Paper: A REPORT DETAILING TEST DATA COMPARING STANDARD VS VORTEX PUMPS

In these times of low oil prices and increasing operating costs, we at Shell NorthStar in Baker, MT, have been searching for ways to reduce costs and at the same time reduce failures. We have been successful in failure reduction caused by corrosion. But now, we needed a way of reducing rod loads to reduce rod failures and still pump the necessary amounts of fluid to maintain production. Our pump depths range from 8200" in the Little Beaver field to 9100" in the Pine unit; average production is 40 BOPD and 250 BWPD. Gas interference had not been a problem until we started drilling horizontal wells. This problem was addressed with the use of a ring valve assembly. After discussions with Rod Johnson (Rig Management Team leader), Doug Kaufman (Dresser Oil ToolsTM District manger), the RCFA team and several people in Altura field in West Texas, we came up with several ideas. We could run a shorter plunger, run a loose fit plunger (.007 clearance instead of .003) or take a closer look at a "vortex" standing valve we learned of at a recent school.