David DeLaO, Mobil Drilling, Jack King, Trico Industries
Maintaining low operating costs is a critical aspect of field operations. This is a sizable challenge when producing deep, high volume, high water cut wells in a mature oil field. Profits from such wells are usually marginal and heavily dependent on oil prices due to somewhat fixed operating costs. West Texas is home to many wells that meet these criteria. Most are produced with hydraulic jet pump systems or. More commonly, submersible pump systems. Both systems are reliable and each offers advantages. Both systems are also renowned for high electrical consumption: an attribute not welcomed m today's efficiency-focused environment. Hydraulically operated reciprocating pump systems have been used in the oil field since the mid 1930"s. Despite lower daily operating costs this system is not as common due to shorter pump run life and high equipment surveillance demands. One manufacturer made maJor modifications to the pump improving the pump's overall performance and significantly increased the volume capacity. This type of pump offers several advantages and is extremely competitive with other high volume lift systems. This paper summarizes the results of seven hydraulically operated reciprocating installations in the Mobil operated Russell field. The systems are installed in wells producing from 2.50 bfpd to 1650 bfpd from depths a great as 10,700 feet. Current data indicates that 20 to 40 percent less horsepower is consumed, compared to other systems. Consequently, profit from each barrel of oil produced increases. The pump also operates at lower producing bottom hole pressures compared to jet pump systems resulting in higher production rates. The advantages and disadvantages of the reciprocating pump are presented.