Improving the Efficiency of Curved Wells’ Operation by Means of Progressive Cavity Pumps

Abstract

This paper proposes a solution to the problem of improving the reliability of the operation of progressive cavity pump units in deviated and directional wells. High dogleg severity significantly contributes to rod breakage; rods often break close to the “elbows” with a dogleg severity of 2 deg/10 m or higher. Statistical analyses were used to identify the frequency of failures and their impact on the reliability of a PCP unit. The design layout and mathematical model for pump rods’ torsional vibrations in the curved section of a wellbore were developed. A simulation of the curved section was performed. This article provides the basic formulas needed to design a rotating rod string using two reduced discs. The creation of an additional crooked section resulted in multiple reductions in the “resonant” rotational speed and rigidity in the mathematical model. Determining the moment of inertia of the reduced discs’ mass made it possible to determine the sucker-rod string’s stiffness, the circular rotation frequency, and the number of sucker-rod revolutions under resonance. The number of reduced discs on the sucker-rod string depends on the curvature pattern. In summary, a centralizer for a rotating string was designed to reduce the vibration and shock effects of rods on the tubing.