Paper: New Technologies For PC Pumps

Progressing cavity pumps have been used on an application-limited basis throughout the world for the past twenty plus years. A vast majority of these systems are deployed in Canada and South America producing heavy, viscous oil with high sand content. Product development and numerous specialty ancillary products have most generally favored heavy oil production. A few of the ancillary products such as spin-thru rod guides, torque anchors, heavy-duty wellhead drive, etc transcend across application boundaries, however, the heavy oil market dominates most of the research and case studies. This paper will focus on P C pump product enhancement and design changes for applications that are more typically encountered by US operators. These wells can be grouped into the following: secondary recovery, light oil, high water cut, high volume, or water source wells and coal bed methane applications. These wells require a different philosophy and certainly different pump geometries than what was previously available through the manufacturers. Continuing, the paper will report on several of the products that have been developed, tested and are now being used within the Permian Basin. We will share the results of field-testing on down hole pressure sensors and a specialty rotor coating as an alternative to chrome. Benefits of new elastomers that have been brought upon the market will be examined.