insteadofrunning80%oftheday,it
couldproducethatvolumein40%ofthedaywithafullpump.Let'stakealookatall3indetail.

ThreeDestructivePumpingPractices:

FluidPound:eachimpactloadimpartedtothepumpsplungercauses:therodstobuckleandhitthetubinghighloadimpacts
whichbeatouttheTravelingValveball&seatcausesthepump'svalverodtobucklecreatingsideloadingoftheplungerontothe
barrelthestressesimpartedintheroddrasticallyincreasetheModifiedGoodmanRodLoadingandreducetherodlifeandthe
impactloadeventuallytransmitsallthewayuptherodstringanddamagesthetightlyinterlockingteethinthegearbox.

GasInterference:WhileGasInterference(or"GasPound")isinmanyregardsverysimilartoFluidPound,itdoesnotcreatenearly
thesametypeofimpactloadshowever,volumetrically:itisjustasinefficient.Andduetotheinefficiency,theadditionalstrokes
requiredarethemostdamagingtotheequipment.Also,gasthatentersthepumpeventuallymakesitswayupthetubingstringand
thisisthemostcommoncauseofstuffingboxleaks(duetogasheadingthetopofthetubingdry).GasInterferencekeepsPumpers
ontheirtoesbecausethewell'spumpperformanceisoftenerratic.

PumpTagging:Lightpumptagsdohavetheirplaceintheoilfieldbutshouldbeavoidedifpossible.Alltoooften,apumperreports
totheofficethatawellhasa"light"tag.Itmightfeel"light"atsurface,buthowlightisthattag2milesdownholeatthepump???And
whennotperiodicallymonitored,a"light"tagtodayoftengetsalittleheavieracoupleweeksdowntheroad.SinceFiberglassrod
stringsabsorbmuchofthetaganddonottransmittheshockwaveverticallyaseffectivelyassteeldoes,a"light"tagonaFGRod
wellmightbetwiceashardas"light"tagonanallsteelrodstring.Usuallythewellisputontagduetopumpingproblemsrelatedto
gasinterferencebutamuchbetterwaytoresolvethesituationistodesignthegasinterferenceout(eitherinthedownholegas
separatororhandlethegasinthepump'sdesign).Taggingisnotonlydestructivetothepump,rodsandtubing,buttaggingalso
reducesthedownholePlungerTravel.A2"tagis2inchesoflostdownholestroke.LookattheexampleGasInterferenceDyno
Reportatthetopofthepage:duetothesmallpumpingunit,thiswellasloosing7%ofitstotaldownholestrokelengthasaresultof
thetag.Also,pumptaggingtendstohammerthepumpintotheseatingnipple(makingitmoredifficulttounseatnextpull)andthe
largeimpactforcescanalsoturnthepreviouslysetTACloose(leadingtoadditionalinefficiencies).

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