Vladimir V. Roudakov's thesis
by
Vladimir V. Roudakov, MSE
University of Texas at Austin, 2002
Supervisor: Augusto L. Podio
Sucker rod pumps are installed in the majority of oil wells in the U.S. Although they
have been widely used for decades, there are a few issues that cause malfunctions
that generate economic expenses. In particular there are some issues in fluid dynamics
of the pump that have not been fully investigated.
Many problems in sucker rod pumping, including partial pump filling, gas interference;
fluid pound and forces at the polished rod are strongly influenced by the hydraulics of
the pump. One of the least known factors that affect pump’s efficiency is the pressure
drop across the valves.
The pressure drop across the standing and traveling valves is very important because of
the effect it has on pump fillage, gas breakout and compressive loads on the valve rod.
Viscosity along with the pump speed plays major role in this pressure drop through the
valves. These dependences were investigated in the following study. Several experiments
were conducted to analyze influence of these factors. Results of the tests are presented
in this study.
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