Paper: The Functional Effectiveness of Fiberglass Sucker Rods

A number of major oil companies have begun -field tests of the lightweight, non-corrosive fiberglass sucker rods, The tests were generally made using steel sucker rods in a well for a specific time period and replacing the steel rod string with one designed with fiberglass rods. Specific detailed records were kept on these "before and after" studies by most companies. Other companies employed an independent testing firm to provide test results, This paper will compare steel sucker rods with two brands of fiberglass sucker rods manufactured by Company A and Company B. The wells in this study are divided into groups of similar depths with comparable fluid levels, pumping units and bottom-hole pumps. Four standards were developed to compare and evaluate sucker rod performance. 1. Equipment loading 2. Energy consumption 3. Fluid production 4. Failure frequency Each of these four standards was studied in depth in similar wells to compare each group of sucker rods.