8th Annual Sucker Rod Pumping

Workshop
Renaissance Hotel
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
September 25 - 28, 2012

USE OF THE PUMP SLIPPAGE

EQUATION TO DESIGN PUMP
CLEARANCES
Lynn Rowlan & James N. McCoy

James F Lea
 Data Collected at TTU Test Well

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 2

 Data Acquisition Devices
Wood Group
Smart Guard
RTU package

ABB VSD
Controller

MicroMotion Mass
Flow Meter F-100
(3) Echometer
Well Analyzers

Lufkin SAM Controller

ION System Power
Measurement System
 Patterson Slippage Equation

1.52
453 0.14 SPM 1
DPC
L
Patterson Equation modified ARCO-HF equation
to include the effect of SPM on slippage
Available:
QRod Tool - Pump Slippage Calculator

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 4

Impact of Pump Clearance and Pumping
Speed on Pump Slippage
1. Patterson Slippage Equation predicts slippage vs.
pumping speed, SPM, Pump diameters and Clearances
(other parameters)
2. Patterson Equation modified the ARCO-HF equation to
include the effect of SPM on slippage.
3. Data shows increase in power cost per barrel due to
slippage.
4. Increased Pump Clearance Reduce the System
Efficiency (Significantly at slower pumping speeds)
5. More power must be input to the sucker rod pumping
system to re-pump the portion of the pumps
displacement lost to slippage.
6. Some Slippage Required for Proper pump lubrication.
7. Clearances can allow sand and other particles need to
pass between the barrel and plunger
Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 5
 Pump Slippage
BPD Tank = BPD Pump
- Slippage
1) Fluid that leaks back into
pump between the Plunger OD
and the Barrel ID
2) Leaks into the pump chamber
between the standing valve
and traveling valve
3) When traveling ball is on Seat.

Pump Efficiency =
BPD Tank / BPD Pump
Slippage % =
Slippage BPD / BPD Pump
Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop
1) Point A to B pressure acting 2. Point B to C,
C
on closed SV gradually plunger carries
transferred from tubing at full differential
point A to be fully carried by pressure across
the Closed TV at point B.
Closed TV

Slippage Occurs
when the TV Ball
is on the Seat

4) Point D to A,
A TV open 3) Point C to D pressure
as fluid in the pump is across closed TV
displaced through the gradually transferred
traveling valve on the from rods to be fully
down stroke carried by the Closed
Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop SV at point D. 7
 Presented at 2007 SWPSC

Based on Slippage test, the following minimum pump clearances are

recommended for a 48 Plunger with a +1 Barrel. These clearances have
become widely used in the Permian Basin for well depths up to 8000 feet
DO NOT DO THIS

Rule-of-Thumb Table
???? Design: Clearance Using Patterson Eq. w/ 90% Pump Efficiency
 If You Use Recommended
Clearances from 2007
Rule-of-Thumb Table

86 API Rod String | Anchored Tubing | Red - D Rod Loading > 100%
 Dynamometer Cards 5.01 SPM
2 Plunger, 0.009 Clearance, 12 Sheave, 31.5 HZ
17.50 Peak Load 16,588 Lb
Wrf + Fo Max
15.00

Peak Load 12,324 Lb

12.50 1 Inch Rod String

10.00 Wrf
76 API Taper Rods
7.50

Fo Max
5.00 Fo From Fluid Level

91.3 Pump Stroke 2.50 95.2 Pump Stroke

215 BPD @ Pump 226 BPD @ Pump
0
98.6
163 BPD in Tank, 170 BPD in Tank,
51 BPD Slippage -2.50
56 BPD Slippage
0 105.6
 Water Viscosity - Cp

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 12

Viscosity Impact on Slippage Calculation

As SPM increases the Slippage

Volume Increases: More strokes per
day results in more slippage volume
VSD Slows SPM Until Slippage=Displacement
2 Plunger, 1 Rod String, 0.009 Clearance, 12 Sheave
15.63 Wrf + Fo Max 15.63 Wrf + Fo Max

12.50 12.50
0.6 HP 0.7 HP
Wrf
85.53 Sec/Stroke
Wrf
9.38 9.38

0.6 SPM, Input 4.8 HP, 0.7 SPM, Input 5 HP,

0% System Efficiency 2.4% System Efficiency
6.25 Fo Max 6.25
Fo From Fluid Level Fo Max

3.13 3.13

100 Sec/Stroke 85.53 Sec/Stroke

0 0
104.0 105.0
0 BPD in Tank, 4.7 BPD in Tank,
29.0 BPD @ 104 Pump Stroke 34.4 BPD @ 105 Pump Stroke
-3.13 -3.13
0 105.6 0 105.6
Pump Speed vs
Pump Efficiency

As the SPM increases the Pump

Efficiency Increases: Slippage Volume
is a Smaller % of Pump Displacement
Dynamometer Data @ 4 SPMs
2 Plunger, 76 Rod String, 0.009 Clearance

5.08
9.73
8.22SPM
6.99 SPM
Summary of Test
 Example Slippage Calculation
Use Well Parameters to Calculate Table of Slippage and Efficiency Values
1) Range of SPM from 6.22 to
10.72 in 0.5 SPM steps
2) Use Patterson Slippage
equation to calculate
slippage BPD
3) Use predictive program
QRod to calculate pump
displacement, BPD,
assuming 100% liquid fillage
4) Calculated Slippage % equal
to the ratio of Slippage
divided by Pump
Displacement
5) Calculated Pump Efficiency
% equal to the ratio of
Production divided by Pump
Displacement
Example Slippage for 2 Plunger Sizes
1. Slippage % less (pump leaks less) as SPM is increased
2. Increasing the pumping speed of a leaky worn pump will increase
pump efficiency and increase liquid produced.
3. Increasing the pumping speed from 6.22 SPM by 4.5 SPM to 10.72
SPM reduces pump slippage by only 5-6%
4. Higher pumping speed may increase failures, so temporary oil
production make not pay off any damage if failure occurs
 Actual Field Example with 0.009 Pump
Why only 402 barrels per day is being produced to the tank, when the effective downhole
pump displacement is 576 BPD?

1. New pump w/ no wear or damage

2. Installed 0.009 in. clearance w/ 2.25
inch diameter & 4 foot plunger
3. Patterson Eq. Slippage 160 BPD
4. 576 BPD Full Pump dynamometer
card (No correction for slippage or
gas in solution).
5. Tested Rates are 106 BOPD & 296
BWPD
6. Production is 174 BPD less than the
576 BPD pump displacement.
7. (106+296)/576 = 70% Pump Eff.

8. 26 MscfD gas up tubing (245 GOR),

Tubing Anchored at 3155 psi discharge pressure, then
oil swelled 4.4% due to gas in
solution. 4.4% of 106 = 5 BPD.

9. Patterson Equation appears to

calculate slippage fairly accurately.
 Recommended Procedure to Select
Pump Clearances
1. Use predictive sucker rod design program to
calculate pump displacement, assume 100%
liquid pump fillage.
2. Input correct well parameters into QRod Tool
- Pump Slippage Calculator, be sure to
adjust water viscosity for the temperature at
the pump
3. Examine Plot of Patterson Equation Pump
Slippage vs Clearance and select pump
clearance that gives the desired percentage
of pump slippage.

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 21

 651 BPD

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 22

 Slippage Plot vs Clearance

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 23

651 BPD Pump Displacement
Design Pump Clearance of 0.005 to Achieve
0.005
90% Pump Efficiency with 65 BPD Slippage
 Observation

Pumping Rate affects Slippage. As

Pump Speed Increases:
Pump Efficiency Increases: Slippage
Volume is a Smaller Fraction of Pump
Displacement
Slippage Increases: More strokes per day
results in more slippage volume

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 26

 Conclusions
1. Patterson Equation should be used to Design Pump
Clearances Better than Rule-of-Thumb
2. Pump Slippage is a Function of SPM, pump efficiency
dramatically decreases at slow pumping speed when
pump clearances are large.
3. Production from a leaky Pump can be increased by
increasing SPM
4. Slippage may be excessive for large clearance pumps
when pumping from deeper depths
5. Viscosity of water must be corrected for temperature
6. Proper technique to specify plunger/barrel clearance is to
predict the gross downhole pump displacement without
slippage, then specify plunger/barrel clearance having a
calculated pump slippage volume less than or equal to 5-
10% of the gross pump displacement.
Sept. 25 - 28, 2012 2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 27
 Copyright
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presented.

2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 28

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012
 Disclaimer
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2012 Sucker Rod Pumping Workshop 29

Sept. 25 - 28, 2012