Paper: Design and Application of Sucker Rod Joints

Increasing the service life of the sucker rod joint is a continuing goal of both manufacturers and users. Whether or not the goal is reached depends on how well the manufacturer designs and builds the component parts of the joint system and how carefully the user applies it in service. The man who makes the product gets one crack at producing the best engineered joint he can; the man running the sucker rods has recurring opportunities to increase or decrease the joint life by field practice. Included in the latter is control of the well environment to minimize corrosion, the service factor affecting joint life as pointed out in Mr. A. A. Hardy's comments to this Petroleum Short Course last year.1 It will be assumed that sucker rod joints are running in effectively inhibited wells; varying degrees of wishful thinking may be assigned to that premise.