SPE-171372-MS

Reliability Improvement in Beam Pumps by use of a Unique Methodology

Combining Real-Time Automation and Failure Analysis
Blair Gardner, Santos Ltd.

Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Artificial Lift Conference & Exhibition-North America held in Houston, Texas, USA, 6 8 October 2014.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
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consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
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Abstract
Santos has produced oil from the Cooper Basin, central Australia since 1983. A range of artificial lift
systems are used, dependent on fluid rate and reservoir depth with the beam pump the dominant artificial
lift system. Historically the fleet experienced high subsurface failure frequency and increasing operating
cost. Information regarding pump operating conditions and the root cause of failure was inconsistent in
reporting standard and not readily available. As a consequence the details and mode of failure were not
well understood. This paper will focus on analysis of beam pump failure root causes and trends, and how
the operator has used this data combined with automated equipment to reduce failure frequency and
operating cost.
Santos started a program of beam pump automation in 2006. Before 2009, Santos relied on review of
individual well files to determine pump operating history and failure mode. No central collation of well
history or pump failure information was available. A database was built, which compiled failure details
for more than 2,000 pump installations. This database has enabled run life, failure mode and frequency
to be tracked and analysed. A program of automation and control upgrades to 85% of the beam pump
population has provided greater visibility of operating conditions and parameters by means of telemetry
to the office. This information in conjunction with the database is now used to better understand reasons
for failure, and to design future downhole configurations as a result.
In 2006, all Santos beam pumps were non-automated and had a failure frequency of 0.4 failures per
well per year. Since the implementation of the automated fleet and the database, data shows frequency has
reduced by 70% for automated wells. In comparison, the remaining non-automated beam pumps continue
to have a failure frequency of 0.3 to 0.4. Since 2006 the beam pump well count has increased by 60%
while the number of annual pump repairs has reduced by 30%. The data indicates failure modes are
different on wells with automation. As an example, automated wells have a lower frequency of parted
rods, resulting from better rod string design and control.
This paper will assist operators to benchmark beam pump run life in similar operating conditions such
as the Cooper Basin. It also presents data and findings to support the benefit a beam pump automation and
control program may provide. Detailed understandings of failure modes have helped Santos and its joint
venture partners gain significant economic benefit, and develop Best Practice guidelines for beam pump
system design as a consequence.

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Introduction
Santos has operated a fleet of beam pumps in the Cooper Basin, central Australia since 1985. Historically,
they have run in a traditional manual mode whereby production operators measure, record and analyse
operating parameters and monitor surface equipment condition. The population experienced low run lives,
which resulted in increased operating cost and downtime. Information regarding pump operating conditions, failure diagnosis and failure mode was generally not well understood and not captured or stored
centrally.
Santos implemented an automation program in 2006 installing Variable Speed Drive (VSD) and Rod
Pump Control (RPC) technology to help improve run life, increase production and decrease environment,
health and safety risk. A telemetry upgrade was also carried out to provide remote visibility from the
desktop of the operating parameters of the beam pumps, and enable production engineers to optimise wells
more effectively and efficiently.
This paper outlines the change in beam pump operating strategy, and demonstrates how run life has
been improved by combining the automation program with systems to better capture, report and analyse
failure. The paper reviews failure information across varying levels of automation, to determine if root
cause differs between the systems, and understand how this information may be used to further improve
beam pump performance.

Background
Santos operates more than 400 oil wells and 800 gas wells on behalf of various joint venture partners
across the Cooper-Eromanga basin, and has explored for and produced hydrocarbons for more than 40
years. The basin is geographically located in central Australia, extending over 30,000 km2 in a remote,
harsh and arid desert. Ambient air temperature can range from zero to over 50 C, as well as the potential
for flood events in the wet season. The remote location and variety of weather conditions present
numerous operational challenges and technical constraints.
Well / Reservoir Properties
Oil is produced from Jurassic-Cretaceous reservoirs, characterised as fluvio-lacustrine, with fining upward
sandstones, siltstones, coals and interbedded shales (Cotton et al. 2006). Multiple sand packages can
appear in the same wellbore, each with distinctive reservoir properties. Typical well and reservoir
properties are as follows:

2,500 to 6,500 ft depth

Vertical cased hole
4-1/2 in., 5-1/2 in., 7 in. casing
Virgin pressure 1,200 to 2,800 psi
Reservoir temperature 65 to 120 C
10 to 10,000 BFPD productivity
30 to 55 API sweet crude
1 centipoise viscosity
0 to 99% water cut
Low solids
Low CO2, no H2S
Low Gas-Oil Ratio
Artificial Lift Selection
Santos installs and operates many mainstream Artificial Lift Systems (ALS) including electric submersible pump (ESP), progressing cavity pump (PCP), jet pump and beam bump. Artificial lift is installed on
every oil well, with selection criteria based on the expected fluid rate in conjunction with any surface

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Figure 1Well optimisation spreadsheet capturing optimisation data on an ad-hoc basis

facility constraints. Santos installed its first beam pump in 1985 with the population peaking at 120 units
by 1993. It has been the dominant ALS for producing fluid rates from 20 to 1,000 BFPD, into which most
oil wells fall. Historically, all beam pumps were directly coupled to an engine fuelled by crude oil. In 2005
a decision was made to switch to PCPs as the preferred ALS for new wells; this decision was reversed
back to beam pumps in 2008 following poor PCP reliability (Clarke 2013). Today, a 320 or 456 (x 1000
in. lbs) crank-balanced conventional pump jack is the standard installation. Historically Santos has
installed units ranging from 57 to 640 (x 1000 in. lbs).

Historic Operating Strategy

Well Optimisation
Santos has historically operated its beam pump fleet in a traditional manual mode with no automation
control system or telemetry to determine operating status. Production operators visited the well site
frequently to measure, record and analyse operating parameters such as casing fluid level, dynamometer
(dynacard) data and pump behaviour, and to monitor surface equipment operating conditions. This
information was captured in a spreadsheet known as a Well X Optimisation Spreadsheet locally, that
would eventually make its way back to production engineers in the office on an ad-hoc basis. Fig. 1 shows
an example of this sheet.
The production engineer would review operating data and recommend a change of pump speed (SPM)
by means of a pulley change or engine speed change. Occasionally a jack-shaft was required, or a different
stroke length (S/L). The new set up request was then sent back to the field for scheduling and execution;
this could take months to eventuate, by which time operating conditions may have changed and the request
was no longer appropriate, or simply too late. As a result, beam pumped wells were not efficiently
optimised. In many cases they either had a high fluid level over the pump, or were operating in a severe
pumped off condition which shortened run life. In some instances, wells were operated by means of a
cycling strategy. Whilst this improved downhole pump reliability, it deferred significant production
volumes as a result of the higher downtime and on average sub-optimal drawdown.
Failure Diagnosis and Analysis
Following discovery of a suspected downhole failure, the operator would run a standard suite of
diagnostics, which included collecting a manual dynacard and running a pump-up pressure test, before
placing the well on tap (or tagging bottom) in an attempt at reinstating production. If this was
unsuccessful, the well was handed to the production engineer to justify and scope a downhole repair
workover. No formal record of diagnosis or activities attempted to reinstate pumping action was
preserved.

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Figure 2aSantos Cooper Basin beam pump population and failures recorded (1985 to 2007)

Because pump vendors are not based locally to well site operations and workover rig daily spread cost
is high, there was no option to change the completion configuration or materials if any unexpected issue
was encountered during the workover. Once a pump repair was executed, the rig reports were filed in the
field office well file. Consequently, information regarding the root cause of failure was often inconsistent
in reporting standard, nor was it systematically recorded and collated in any central repository to enable
future analysis.
Failure Frequency Beam pumping downhole failure can be attributed to any one of three components;
pump, rods, and tubing. Failure frequency of component i (where i is pump, rods or tubing) is defined as
the number of failures of component i in one year divided by the number of beam pumping wells running
during the same year (Eq.1).
(1)
Total failure frequency is defined as the summation of failure frequencies for the three system
components. Total Failure Frequency Pump failure frequency Rod failure frequency Tubing
failure frequency.
Heinze et al. (1999) showed that failure frequency performance can be ranked as follows:

Successful: FF1
Good: 0.3FF0.6
Great: FF0.15

The Fig. 2a plot documents the growth of the beam pump installations from 1985 to 2007, with the
corresponding number of failures recorded per year. Fig. 2b shows the historical beam pump failure
frequency. On the basis of the above failure frequency performance criteria, Santos beam pump fleet
performance moved from Successful to Good by 2007.

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Figure 2bSantos Cooper Basin beam pump failure frequency (1985 to 2007)

Cooper Basin and the Digital Oilfield

Beam Pump Automation and
Telemetry

Table 1Santos Cooper Basin oil fleet automation summary (2007 vs.
2014)

Justification and Implementation

Radzevicius and Clarke (2012) identified the objectives of oil well automation as:

25 to 50% improved mean time between

failure resulting in lower operating cost
10 to 15% improved production from
achieving a lower operating pump intake pressure
Lower EHS risk by reducing exposure time at the well site and less time spent driving
In 2006, not one of Santos Cooper Basin beam pump fleet had any form of automation or telemetry.
One of the outcomes of the unsuccessful PCP program was a better understanding of the benefit that
control and telemetry have on artificial lift performance and reliability. When the switch was made back
to beam pumps as the preferred ALS, it was evident to Santos that some level of automation would be
required to address:

Forecast well count increasing

Larger distances between wells
Production operator manning held constant or reduced
Growing operating cost ($/bbl) increased cost of workover, decreasing production

Santos retrofitted two platforms of control to its beam pump fleet. The selection criteria were based
predominantly on individual well economics, rather than a one size fits all approach. It was clear that
a minority of wells nearing their economic limit could not justify the capital expenditure required
therefore these wells had no automation installed.
Variable Speed Drive (VSD) (Advanced)
A VSD is used to automatically adjust an electric motor and consequently pump speed to match well
inflow; target pump fill is used as a feedback loop to the VSD control algorithm. Benefits include

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Table 2Automation hardware operating parameters monitored

Figure 3Current and historic dynacard overlaid to enable comparison of pump performance

maximised production by self optimisation, advanced condition monitoring and equipment protection.
This is the system of choice for all new beam pump installations.
Pump Off Control (POC) (Basic)
A Rod Pump Controller (RPC) was retrofitted to existing engine-driven beam pumps which couldnt
justify the cost of VSD installation. The system has no ability to self optimise, however the RPC shuts the
pump down if a severely pumped-off condition is reached or rod load limits are exceeded. Benefits include
basic condition monitoring and equipment protection.
Santos installed its first VSD on a beam pump in 2007, and first RPC in 2010. Since automation
program implementation, the total number of active beam pumps has increased by more than 60%. As of
2014, 85% of the beam pump fleet has some level of automation installed (Table 1). Currently, 94% of
daily Cooper Basin beam pump oil is produced from wells with either an RPC or VSD installed.

Current Operating Strategy

Telemetry
An important attribute of the Santos automation program is telemetry which is critical to the successful
implementation of the optimisation strategy. Both platforms are installed with hardware capable of

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Figure 4 Operating data from a new well. SPM running at maximum while fluid level is drawn down to the pump, before slowing down to match
reservoir inflow and maintain ~90% pump fill

transmitting live operational data via an existing SCADA network to production operations control rooms
and to production engineers in the office. This data is transmitted on a 15 minute basis and stored on a
server. The main parameters of interest are shown in Table 2.
Both automation platforms have the ability to transmit dynacards on a scheduled basis, or on demand.
Santos configures both systems to send the dynacard early every morning. Combined with the Run
Status the production operator is able to prioritise their daily well site visits and respond to downtime
events. Previous dynacards are saved in the monitoring software and can be overlaid to observe any
change in pump performance (Fig. 3).
Well Optimisation
Optimization data is collected via automation and telemetry, and preservation by means of the associated
Information Systems (IS) hardware. As a result, the individual Well Optimisation Spreadsheets are no
longer used.
VSD Beam Pumps The VSD self-optimises the pump to match inflow and keep the annulus fluid level
at the pump, which results in a lower demand for manual speed adjustments. The key to successful
optimisation is selecting and setting appropriate upper and lower limits:

SPM: The electric motor, pulleys and beam pump gearbox are configured to enable an operating
speed range from 1 to 12 SPM
Stroke Length: Beam Pump stroke length is set to the maximum position available, subject to PI
expectation
Gearbox torque: the VSD momentarily clips the SPM if gearbox torque is exceeded for a specified
duration
Horsepower: the VSD momentarily clips the SPM if power demand exceeds the maximum
available

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Table 3Main operating parameters used to diagnose suspected catastrophic downhole failure

The challenge for the production engineer is now to select the most appropriate pump plunger size.
Once this is done, the system can be essentially set and forget. Fig. 4 plot illustrates an example of a
new well being brought on line and pump speed running at the maximum limit until the fluid level is at
the pump. The VSD then reduces pump speed to match the inflow from the reservoir. Beam pumps which
cannot maintain operations below 1 SPM may require a stroke-length change, this is now the most
common manual change made to the system.
In addition to maximised production, this operational strategy for VSD beam pumps results in
increased protection for the rod and tubing string by eliminating fluid pound through severe pump-off.
RPC Beam Pumps Because of the reduced level of automation, a different method of optimisation of
beam pumps is required when an RPC is installed. These systems are typically installed on mature oil
wells, with a more stable fluid production profile. As a result, matching pump size to fluid inflow is an
easier task compared to a new well. Optimisation is based on dynacard analysis and speed adjustments are
made to target 90% pump fill. The production operator can adjust engine RPM or pulley size and
instantaneously observe the result. If the change is overly aggressive, the RPC shuts the pump down if a
pump fill low point is reached, typically around 75%.
Failure Diagnosis
Catastrophic Failure As a result of the automation and telemetry program, suspected catastrophic
downhole failure is now recognised and responded to immediately. The main operating parameters used
to diagnose suspected downhole failure are shown in Table 3. Both control systems are configured to shut
down the system when pump behaviour outside the accepted operating limits is observed, primarily to
protect equipment. Exception-based monitoring and reporting is then used to immediately identify any
well that has shut down.
Fig. 5 shows operational data of a well prior-to and post-failure, caused by a hole in the tubing string.
Following failure, the maximum rod load, flowing pressure and temperature decrease.
Diagnostic Procedure A pro-forma known as a Problem Well Report is used to standardise failure
diagnosis reporting. This report contains a series of operational tests for the operator to complete and
document before engaging the production engineer. With the benefit of automation, many of these tests
results are known before the operator visits the well site. An additional benefit is realised in planning the
subsequent workover. By having greater confidence in the suspected failure mode, Santos can opt to use
a lighter rig (capable of only pulling rods and insert pump) resulting in a lower cost intervention. In 2013,
Santos correctly diagnosed more than 80% of pump failures before workover.
Temporary Loss of Pumping Action Historically, Santos had limited success identifying wells with
pumps affected by the presence of formation gas or solids. Diagnosis was often based on one dynacard
once a pumping issue was suspected. In some instances, a workover was started, only to find the pump

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Figure 5Operating data from a well prior-to and after tubing leak failure. Following tubing failure, maximum rod load decreases, as do gearbox
peak torques and flowing temperature and pressure.

was simply gas-locked and no failure had occurred. Current and historical dynacards are now used in
conjunction with pump operating data to diagnose temporary loss of pumping, or deterioration in pumping
performance, and then to determine what operator intervention is required. In many situations, adjusting
the pump space-out or lowering the pump to lightly tag at the bottom of the stroke restores pumping
action. While it is recognised tagging can damage the pump, this is considered an option of last resort
before rig intervention is required. Similarly, when a new pump is installed and commissioned, any
indication of insufficient space-out is recognised immediately by use of the start up dynacard and
remediated before permanent damage occurs. Fig. 6 shows operational data from a newly installed pump
and corresponding loss of pumping action following suspected debris entering and preventing either the
travelling or standing valve from seating. The pump was put on a light tap and pumping action restored.

Beam Pump Run-Life Database

Background
To better understand and track failure, in 2009 Santos built a run-life database for its beam pump fleet.
Building the database involved the collation of more than 2,000 individual pump histories including both
producing and inactive wells. All installations from 1985 to present were reviewed to determine the cause
of failure. This was combined with run days until failure and additional criteria including:

Field
Producing formation
Installation date
Failure date
API pump description

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Figure 6 Operating data from a well demonstrating temporary loss of pumping. Maximum rod load decreases, as do pump fill, tubing pressure and
temperature indicating the travelling valve is not closing on the up stroke

Benefits
Initially, the primary use of the run-life database was to measure and report pump run-life performance
indicators such as mean time between failure (MTBF) and failure frequency. While these metrics are
simple industry benchmarks, Santos did not have the data available and in a format to interrogate and
determine what these measures actually were.
At a well level, the most regular use of the run-life database is now to assist in designing downhole
completions. Upon failure of a downhole pump, the production engineer is able to efficiently and
accurately determine:

Historic run life performance (well and field performance)

Pump specifications of previous pumps installed with corresponding run lives
Common failure mode (by well and by field)

The database is now being used to comprehensively review and analyse the root cause of subsurface
failures.
The data has highlighted gaps and inconsistencies in reporting standards used during pump repair rig
interventions. Historically, information surrounding the cause of downhole failure was buried in a daily
rig report that tended to focus more on execution of the prevailing operation, rather than the cause of the
intervention. In addition, it was often not clear which equipment (rods and tubing) were re-run, what was
new, and where it was placed in the configuration.
As a result, a workover inspection report template has been built which is now completed by Santos
operating company representative during the workover. The purpose of the report is to systematically
break down the completion into its respective components (rods, tubing, pump) and record:

Condition and specification of recovered equipment:

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Figure 7aSantos Cooper Basin beam pump failure frequency (1985 to 2013) showing the reduction in failure rates for wells with automation
installed (VSD and RPC) compared to wells with no automation

Description of failure:

Locations of wear
Solids deposited and/or recovered (scale, wax, rod guide debris)
Failure mode including parted rod, tubing leak, pump failure, no failure
Location and depth, equipment type

Identify which equipment was re-run and where it was installed

Any other observations

Santos doesnt have the capability for detailed onsite inspection of the recovered downhole pump.
Pumps can be sent to the vendor for tear-down and inspection if desired. Having a standard template
drives consistency and accuracy of data collection. In addition, it has reduced the cost of materials.
Because of the high cost of rig time in comparison to equipment, there was a tendency to run entire new
strings of tubing and rods as an insurance against premature failure. In 2013, materials accounted for 21%
of the Santos pump repair program cost. By definitively knowing the age of each piece of equipment, the
production engineer is better placed to decide what is suitable for re-use. This is coupled with automation
data that provides information such as rod load and total strokes (equipment cycles) to provide the
engineer a complete picture about the operating history of each downhole component.

Failure Frequency Reduction

Fig. 2b illustrated the historic failure frequency of Cooper Basin beam pumps before implementation of
the automation program. Fig. 7a shows an updated chart to the end of 2013, with failure frequency by
automation type on separate trends. Fig. 7b shows the growth in beam pump automation, with the
corresponding reduction in wells with no automation. It also shows the total number of failures per year.
Automation has helped to decrease both the number of failures, and overall failure frequency to record
low levels. Failure frequency is now less than 0.2 failures per year per well for beam pumps with
automation installed. VSD wells have experienced a 64% reduction in failure frequency compared to wells
with no automation, while RPC wells have reduced by 73%.

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Figure 7bSantos Cooper Basin beam pump population showing implementation of VSD program and conversion of wells to RPC. The number of
failures per year is shown on the secondary axis

In comparison, wells with no automation installed appear to have trended from 0.3 to 0.4, notwithstanding the particularly bad year experienced in 2011. Santos considers its run life performance to be in
the Great category for wells with automation, and Good to Great for wells with no automation.
The data suggests that wells with an RPC installed tend to perform better than VSD beam pumps,
despite the RPC being a lower level of automation (monitors only) compared to the VSD (monitors and
controls). A likely explanation for this lies in the characteristics of RPC wells. Wells with a VSD installed
are typically new, with higher fluid rates (and corresponding high pump speeds), exhibit a rapid decline
profile, and have an unknown presence of solids and gas. Wells with an RPC installed tend to be mature,
stable fluid and lower oil rate stripper type wells with known productivity, reservoir conditions and run
life history.
During the period 2008 to 2013, there has been a 30% reduction in the number of annual pump repairs
and consequently lower opex cost, while the active well count has continued to increase. The improved
run life performance has driven a reduction in downtime attributed to the backlog of wells scheduled for
repair. Based on Santos average turn-around time to repair of 60 days from failure to back on line,
downtime has reduced from 5% to 2%.

General Failure Analysis

An in-depth review of all failures experienced between 2008 and 2013 was completed to identify any
common root causes of failure. The results of this analysis are presented below.
A summary of failure modes experienced since the implementation of the automation program is
shown in Table 4.
Parted rods and pump failure remain the dominant failure modes, accounting for 80% of failures in
2013. Looking further back, Fig. 8 shows the frequency of parted rods, tubing leak, and pump failures for
all beam pumps since 1985.
Data clearly demonstrates the beam pump fleet has experienced a consistent reduction in frequency of
parted rods and pump failures. This trend has continued since implementation of the automation program.
Tubing leaks have remained constant during the past 15 years.

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Table 4 Santos Cooper Basin Beam Pump Failure Mode (2008 to 2013)

Figure 8 Santos Cooper Basin beam pump failure frequency by failure mode (1985 to 2013)
Table 5Parted Rods Failure Analysis (2008 to 2013)

Parted Rods
Table 5 presents a breakdown of parted rod failure during the period 2008 to 2013. Of the 88 failures
experienced, eight were not recovered so are excluded from the study.
The data indicates that 63% of all parted rods failures are attributable to wear. 44 of the 50 failures
occurred after a run life of at least two years which is considered Santos minimum acceptable run life.
28% of recorded failures are because of rig make-up issues such as over or under-torque. These types of

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Table 6 A comparison of Santos Cooper Basin Beam Pump Failure Mode by Automation System during the period 2008 to 2013.

failures usually manifest themselves within one year of failure with an average time to failure of 315 days.
These failures are considered preventable. The remaining failures occur at surface, mainly owing to
fatigue failure of the polished rod as a result of beam pump and polished rod misalignment or caused by
rod string overload. A correlation between pump plunger size and average run life was found with
performance increasing as plunger size decreased. The most likely reason for this is the reduced rod string
load associated with a smaller plunger.
Tubing Leak
Of the 44 tubing failures, 60% had a run life of in excess of two years. Of the wells that underperformed
(run life less than two years), five were in directional wells with greater deviation (up to 90), while three
wells had tubing strings at least ten years old, which had not been replaced during previous rig
interventions.
Pump Failure
A total of 112 pump failures were recorded between 2008 and 2013. This is the most common and least
understood cause of failure. This is due to the lack of catastrophic component failure analysis upon
retrieval, and no recorded tear down or inspection following the workover. It is worth noting that the pump
is the most mechanically complex component in the system.
Breakdown of 77 pumps with some failure information is as follows:

17% unable to stroke at surface when retrieved (seized pump), with no visible indication as to the
reason
14% blocked intakes caused by formation sand or scale
14% mechanical failure of either the travelling valve, standing valve or seating cups
7% jammed by rod guide debris
7% pulled because of low efficiency (worn pump)

The remaining 45 pumps are simply recorded as pump failure. Decreasing the uncertainty of
downhole pump failures mode is currently an area of focus for Santos.

Failure Mode Analysis by Automation

Further to the review by failure mode presented in the previous section, a comparison has been made to
identify if frequency of the three common failure modes differ across the three levels of automation. This
has been done to determine if the justification and benefits of the automation program hypothesised at
initiation have been realised. Furthermore, the failure mode of wells with automation has been analysed

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Figure 9 Santos Cooper Basin beam pump parted rods failure frequency (2008 to 2013). Wells with automation installed have a lower frequency
compared to wells with no automation

and compared to wells with no automation to better understand failure root cause. The results of this
analysis will be presented below.
Table 6 provides a summary of failure modes by year and automation system.
Parted Rods
Fig. 9 illustrates the parted rod failure frequency for the two automation platforms compared to wells with
no automation during the period 2008 to 2013.
The automation program has reduced the frequency of parted rod failures considerably compared to
wells with no automation installed. Comparing the two automation systems, RPC wells are outperforming
VSD wells, which is unexpected.
Of the 16 parted rod failures experienced on wells with VSDs, root cause is as follows:

50% pin failure (incorrect make up)

31% coupling wear
19% surface failure (polished rod part)

In comparison to wells with VSD control, failure root cause for the 66 wells with no automation is as
follows:

70% coupling or valve rod wear

22% pin or coupling failure (incorrect make up)
8% surface failure (polished rod misalignment or rod string over-loaded)

(Six pumps have not been recovered so are excluded from the study).
Tubing Leak
Fig. 10 illustrates the tubing leak failure frequency for the two automation platforms compared to wells
with no automation during the period 2008 to 2013.
The data indicates that the frequency of tubing leak failures on VSD and RPC wells is half that of the
wells with no automation installed. Comparing the two automation systems, VSD wells are outperforming
RPC wells even further.
Of the seven tubing leak failures experienced on wells with VSDs, the following has been observed:

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Figure 10 Santos Cooper Basin beam pump tubing leak failure frequency (2008 to 2013). Wells with a VSD installed have a lower frequency
compared to wells with an RPC or no automation installed

Figure 11Santos Cooper Basin beam pump downhole pump failure frequency (2008 to 2013). All systems have demonstrated a reduction in
frequency since 2008, and are at a similar frequency in 2013

Five systems had a run life of greater than two years before failure
Five failures occurred in the tubing string directly above the pump discharge
One tubing string had a service life greater than ten years, which was not replaced during the
previous workovers (VSD retrofitted to this well)

For wells with no automation, 42% of tubing leak failures occurred within two years of pump
installation. Failure depth was random across the fleet.
Pump Failure
Fig. 11 illustrates frequency of failure attributed to the pump for the two automation platforms compared
to wells with no automation during the period 2008 to 2013.
Pump failure was the most common mode of failure within each of the three respective well
populations for the past six years, and it accounted for 46% of total failures across all systems. The data

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suggests this trend is changing. VSD wells have experienced a reduction in pump failure frequency by
65% since 2009, and wells with no automation have also demonstrated a significant reduction in failure
frequency (with the exception of 2011).
76% of pump failure on wells with VSD control occurred within two years of pump installation. In this
underperforming dataset, the most common causes of premature failure identified were formation sand
and scale. Catastrophic failure of the standing and travelling valves (not related to wear) was the second
biggest contributor.
For wells with an RPC or no automation installed, no dominant root cause of failure has been
identified. RPC wells experienced an increase in failure frequency in 2013, against the recent trend. The
average run life for these seven failures was an exceptional 1,580 days so it could be considered a case
of bad luck that they all experienced failure in the same year.

Key Learnings
It is apparent that Santos beam pump automation program has significantly reduced failure frequency,
and repair operating cost as a result. The combination of the new beam pump run-life database and
systematic failure reporting, has allowed analysis and data capture to be standardised. As a consequence
failure is better understood, and learnt from. This section will discuss some of the key learnings from the
failure analysis, and how Best Practice has been developed for completion design.
Failure Frequency
Failure frequency for Santos Cooper Basin beam pumps is currently at a historic low level. The
automation program has reduced overall failure frequency to 0.15 failures per well per year, compared to
0.40 when the first VSD was installed. Automated wells have experienced a 70% reduction in failure
frequency compared to wells with no automation. Wells with an RPC installed are currently the best
performer with 0.10 failures per well per year, and VSD wells at 0.15. Wells with no automation appear
to have levelled off at 0.30 to 0.40, notwithstanding the extremely high year experienced in 2011.
Premature failure (classed as failure within two years of installation) has consistently reduced from
60% of all failures in 2008, to 40% in 2013. This gives Santos confidence that the installation of
automation is having the desired impact of beam pump control optimisation, and improving run life.
Failure Root Cause
Overall, the data demonstrates the benefits of automation and control that were predicted before program
implementation. Within each of the three levels of automation, analysis indicates the common failure
mode is different, and has changed during recent years.
Non-Automated Wells For wells with no automation, the frequency of pump failure has continued to
reduce, while incidence of parted rods and tubing leaks remain constant. During 2012 to 2013, parted rods
were the most frequent cause of failure. The data indicates that coupling or valve rod wear is the dominant
root cause of parted rod failure. This presents an area of opportunity for improvement. Santos strategy
has always been to install rod strings with plastic guides in an attempt to minimise or delay wear between
the rod and tubing string. Historically the configuration was one guide every one to three sucker rods,
more recently this has increased to three guides per rod. Installation mode has changed from field installed
by the rig crew to guides which are injection moulded to the rods. As wells with no or few guides are
repaired, rod strings are gradually replaced with new moulded guide rod strings when economically
justified. VSD wells tend to be newly drilled and therefore have a moulded guide string installed from day
one.
The ability to review the performance of previous pump models by means of the run-life database now
enables the production engineer to select the most appropriate design. As a result, the impact of gas
interference and solids production is better understood, and planned for. This has been a key driver in
reducing the frequency of pump failure for wells with no automation.

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RPC Automation Failure analysis suggests there is no dominant failure mode for wells with an RPC
installed. Following automation implementation wells operating in a pumped off, fluid pound condition
were identified by dynacard and rectified as soon as possible. RPCs are installed on older, stable fluid and
lower oil rate wells with known formation responses, and therefore a seemingly more benign operating
envelope than VSD wells. This is considered the most likely reason why current performance for RPCs
is marginally better than the VSD fleet, which has a higher level of automation.
VSD Automation The most common cause of failure for VSD wells since the program started is
downhole pump failure. This tends to manifest itself within two years of installation. The dominant root
cause is because of the formationscale, produced sand or other solids. VSDs are installed on all new
wells, some of which are in new fields with uncertain reservoir responses that may ultimately affect pump
performance. It could be argued that such pump failures would have occurred whether or not automation
was installed, as they are related to reservoir properties. Nonetheless, downhole pump reliability on VSD
wells is an area of focus for Santos, as the component of the downhole design with the lowest reliability.
Reasons for failure are not always understood, even following teardown inspection.
For new wells drilled in existing fields, the run life database provides the ability to analyse previous
pump performance and identify incidences of failure resulting from solids and scale. It is interesting to
note that rod guide debris is not a common cause of pump failure contributing to less than 5% of all
failures. This was identified as a risk when Santos rod guide strategy was modified to three guides per
rod.
VSD wells have demonstrated a reduction in parted rod failure frequency compared to wells with no
automation. This finding supports the prediction that VSD technology would provide better control of the
rod string and reduce failure as a result of fluid pound from operating in an excessively pumped off state.
However the lowest frequency of parted rod failure is within the RPC fleet. VSDs tend to be installed on
wells with higher fluid rates and consequently higher operating SPM and cyclic loads. In addition, the five
VSD wells that experienced coupling wear all had one guide per rod or less; two of these wells were
drilled directionally with deviation greater than 30.
In recent years, there has been a minor increase in the frequency of parted rod failures. Eight wells have
failed through pin or coupling failure; upon recovery, over or under-displacement during rig make-up was
evident on all of them. As Santos gains more experience with automation, the operating envelope for VSD
beam pumps is expanding. Five of these pin and coupling failures were on wells with 3.75 in. tubing
pumps installed, and the remaining three were on 2.00 in. insert pumps set deeper than 6,000 ft.
Previously, these two configurations were outside the operating range considered appropriate for Santos
beam pumps. The designs for these rod strings had maximum rod loads in the 90 to 95% range of load
limit. Because of the high rod string loadings for these two applications, it is critical that more attention
is applied to sucker rod connection make-up as per vendor specifications during rig intervention.

Santos Beam Pump Best Practice

During the past six years, a number of best practices have been developed based on Santos experience
of installing, operating and maintaining beam pump systems in the Cooper Basin. Data obtained by means
of well automation, used in conjunction with failure analysis through interrogation of the run life database,
has been used to validate these best practices. As a result they have helped improve run life, reduce
unplanned downtime and improve operability. Santos has also achieved a higher percentage of accurate
failure diagnosis leading to a better defined workover scope. During the previous six years, 35% of rig
interventions have required only rod and pump retrieval to successfully return the well to service. While
dominant failure modes are different across the three levels of automation, Santos has standardised its
approach to design across the beam pump fleet. The following section briefly details this standard design.

SPE-171372-MS

19

Rod String

Stop installing sinker barsVSD technology has demonstrated that rod string compression or
buckling near the pump discharge has low prevalence in Cooper Basin wells
Fit for purpose sucker rodsselect Grade D in preference to high strength when appropriate
Full size couplings (previously over size couplings were installed)
Single preferred sucker rod vendor to avoid mixed strings
Moulded rod guides in preference to field installed guides
Three guides per sucker rod, one at each end within two feet of the coupling, the other placed in
the middle of the rod

Pump

Gas handling (two stage) pumps used to reduce incidence of gas interference
Strainer nipple for solids management (unless there is a history of severe scale)
High temperature seating cups
The largest plunger possible enables pump speed to be reduced
No preference on top or bottom hold-down, or thin or heavy wall barrel as all demonstrate similar
performance in the Cooper Basin
36 in. pump spaceout off tap. Cooper Basin wells are circulated to kill fluid for well control during
intervention, which gives the well a higher fluid level than the underlying reservoir pressure. When
this annulus fluid is pumped down, the plunger spacing can decrease considerably, increasing the
risk of tagging the pump
Tubing

Where possible, always mechanically anchor tubing string

Sump tubing if possible to position pump seat nipple (PSN) below lowest perforations to maximise
drawdown and minimise gas intake
Position the PSN as close as possible to the tubing intake

Conclusion
Santos has reduced Cooper Basin beam pump failure frequency to a historically low level as a direct
consequence of the automation program implemented in 2007. VSD technology has delivered the benefits
predicted, in particular a higher level of downhole equipment protection and improved run life through
better control of the rod string. Surprisingly, during the evaluation period RPC units marginally outperformed wells with VSDs installed. The less aggressive operating strategy and low uncertainty of formation
characteristics such as expected inflow, solids and gas are postulated to be the main reasons for this.
Failure frequency for wells with no automation installed has remained consistent during the past six years.
Collation of a central run-life database has enabled more accurate measurement of failure frequency,
and subsequent analysis of failure root cause. As a result, historic failure mode can be used in conjunction
with automation to design a more robust and fit-for-purpose completion. Review and analysis of root
cause has been used to develop Santos best practice for beam pump completion design. Operating data
provided by means of telemetry is used to successfully diagnose failure and ensure an optimal rig
intervention is planned.
The run-life database has highlighted the value of standardised reporting of failure. Santos has recently
implemented the steps to address this and is starting to realize other benefits such as equipment
rationalisation and re-use. Another area of improvement is downhole pump reliability. Failure root cause
is often not apparent when the pump is retrieved, and there is no in-house process to systematically tear
down and inspect pumps. This will be the focus of future study.

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Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the following Santos personnel: Fred Clarke, Artificial Lift
Specialist, Tom Radzevicius, Manager Development SA Central, Chris Simm, Superintendent Production
Engineering, Joe Gugliotta, Manager SWQ Operations, Nathan Childs, General Manager Upstream SWQ,
Lou Dello, General Manager Central Australia, for their support of this paper. Additionally, thanks to the
Oil Production Optimisation Team, Petroleum Engineering, and Production Operations teams for their
contribution. The author would also like to recognise Santos Cooper Basin Joint Venture partners for
their contribution and support.

References
Clarke, F., 2013. Progressing Cavity Pump Application in 40 API Light Oil-The Cooper Basin Field
Study. Paper 165664 presented at the SPE Progressing Cavity Pumps Conference, Alberta, Canada, 26-27
August.
Cotton, T.B., Scardigno, M.F., Hibburt, J.E. (Eds), 2006. The Petroleum Geology of South Australia.
Vol. 2: Eromanga Basin. South Australia. Department of Primary Industries and Resources. Report Book,
06/2.
Heinze, L.R., Ge, Z., and Rahman, M.M., 1999. Sucker-Rod-Pumping Failure in the Permian Basin.
Paper 56661 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, 3-6
October.
Radzevicius, T. and Clarke, F., 2012. Optimisation of Beam Pump Wells Utilising Variable Speed
Drives and Remote Monitoring Software. Paper 148817 presented at the SPE Intelligent Energy International, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 27-29 March.