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US 5,314,016 AGranted
Method for controlling rod-pumped wells
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorCleon L. Dunham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for controlling a rod pumped well to limit the amount of time the pumping system is subject to fluid pound. The method monitors various pumping system parameters and shuts the pumping system down just before pump-off occurs.
Claims7
A method for controlling a rod pumped well having a pumping unit located at the surface and disposed to reciprocate the rod string, said method comprising:
- a controller, said controller being disposed to monitor at least one parameter of the pumping unit;
- using said at least one parameter to determine when the well has pumped-off;
- stopping the pumping unit when the controller determines the well has pumped-off;
- measuring the run time the pumping unit has run between starting of the pumping unit and stopping of the pumping unit in response to pump-off;
- restarting said pumping unit after a predetermined time period;
- stopping said pumping unit after a time period that is a predetermined percentage of the measured run time;
- and
- periodically measuring a new run time by allowing the well to pump-off and controlling the stopping of the pumping unit after a time period that is a predetermined percentage of the new measured run time.
5 more elements
A method for controlling the run time of a rod pumped well having a pumping unit located at the surface and disposed to reciprocate the rod string, said method comprising:
- measuring the load and displacement of the rod string as it is reciprocated by the pumping unit;
- integrating the measured load and displacement to obtain the area of the surface pump card related to the amount of work done in a pump cycle;
- monitoring the integrated area to determine the magnitude of the integrated area when the well has pumped-off;
- stopping the pumping unit when the well has pumped-off;
- determining the total integrated area when the well has pumped-off;
- setting a pump-off limit based on a measured integrated area that is a preset percentage less than the integrated area that is determined when the well pumps-off;
- and
- re-starting the pumping unit after the elapse of a preset time interval and stopping the pumping unit when the integrated area exceeds the set pump-off limit.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.