(21) ADVANCED SUCKER ROD MATERIAL REDUCES WEAR IN UNCONVENTIONAL WELLS-CASE HISTORIES
Seth Silverman, Hess Corp.
Diane Nielsen and William Nielsen, Materion Corp.
Tubing leaks account for half of the failures in the Bakken wells. The root cause is coupling on tubing wear due to the non-metallic guides wearing out.
In order to combat this problem, ToughMet 3 TS95 sucker rod couplings were installed in up to 250 wells to significantly reduce the failure rate in the field. Several individual case histories will be discussed to demonstrate the lifetime extension and reduced wear rates seen with the use of the new couplings.
Additional benefits have been observed, particularly increased fluid production, increased pump fillage, higher Fluid loads, and lower gearbox loads. XSPOC data will be presented for several wells to demonstrate the positive effects observed in the field.