"Dynamometer"

Prepared by
Mohamed abd elatief abd elrhman.
Section/3

under the supervision of

Dr/ Adel Salem
Introduction
Sucker rod pumping is also referred to as ‘‘beam pumping.’’ It
provides mechanical energy to lift oil from bottom hole to
surface. It is efficient, simple, and easy for field people to
operate. It can pump a well down to very low pressure to
maximize oil production rate. It is applicable to slim holes,
multiple completions, and high-temperature and viscous oils.
The system is also easy to change to other wells with minimum
cost. The major disadvantages of beam pumping include
excessive friction in crooked/ deviated holes, solid-sensitive
problems, low efficiency in gassy wells, limited depth due to
rod capacity, and bulky in offshore operations. Beam pumping
trends include improved pump-off controllers, better gas
separation, gas handling pumps, and optimization using surface
and bottom-hole cards. Sucker rod pumping plays a crucial role
in modern oil extraction engineering. There are various down-
hole operating conditions will emerge in oil production using
sucker rod pumping due to the complicated and terrible work
environment in down-dole. Timely diagnosis of faults can help
sucker rod pumping to avoid abnormal event progression,
minimize economic loss and hidden danger. It also improves
the stability of exploitation process and the production
efficiency. Thus an accurate method for sucker rod pumping
diagnosis is essential to reduce risk and increase yield.
Dynamometer card is one of the firsthand dynamic data in oil
field production. It describes the changes between
displacement and load of polished rod in each stroke. Analyzing
and interpreting the shape of dynamometer card is the most
common method to diagnose down-hole operating condition .
Traditionally, this diagnosis process is often based on
technicians. However,this technology is limited to the time-
delay and other objective factors. Thus studies on computer-
aided diagnosis have provided an approach to enhance
efficiency and accuracy. On the basis of this technology,
diagnosis of down-hole operating conditions for sucker rod
pumping can be regard as a process of pattern recognition with
feature extraction from dynamometer card and diagnosing
based on model.
A conventional dynamometer (the most common type of
measuring device in rod pumping well analysis) records
polished rod loads versus rod displacement during the pumping
cycle on a plot called dynamometer card.
Calculations requiring rod loads and displacements as input
variables must rely on information retrieved from these cards.
There are many conditions that prevent the pumping analyst
from getting the right type and the desired amount of reliable
measurement data from dynamometer cards.
These include:
(a) the card's small physical size
(b) visual reading of the card can be insufficient, and
(c) additional information not readily available from the card
may also be needed.
1. Importance of Dynamometry
In analyzing the performance of a pumping system, the most
valuable tool is the dynamometer which records the loads
occurring in the rod string. These loads are measured either at
the surface with a conventional polished rod dynamometer or
at pump setting depth with a special downhole measuring
device. In both cases, loads are recorded in the function of rod
displacement or pumping time, during one or more pumping
cycles, producing the familiar dynamometer "card". Since the
variation of rod loads is a result of all the forces acting along
the rod string, and since it reflects the operation of the pump as
well as the surface pumping unit, an evaluation of the
measured loads reveals valuable information on downhole and
surface conditions. Accordingly, performance analyses of the
downhole and surface equipment are usually conducted by
running a dynamometer survey on the well.
The proper use of dynamometry techniques and the correct
interpretation of the cards taken are of utmost importance for
the production engineer when he tries to increase the
profitability of sucker rod pumping. Proper interpretation of
surface and downhole dynamometer cards reveals a wealth of
information on the operation of the rod pumping system. The
most important uses of dynamometer card analysis are the
following:
 a. Determination of the loads occurring on the pumping unit
structure and in the rod string.
b. The torsional loading on the speed reducer and on the
prime mover can be calculated.
c. From the area of the card, the power required to drive the
pumping unit can be found.
d. After the counterbalance effect is found, the degree of the
unit's counterbalancing can be determined.
e. The condition and possible malfunctions of the sucker rod
pump and its valves can be determined.
f. Downhole problems can be detected making the analysis
of dynamometer cards a powerful troubleshooting tool.
2. Use of Conventional Dynamometer Cards
The predominantly used conventional dynamometers, working
on mechanical or hydraulic principles, record the loads at the
polished rod as a function of polished rod displacement. Such
"conventional" dynamometer cards are taken on a daily basis in
all oil producing areas of the world and are the basic
information available for pumping well analysis. The usual
interpretation of such cards by visual means is a task for highly
specialized analysts. Due to the many interactions of
influencing parameters and the great number of possible
pumping problems, an infinite number of dynamometer card
shapes can exist, making the analysis of surface dynamometer
cards more an art than an exact science. A proper analysis of
these cards, therefore, heavily relies on the analyst's expertise
and skill.
Figure.2 shows some typical dynagraph card results. Card (a)
shows an ideal case where instantaneous valve actions at the
top and bottom of the stroke are indicated. In general,
however, some free gas is drawn into the pump on the
upstroke, so a period of gas compression can occur on the
down�stroke before the TV opens. This is shown in card (b).
Card (c) shows gas expansion during the upstroke giving a
rounding of the card just as the upstroke begins. Card (d) shows
fluid pounding that occurs when the well is almost pumped off
(the pump displacement rate is higher than the formation of
potential liquid production rate). This fluid pounding results in a
rapid fall off in stress in the rod string and the sudden imposed
shock to the system. Card (e) shows that the fluid pounding has
progressed so that the mechanical shock causes oscillations in
the system. Card (f) shows that the pump is operating at a very
low volumetric efficiency where almost all the pump stroke is
being lost in gas compression and expansion (no liquid is being
pumped). This results in no valve action and the area between
the card nearly disappears (thus, is gas locked). Usually, this
gas-locked condition is only temporary, and as liquid leaks past
the plunger, the volume of liquid in the pump barrel increases
until the TV opens and pumping recommences.
The use of the pump dynagraph involves pulling the rods and
pump from the well bath to install the instrument and to
recover the recording tube.
Also, the dynagraph cannot be used in a well equipped with a
tubing pump. Thus, the dynagraph is more a research
instrument than an operational device. Once there is
knowledge from a dynagraph, surface dynamometer cards can
be interpreted. The surface, or polished rod, dynamometer is a
device that records the motion of (and its history) the polished
rod during the pumping cycle. The rod string is forced by the
pumping unit to follow a regular time versus position pattern.
However, the polished rod reacts with the loadings (on the rod
string) that are imposed by the well.
Figure 2
The surface dynamometer cards record the history of the
variations in loading on the polished rod during a cycle. The
cards have three principal uses:
 a. To obtain information that can be used to determine load,
torque, and horsepower changes required of the pump
equipment
b. To improve pump operating conditions such as pump
speed and stroke length
c. To check well conditions after installation of equipment to
prevent or diagnose various operating problems (like pounding,
etc.) Surface instruments can be mechanical, hydraulic, and
electrical. One of the most common mechanical instruments is
a ring dynamometer installed between the hanger bar and the
polished rod clamp in such a manner as the ring may carry the
entire well load. The deflection of the ring is proportional to the
load, and this deflection is amplified and transmitted to the
recording arm by a series of levers. A stylus on the recording
arm traces a record of the imposed loads on a waxed (or via an
ink pen) paper card located on a drum. The loads are obtained
in terms of polished rod displacements by having the drum
oscillate back and forth to reflect the polished rod motion.
Correct interpretation of surface dynamometer card leads to
estimate of various parameter values. Maximum and minimum
PRLs can be read directly from the surface card (with the use of
instrument calibration). These data then allow for the
determination of the torque, counterbalance, and horsepower
requirements for the surface unit. Rod stretch and contraction
is shown on the surface dynamometer card. This phenomenon
is reflected in the surface unit dynamometer card and is shown
in Fig. 3a for an ideal case. Acceleration forces cause the ideal
card to rotate clockwise. The PRL is higher at the bottom of the
stroke and lower at the top of the stroke. Thus, in Fig. 3b, Point
A is at the bottom of the stroke. Rod vibration causes a serious
complication in the interpretation of the surface card. This is
result of the closing of the TV and the ‘‘pickup’’ of the fluid load
by the rod string. This is, of course, the fluid pounding. This
phenomenon sets up damped oscillation (longitudinal and
bending) in the rod string. These oscillations result in waves
moving from one end of the rod string to the other. Because
the polished rod moves slower near the top and bottom of tend
to show up more prominently at those locations on the cards.
Figure. 3c shows typical dynamometer card with vibrations of
the rod string.
References
1. Petroleum Production Engineering, A computer assisted
approach, ISBN: 0750682701, Publisher: Elsevier Science &
Technology Books, Pub. Date: February 2007
2. THE TECHNOLOGY OF ARTIFICIAL LIFT METHODS, Volume 2a,
Introduction of Artificial Lift Systems Beam Pumping: Design
and Analysis Gas Lift, Kermit E. Brown, International Standard
Book Number: 0-87814-119-7 Printed in the United States of
America
3. Catalog of Analog Computer Dynamometer Cards. API Bul
11L2, 1st Ed., American Petroleum Institute, Dallas Texas,
December 1969
4. USE OF CONVENTIONAL DYNAMOMETER CARDS IN THE
ANALYSIS OF SUCKER-ROD PUMPED INSTALLATIONS, paper in
Research Gate, published in January 2000