SPE 165031

The Effect of Temperature on the Mechanical Pump Slippage in Heavy Oil

Wells with Steam Injection
L.C. Benavides Diaz, A. Gil Chacon, Weatherford; J. Ortiz, Escuela Colombiana de Carreras Industriales.

Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Artificial Lift Conference-Americas held in Cartagena, Colombia, 21-22 May 2013.

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 any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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Abstract

In the last two decades the participation of heavy oils in the global volumes of production of oil has been constantly increasing
and so the requirement for the development and adjusts of the existing technologies within the different stages of the extraction
process of the petroleum.

For the specific case of the production of these oils to achieve the goal of making this flow economically viable up to the
Surface is normally the bigger risk with their high viscosity being the main risk. In this way the use of the cyclic injection of
steam is the improved and most commonly used method of recovery which increases the temperature of the oil and decreases
its viscosity while allows an easier extraction of the resource.

Therefore a research was developed showing how the change of temperature decreases the efficiency of the pump due to the
increase of the slippage which in turn is due to drop in the viscosity of the oil and, like in some wells, depending on the
permeability of the sand a peak is shown in the efficiency at the beginning of the production because of a momentary
pressurization of the well. All this based on slippage formulas developed by different authors, lab tests and field data acquired
in the Zone of Moriche, municipality of Puerto Boyacá, where the steam injection is currently used for the extraction of
petroleum.

Finally, these data were the start point to develop a new design of pump which adapts to the temperature changes and is more
efficient under the conditions of steam injection than the conventional pumps, all this seeking the optimization of the
petroleum extraction process in the industry.

Introduction

Since the beginning of the artificial extraction of the petroleum, the most commonly used technology has been the mechanical
pumping in which the fundamental principle is a set of piston-barrel, where the piston displaces in a reciprocating manner
inside the barrel opening a travelling valve in the down stroke and allowing the petroleum going up the surface while a
stationary valve in the upstroke allows the intake of the fluid into the compression chamber of the set (a more detailed
explanation is shown in figure 1) [1].

A critical parameter of this technology is the space existing between the outer diameter of the piston (OD) and the inner
diameter of the barrel (ID), which is called clearance [2], because it´s there where the phenomenon of the slippage occurs
which nothing else but the precipitation of the oil through the clearance of the pump, which has encouraged many authors
since 1930 to theoretically and experimentally study the problem of the slippage of the mechanical pumps for the petroleum
extraction, analyzing different variables influencing this phenomena and developing formulas to anticipate the quantity of fluid
filtering between the barrel and the piston [3].
2 SPE 165031

Figure 1: Basic function of a reciprocating pump for petroleum extraction.

The basic structure of the equation of the slippage that has been under development is shown below:

∆𝑃𝑃𝐷𝐷
𝐶𝐶

                                                                                                                                                                             𝐵𝐵 = 𝐾𝐾                                                                                                                                                                (1)
𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇

Where B is the slippage (BPD)

P is the differential pressure between the intake and output of the pump (psi)
D is the outer diameter of the piston (inches)
C is the clearance of the pump (space between the piston and the barrel in inches)
µ is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid (centipoises)
L is the length of the piston (inches)
K, X and Z are the constants.

By reviewing the literature about the topic and the Ec. (1), it´s observed that the temperature is taken as a constant datum and
its effects on the pump are depreciated, so that the phenomena such as thermal expansion and the change of the viscosity of the
fluid due to temperature changes are left aside or taken in a second plane with no direct relation to the slippage [3]. Besides
this, if we take into account that the cyclic steam injection is currently used for the extraction of high viscosity or heavy oil
(API less than 20) [4], as a means to elevate the temperature of the fluid and decrease the viscosity prior the start of the
production, facilitating the flow of oil through the moving parts of the pump up to the surface [5], it´s necessary to analyze the
effects of these changes of temperature on the volumetric efficiency of the pump and in case they are adverse, pose a possible
solution to counteract them.

Materials and Methods

To identify the effects of the change of temperature on the efficiency of the pump due to the cyclic injection of the steam,
production true data were taken from 308 wells in the field Moriche in Puerto Boyacá, which are under steam injection and the
same system of rod pump for each of the cases (Steam by Pass Pump) [6]. A sample of the most important data taken in the
field is found in the following table:

Table 1: Sample of the field data

Date Temperature BFPD* BOPD** Stroke SPM*** Pressure
06/06/2012 98°C 18 17.604 137 in 1 679 psi
*Fluid barrels per day; **Oil barrels per day; ***Stroke/minute

It´s important to highlight that the data were taken since the commissioning of each of the Wells until July the 30th, 2012 with
an approximate weekly regularity.
Besides this, samples of oil were taken (grade API 14) to measure the viscosity in the lab at different temperatures. The results
of the test are shown in the following figure:
SPE 165031 3

Figure 2: Viscosity of the oil from the field Moriche, grade API 14 at different temperatures.

By using the data from the field and the Ec. 2 [7], graphs were made showing the volumetric efficiency of the pump versus the
oil temperature since the beginning of the production after the steam injection until the end of the production, at the beginning
of the steam injection. The graphs of the performance of the Wells are shown below:

𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵
                                                                                                                                             𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 = 6.7375  𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵                                                                                                                                              (2)
𝐴𝐴 ∗ 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 ∗ 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆

Where BFPD are the true barrels of fluid per day

A is the transverse area of the piston (square inches)
Stroke, is the trip of the piston (inches)
SPM is the number of strokes per minute.
Bo is oil volumetric formation factor.

Figure 3: Performance graph versus the temperature of the well MOR-AN202.

4 SPE 165031

Figure 4: Performance graph versus temperature of the well MOR-Y004.

Figures 3 and 4 show the two trends found in the efficiency graphs in the wells; the first shows a upward behavior from the
beginning of the production, being this the point with the highest temperature, until a stable efficiency at the normal
temperature of the well (±90°C according to the data of the field); in the second graph a peak of the efficiency is shown at the
beginning of the injection and then descending until the point of minimal efficiency and ascends to a stable performance at the
normal temperature of the well.

To have a comparative point It´s necessary to perform a theoretical simulation of the function of the pump to identify whether
the temperature affects the efficiency. As we already have the graph showing the way in which the viscosity changes with the
temperature, we only need to observe the way in which the clearance of the pump changes due to the thermal expansion of the
piston-barrel set, for this, the theoretical calculations using the Ec. 3 [8] were made which are simulations in a software of
analysis of finite elements [9] and lab tests. The average results are shown in table 2.

                                                                                                                                                           𝐷𝐷
= 𝐷𝐷
1 + 𝛼𝛼
𝑇𝑇
− 𝑇𝑇
                                                                                                                                                         (3)

Where Df is the final diameter (inches)

Do is the initial diameter (inches)
l is the coefficient of the thermal expansion (1/°C)
Tf is the final temperature (°C)
Ti is the initial temperature (°C)

Table 2: Variation of clearance with the change of temperature

Temperature ( C) ID Barrel (in) OD Piston (in) Clearance (in)
20 2.001 1.990 0.0110
100 2.003 1.992 0.0110
200 2.006 1.995 0.0110
300 2.008 1.997 0.0110
400 2.010 1.999 0.0111
550 2.014 2.003 0.0111

The data of a rod pump with 1.99 inch piston were used for the calculations of table 2, with a clearance of 0.011 inches , a
maximal design temperature of 550 °C and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the steel AISI 1030 [6].

Now to simulate the theoretical efficiency of the pump, we assume that the temperature, the viscosity of the oil and the
clearance of the pump are the only aspects that vary for which the losses of fluid are due to the slippage; the following
formulas will be used to calculate the slippage [2, 3, and 7]:
SPE 165031 5

∆𝑃𝑃𝐷𝐷
.
𝐶𝐶
.

                                                                                                       𝐵𝐵 = 2.01𝑋𝑋10
 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷  𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇  𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎  𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶  1961                                                                                                        (4)
𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇

∆𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝐶𝐶
.

                                                                                                       𝐵𝐵 = 870  𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻  𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒  2000                                                                                                                                                                        (5)
𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇

∆𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝐶𝐶
.

                                                                                                       𝐵𝐵 = 654  𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎  𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾  𝐶𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎  2005                                                                                                                                            (4)
𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇

These are the main equations that have been developed by different authors to calculate the slippage. Following is the graph
resulting from the theoretical simulation con varying temperature, viscosity and clearance:

Figure 5: Theoretical simulation with variation of temperature.

We observe a drop at high temperatures in the performance curves, with a trend similar to the one in the figure 3.

On the other hand, it´s presumed that the peak of efficiency in the figure 4, in the maximal temperature point, is due to a
momentary pressurization that some wells suffer because of the permeability of the sand at the end of the process of injection
of steam, at the beginning of the production, so these data are entered into the formula and a pressurization is simulated at this
point. Following is the resulting graph:

Figure 6: Theoretical simulation with varying temperature and high pressure at the beginning of the production.

With the trend in figure 6, in the high temperature zone, the theory of the increase of the efficiency due to momentary
pressurization at the beginning of the production is corroborated in some of the wells studied.
6 SPE 165031

Results

According to the trends observed in the graphs of the field (figures 3 and 4) and in the theoretical graphs (figures 5 and 6), it
was possible to corroborate that the pumps show a drop of efficiency due to the increase of the slippage which in turn, is due to
the low viscosity that the fluid has at elevated temperatures, taking into account that the clearance of the pump is designed to
work at constant temperature. So a design of pump is proposed which takes advantage of the temperature change via the
thermal expansion so that the clearance is big enough at ambient temperature to allow the lubrication of the pump with the
heavy oil and the minimal clearance at high temperature to avoid the slippage without neglecting the lubrication of the pump.

Therefore three materials are proposed to manufacture the piston which has a coefficient of thermal expansion bigger than the
one of the current material but with very similar chemical properties. Following is a table showing the variation of the
clearance depending on the temperature for each of the materials, with a maximal temperature of 550 °C [6, 10]:
Table 3: Variation of clearance with the new materials
Clearance (in)
Temp ( C)
AISI 304 ( = 1.73 µ/ C) Alum 7075 ( = 2.37µ/ C) Brass ( = 1.84µ/ C)
20 0.0068 0.0105 0.0077
100 0.0059 0.0086 0.0067
200 0.0048 0.0062 0.0053
300 0.0037 0.0039 0.0040
400 0.0026 0.0015 0.0027
550 0.0009 * 0.0007
*It´s not recommended since it exceeds the melting temperature of the material.

Now the curve of efficiency is made for each of the materials, as shown below:

Figure 7: Theoretical efficiency with piston AISI 304 clearance 7.

Figure 8: Theoretical efficiency with piston Alum 7075 clearance 11.

SPE 165031 7

Figure 9: Theoretical efficiency with piston Brass clearance 8.

It´s evident that there is a considerable increase with the new designs in the efficiency of the pump if we compare figures 7, 8
and 9 with the figure 5. Besides this, the static factor of safety was calculated as well as the stress for each of the new pistons
and for the current one, as shown in the following table:

Table 4: Factors of safety for the piston designs

Material Static FS FS Stress
Steel 1030 6.36 2.56
AISI 304 4.51 2.37
Aluminum 7075 10.65 2.61
Brass 8.62 2.72

Taking into account the data previously analyzed, we select the design of the piston AISI 304 with a 0.007 in clearance as this
gives us a greater efficiency: the safety factors are over two and by analyzing the chemical properties of the steel we can
perform a dressing in Spray Metal, necessary to work under the corrosive environment in the oil wells.

Conclusions

By analyzing the trends in the field graphs (figures 3 and 4) versus the theoretical graphs (figures 5 and 6), we can conclude
that there is a drop in the efficiency related to the increase in the temperature causing a decrease in the viscosity of the fluid
which in turn increases the slippage, as the clearance is designed to work at a constant temperature (±90°C in the wells of
Moriche), where the oil has a high viscosity.

The steel piston AISI 304 was selected with a 0.007 in clearance as the fittest to develop the prototype of the rod pump to
extract petroleum because we get an increase in the volumetric efficiency about 45% at a 190 °C temperature and therefore the
static factor of safety and stress is over 2 (similar to the current design), which permit to think of a suitable design for the
operation estimated conditions.

It should be noticed that the AISI 304 steel piston design has a ±0.007inch clearance of 20 °C and ±0.001 inches at 550 °C,
which guarantees the lubrication recommended for this type of pumps [11], in each of the temperature scenarios.

It should be mentioned that the viscosity varies with the temperature depending on the type of oil [12], so that it´s difficult to
establish a unique variation of the clearance for any type of petroleum thus posing the main objective of a design in which the
clearance is maximum at normal temperatures and minimum at maximal temperature of the design which is achieved in the
design previously chosen.

Finally, we establish the basis to formulate new patterns of slippage taking into account the variation of the temperature and it
also permits to formulate an increase in the selection process of rod pumps having the temperature as the input data by the
moment to optimize a system in wells of heavy oil with steam injection for the improvement of the volumetric efficiencies of
the extraction systems with reciprocating pumps.
8 SPE 165031

References

[1] ALS & RRLS, Corse with mechanical pumping, Weatherford, Vol. 10, pp. 20-25, 2012.

[2] H. Fischer, Training Manual Fort Worth, Texas, pp. 12-30, 2000.

[3] R.K Chambliss; Developing Plunger Slippage Equation for Rod-Drawn Oil Well Pumps, Ph.D. thesis, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
pp. 25-58, 2005.

[4] Mansarovar Energy Colombia LTD, www.mansarovar.com.co, 2012.

[5] M. Homayoni, Sh. Ayatollahi y A. Lashanizadegan, Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery Using Steam Injection, School of Chemical and
petroleum Engineering Shiraz University, 2002

[6] Weatherford, Subsurface Rod Pump Parts and Accessories, Houston, Texas, pp 80-95, 2008.

[7] R.W. Reekstin, Minimizing Slippage in Subsurface Pumps, The Petroleum Engineer, vol. 32, pp. 23-26, 1960.

[8] C. J. Coberly Theory and Application of Hydraulic Oil Well Pumps, Kobe, Inc., Huntington Park, California, 1961.

[9] Autodesk, Autodesk Simulation Multiphysics, Static Stress with Linear Material Models, 2012.

[10] General Company of Steels, Technical cards, www.cga.com.co, 2012.

[11] R.U. Rodríguez, Optimización del Bombeo Mecánico Campo Tigre, Ph.D. thesis, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuador, pp.
60-78, 2005

[12] J P Wauquier, El Refino del Crudo, Paris, Francia, pp.30-65, 1994.