Progressive Cavity Pump

(PCP)
 Introduction

A PCP consists of a single rotor which rotates

inside stator, the rotor is made from high
strength steel and stator from elastomer.

When the rotor is inserted in the stator, two

chains of cavities are formed and as the rotor
turns within the stator, the sealed cavity moves
up and carries the well fluid.
 introduction


The rotor is attached to the sucker rods and stator

attached to the tubing.


PCP types are designated by two numbers, The first

one is the pumping rate in m3/d at 500 RPM and zero

head. The second one indicates the head capacity in

meters. 600TP900 The pumping rate is 600 m3/d and

head is 900 m.
 Definition of oil field PCP

Progressing Cavity pumping (PCP) is a cost-

effective form of artificial lift that simplifies oil

production and withstands erosive attack.

PCPs displace wellbore fluid by transferring

it through a series of small, discrete cavities

RIH PCP at G-3 well,
Gassab-S.Sudan
formed from the turning of a helical rotor

within a stator.
Why is PCP used in petroleum industry?

The PCP is used in oil industry, because of its

pumping ability to produce high viscosity crude oil not
possible to be recovered by the conventional and
traditionally lift methods such as Beam pump, ESP,
and Gas lift.

The use of PC pump in downhole oilfield applications

began in early 1980 with very high overall efficiency
performance.
 Advantages of PCP over other pumps

Efficient power usage

Decrease capital cost and operating cost

Excellent for viscous crude.

Resistant to abrasive and solids.

Non-pulsating. Does not gas lock or emulsify fluids.

Oil gravities from 5 to 42 API

High suction capability

 Limitations of PCP

Sensitive to overpressure and pump off.

Restricted flow rate (<5000 bpd) and setting depths (<8000 ft)

Limiting operating temperature (normally <250 degrees F)

Not compatible with some chemicals,H2S 6%, CO2 30%,

Aromatics 12%, and high API gravity oils.

Running dry ( if PCP operate without fluid, the pump stator

deteriorates rapidly).
 PCP Equipment

PCP Equipment has been divided into two (2),

namely:

Surface Equipment.

Downhole Equipment.

And Accessories
  Surface Equipment

The surface equipment of PCP is

generally called Drive Head.

The Drive Head (DH) is further

divided into two parts, namely;

 Mechanical parts of DH

Electrical parts of DH
Mechanical components of drive head


Belt Guard


Belts & Pulleys


Stuffing Box with Oryx Seal/parking glance


Hex Shaft with Hex Clamp


Gearbox( Brake system)


PCP BOP
 Belt Guard

 Accommodates a belt and protects

personnel operating on the PCP’s drive

head.


It prevents hands and clothing from getting

caught in a PCP’s rapidly spinning belt

drive


Therefore, it is generally a safety device.
 Belt & pulleys, hex shaft

The function of belts, pulleys & hex shaft

is:

To transmit the rotation to the rod string

Belt
 Hex/Rod Clamp

Function:

To carry the load of the rod

string and that of the fluid in the
tubing.
  Stuffing Box with Oryx Seal/parking gland

function:

Stuffing box prevents the produced oil Stuffing box

from leaking out. It contains packing gland

that provides the actual sealing.

In general, the stuffing box isolates the packing gland

drive unit from the well fluid.
 Gearbox (brake system)

To increase or reduce speed. As a result,

torque output will be the inverse of the speed gearbox
function. It also contains a brake system that
control backward rotation.

In general, it increases the output torque/turning

effect or to change the speed (RPM) of a motor.
 PCP BOP

To ensures safe operation and production

of progressive cavity pump (PCP) system.
It is connected between wellhead and
PCP drive head and equipped with ram’s PCP BOP

seal to be able to close on polished rods

to secure wellbore. It also integrates a
flow tee to connect the tubing string to the
production flow line.
 Electrical components of Drive Head

AC motor (55kW)

VSD (variable speed drive)

Quill wire
 Motor (AC 55kW)

An electric motor (AC) converts

electrical energy into mechanical
energy. It operates through the
interaction between the motor’s
magnetic field and electric current in a AC motor at G-3
wire winding to generate a force in the
form of rotation of a polished rod.
VSD (variable Speed Drive)

VSD allows the production optimization.

VSD acts as a safety device, preventing

PCP from over torque due to sand &
swelling.
Downhole equipment of PCP
 Stop bushing/stopping/tag
Polished Rod
bar
Sucker rods  Torque anchor

Sucker Rod Centralizers  Mule shoe

Rotor

Stator

Pup joint
Polished Rod (PR)

It carries the greatest pumping loads.

Hence transmitting the pumping
movement to sucker rods.

It permits a seal to be formed against

the leaking of well fluids.

Sucker rods

Sucker rod's function is to transmit the

rotation from Top Drive to the rotor.

The max. stress is at the top of the rod

string.

Sucker rod length 25 or 30 ft.

Pony rods 1- 2- 4- 6- 8- 10- 12 ft

Sucker Rods Grades

There are three grades of sucker rods.

API grade C, made from carbon-manganese steel.

For medium duty in noncorrosive fluid.

API grade k, from nickel-molybdenum alloy steel.

For medium duty in corrosive fluid (H2s, Co2).

API grade D, from chrome-molybdenum alloy steel.

For heavy duty in noncorrosive fluid.
Sucker Rods Centralizers

To stabilize rod string

Eliminate tubing and rod coupling

wear.

Reduce torque
 Rotor


The rotor seals tightly against the stator and

turns eccentrically inside it. This configuration

creates a set of fixed-size cavities between the

rotor and stator that moves as the rotor rotates

and carry the production fluid through the pump

in pulsation-free linear flow.

Stator

A stator enables the PCP to withstand

the rigorous operating conditions of
enhanced oil recovery methods that
expose the pump to temperature as
high as 350 degrees Celsius.

It is also a stationary housing of a rotor.

Pup Joint

The pup joint is connected on top of the

stator.

Function

To allow eccentric movement of the rotor

head and its coupling, when the inside
diameter of the tubing is too small.
Stop bushing/stopping/tag bar

The stop bushing is connected to the bottom

end of the stator.

Functions:
Stop bushing

it serves as a landing spot during installation

or spacing out of the rotor.

it provides a standoff length of 30cm (1ft) for

the possible elongation of the rod string
when the pump is running.
Torque anchor

The torque anchor is connected to the

bottom end of the stop bushing.

To avoid the risk of tubing disconnection

due to friction and torque between rotor
and stator during operation.

In general, torque anchor prevents the PC

pump from rotating.
Tubing drain
The tubing drain is connected on top pump
assembly, along tubing string.

To provide a simple method for draining

the tubing during string before tripping out.

It has a shear pinned sleeve and it is

activated by inside pressure.

The opening pressure can be adjusted by

using the required number of shear screws.
Mule shoe
The mule shoe is connected to the bottom
end of torque anchor.

It provides a solution to ease tubing entry in

tight hole

In other words, it acts as an intake of the

PC pump.

It is used for removing mud, sand other &

particles from borehole.
 Spacing out

The spacing is the length of the rod string that must

be lifted up to ensure proper distance of the rotor
end to stop pin when the pump is running. It is the
safety minimum distance in which the rotor must be
away from the stop pin. This enables proper
operation of the pump without the risk of the rotor to
work in contact with the stop pin. It is done as follow:-
Spacing out


Lay the Polished Rod Assembly beside the

Sucker Rod which was Tagged and place the

Last Tag parallel with the Polished Rod Tag


If the length of the Polished Rod exceeds the

length of the Sucker Rod Break out another

Sucker rod until it exceeds the length of the PR.

Spacing out

Add a Centralizer at the end of the PR and fill

in the remaining length with Pony Rods.

NOTE: Pony Rods should not exceed the

Sucker Rods

 Add the Pony Rods to the Rod String.

The rotor end must be far enough from the stop

pin to avoid metal-to-metal running.
Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting is the identification of the failure mode

and application of the recommended practice to deal

with the problems based on technical considerations.

Problem 1: Low continuous flow rate @ Low Pump

Volumetric Efficiency. Speed as previously set.

Amps range is within expected limits.

Troubleshooting

Probable Cause: Poor spacing. Rotor running in

contact with stop pin.

Recommended Actions: Lift rotor. Check stop pin on

bottom device is still working. Re-space. Restart.

Problem 2: Prime mover (electric motor) shuts-

down. Amps are higher than expected limits.

Probable Cause: Motor horsepower undersized for

the application.
Troubleshooting

Recommended Action: Re-check the horsepower

requirements based on hydraulic parameters of the
installation.
Problem 3: Elastomer failure modes
Probable cause: Normal wear and abrasion, high
temperature & chemical attack.
Recommended actions: proper selection, monitor fluid
levels & reduce particle velocity
Thank you for your attention