Improvement of PCP's Run Life in Highly Deviated and Tortuous Wells Using Novel Design in Rod Strings: A Case of Study
- Authors
- Ivan Camilo Castillo (Fundacion Universidad de America) | Jasmine Valderrama (Ecopetrol) | Fernando Godoy (Tenaris)
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2118/192464-MS
- Document ID
- SPE-192464-MS
- Publisher
- Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Source
- SPE Middle East Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition, 28-29 November, Manama, Bahrain
- Publication Date
- 2018
- Document Type
- Conference Paper
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 978-1-61399-636-2
- Copyright
- 2018. Society of Petroleum Engineers
- Keywords
- Rod String, Fatigue, PCP, Failure Reduction, Hollow Rod
- Downloads
- 1 in the last 30 days
- 50 since 2007
- Show more detail
- View rights & permissions
| SPE Member Price: | USD 8.50 |
| SPE Non-Member Price: | USD 25.00 |
In this paper, the experiences of the use of a novel rod string design to improve the Run Life of the PCP system in highly deviated and tortuous wells are shared. These wells presented premature and recurrent failures in the rod string. The results are contrasted with real cases in the same wells where the conventional and continuous rods failed in a brief period.
Through a detailed RCFA (Root Cause Failure Analysis), it was determined that the main failure mechanism was due to fatigue in high DogLeg areas. To solve this problem, design simulations were carried out, by locating hollow rods in these zones and applying the Von Misses method to determine the effective stress due to torque and axial load, comparing these values with previous designs.
The hollow rod geometry allows for a greater polar moment of inertia, which causes the effective stress to be lower in high DogLeg points, making the string more resistant to axial and torsional stresses. The comparison was made between two widely used types of rods in two wells of a Colombian Field, with angles up to 50 degrees and DLS of 7.8° / 100 ft. The major benefit of the implementation of this design is that it managed to raise average run life from 45 days to 180 days, without presenting failure in the rod string.
This study is important because operating companies must reduce operating expense (OPEX) by optimizing the components in artificial lift systems, like the rod string in PCP, minimizing the frequencies of well interventions.
The methodology and design presented in the article can be replicated for other wells that have similar geometries and operating conditions to those of the explained cases, with the application of hollow rods as an alternative to conventional designs.
| File Size | 1 MB | Number of Pages | 12 |
Agarwal, S., Panigrahi, N., Ranjan, A., Nekkanti, S. K., Bohra, A., Kumar, P.Agarrwal, V.: "Advances in Completion Design to Improve Bhagyam PCP Run Life," paper SPE 184224-MS presented at the 2016 SPE Middle East Aritifical Lift Conference and Exhibition held in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrein, 30 November-1 December.
Ramirez, G., Poli, M., Salas, F., Olmos, D., Ameglio, A., & Tapia, R.: "The Use Of Aisi 4320 Sucker Rods At Corrosive Environments As A Field Experience," paper SPE 81119 presented at the 2003 SPE LatinAmerican and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 27-30 April.
Jaimes, M. G., Villar, A., Escobar, M. A., & Acevedo, N. P.: (2014, May 21). "Conceptual Study and Experimental Protocol for the Selection and Evaluation of Matrix Stimulation Treatments with Biocides, Focused on H2S and Corrosion Control in Producer Wells of Fields Undergoing Secondary Recovery," paper SPE 169449-MS presented at the 2014 SPE Latin America and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference,, Maracaibo, Venezuela, 21-23 May.
Olmos, D. E., Ernst, H. A., Villasante, J. A., Johnson, D. H., AMEGLIO, A. F., & Del Pozo, L.: "Hollow Rods: Development Of A New Technology For PCP," paper 69558 presented at the 2001 SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 25–28 March.
Jensen, J. M., Ameglio, A. F., & Olmos, D. E.: "Hollow Rods: A Summary of Four Years of Field Experiences of This New Technology for PCP and Tubing-Less Completions," PETSOC-2005-096 presented at the Petroleum Society's 6th Canadian International Petroleum Conference (56th Annual Technical Meeting) held in Alberta, Canada, 7-9 June.
