Paper: Progressing Cavity Pumps The New Metallic Stators

Since patenting the idea of Progressing Cavity Pumps in the early 1930's by RenC Moineau, there have been few improvements to the original design of this pump to facilitate expansion of the range of application. There have been dramatic improvements in the elastomer industry and these new elastomers have been incorporated into the stators using the original design. Recently the Geremia brothers, of southern Brazil, perfected a radical new design in this relatively "simple" technology that will allow PCP's to enter into a whole new range of performance criteria. This new design is being termed the "Metallic Stator" due the fact that much of the elastomer has been replaced with steel alloy leaving only a thin, even layer of elastomer, which is supported evenly around the inside perimeter by the base metal in the tubing. This provides the industry with numerous advantages over the conventional PCP's including: Higher pressures, lower torque"s, shorter pumps, fewer sizes, harsher environments, lower power requirements, and higher flow rates. In addition to the conventional method of driving this pump from the surface with sucker rods, this metallic stator has now been incorporated into a sucker rod free hydraulic design that can be pumped into place downhole, operated, and returned to the surface with only the use of power fluid and the proper well head valving arrangement.