Pump Intake Pressures from

Dynamometer Pump Cards

Valve Check Load Tests
Fluid Levels Shots

Lynn Rowlan
 Acoustic PIP Calculation
 Requires
Requires stabilized
stabilized conditions
conditions
 Determination
Determination of
of Liquid
Liquid Level
Level Depth
Depth
– Avg.
Avg. Joint
Joint Length,
Length, Acoustic
Acoustic Velocity,
Velocity, SG
SG
Gas
Gas ….
….
 Measurement
Measurement of of casing
casing pressure
pressure
 Tubing,
Tubing, Casing
Casing Size,
Size, &
& Pump
Pump Depth
Depth
 Oil,
Oil, water
water and
and annular
annular gas
gas densities
densities
 Measurement
Measurement of of casing
casing pressure
pressure
buildup
buildup rate
rate (at
(at Producing
Producing Conditions)
Conditions)
PIP (Fluid Levels)
Calculate Pump Intake Pressure from Fluid Level

PIP = Casing Pressure + Gas Gradient * Liquid Level + Gaseous (Gradient*Height)

Dynamometer PIP Calculation
 Requires
Requires stabilized
stabilized conditions
conditions
 Determination
Determination of
of Fluid
Fluid Load
Load
» Pump
Pump Card
Card or
or (TV
(TV Load
Load –– SV
SV Load)
Load)
 Measurement
Measurement of of tubing
tubing pressure
pressure
 Pump
Pump Diameter,
Diameter, Rod
Rod String
String &
& Pump
Pump
Depth
Depth
 Oil,
Oil, water
water and
and gas
gas densities
densities
 Oil,
Oil, water,
water, and
and gas
gas Production
Production Rate
Rate
 Damping
Damping Coefficients
Coefficients
Fluid
Fluid Load,
Load, Fo,
Fo, Has
Has Two
Two Reference
Reference Lines
Lines
Fo - Fluid Load is the
load that the Pump
applies to the rod
string.

Fo = FoUp - FoDn
Upstroke: FoUp = (Pdis - Pintk) * Ap
Downstroke: FoDn = 0

Two reference lines

1. FoMax = Pdis * Ap
FoMax is the maximum load that the
pump would apply to the rod string
assuming pump intake pressure is
Fo zero. The well would provides no help
in lifting the fluid to the surface.
2. Zero Load Line
PIP (Dynamometer)
Calculate Pump Intake Pressure from Fluid Load

TV

SV

FoUp
Fo (Valve Test) = (TV –
SV)
FoDn

Fo (Pump Card ) = (FoUp – FoDn)

PIP = Tubing Pressure + Tubing Gradient * Pump Depth (TVD) – Fo /Plunger Area
Calculate PIP using Fo from Pump Card

Fo =
(FoUp – FoDn)
Calculate PIP using Fo from Valve Test

Fo = (TV – SV)

Fo

TV SV
Well Data
PIP Examples
1) Pump Cards
Valve Checks
Fluid Levels

2) Load Measured
a) Horseshoe
b) PRT
c) Modified Leutert

3) 16 selected from
38 possible files
Pump Intake Pressure from 16 Wells
1) Average Error (PIP – Avg) = 436.4 Psig
2) (Meas – Avg) / Avg = 7.7% – 123.4% Avg 64%
3) Pump Cards (3) Fluid Levels (5) Valve Check (8)
7 – Fluid Pound
Unanchored Tbg
Fo = 2744
1.5” = 1.78 in2 PIP = 35

Fo(fl) = 2620
Fo(pc) = 2744
Fo(vc) = 2623 PIP = 58

PIP = 45
38 – V11 Normal
Pumped Off Well
1.5” = 1.78 in2 Fo = 4007 ~ PIP = 66

Fo(fl) = 3977
Fo(pc) = 4007
Fo(vc) = 4278 PIP = 43

PIP = 62
 9 – Gas
Interference
2.25” = 3.98 in2 Fo = 4376
PIP = 735

Fo(fl) = 4399
Fo(pc) = 4376
Fo(vc) = 5045 PIP = 647

PIP = 722
35 – Trash Sticks
TV Open
1.5” = 1.78 in2 Fo = 1965 ~ PIP = 365

Fo(fl) = 1962
Fo(pc) = 1965
Fo(vc) = 449 PIP = 1228

PIP = 352
18 - PFL DHM
Casing Weight
Change
Fo = 7252 ~ PIP = 386
Fo(fl) = 7457
Fo(pc) = 7252
Fo(vc) = 6857
PIP = 550

PIP = 287
Pump Intake Pressure (Exclude Valve Check PIPs)
1) Average Error (PIP – Avg) = 242 Psig
2) (Meas – Avg) / Avg = 0.8% – 81.6% Avg 30.5%
3) Improved Average Error from 436 Psig
 Improved Calc
Intake Pressures
6613 Fo = 393
by Excluding:
Problems Due to:
Asphaltenes in Pump
TV Action Erratic
12 - Leak Hole In Pump Barrel
Hole In Pump Barrel

Result in:
1) High Fluid Level
Fo = 1307
2) Erratic Pump Loads
3) Not Representative

36 - TV Action Erratic
Pump Intake Pressure (Exclude Dyno w/ Problems)
1) Average Error (PIP – Avg) = 55.7 Psig
2) (Meas – Avg) / Avg = 0.8% – 72% Avg 23.1%
3) Best Match at Lower Pump Intake Pressures
 Calculated Intake Pressures
Improved by:
38 - V11 …………………………….… Normal Well, OK
33 - Tagging Unanchored ……..…… Pumped Off, Fluid Level at Pump
37 - Unaccounted Wellbore Friction .. Adjusted Pump Card, Fo
9- Gas Interference ………………... Adjusted Tubing Fluid Gradient
10 – Gearbox Balance ………………. Normal Well, OK
2- Anchored With Rod Stretch ……
Manually selected collar interval
35 - Trash Sticks TV Open ………….
dPdT not correct, changed(0.7 to 0.3)
7– FluidPoundUnAnchoredTubing .
Use defaults for FoUp and FoDn
16 - Need Gas Separator …………..
18 - PFL_DHM_CasingWtChange .. User selected FoUp Load
32 - Tagging Fiberglass Rods on … User selected FoUp Load
Downstroke Average Joint Length incorrect, too
1 - Anchored but NOT Set ……….. high of PFL (Exclude Data)
5 - Bad Tail Bearing ………………. User selected FoUp and FoDn
Avg of Downstroke Loads, change
tubing gradient from 0.412 to 0.38
37 - Unaccounted
Wellbore
Friction
2.25” = 3.98 in2 PIP = 330

Fo(fl) = 7457
Fo(pc) = 7252
Fo(vc) = 6857 PIP = 18

PIP = 341
16 – Need Gas
Separator
Fo = 2737 ~ PIP = 227
1.25” =1.22 in2

Fo(fl) = 2718 PIP = 117 w/ DS Friction

Fo(pc) = 2737
Fo(vc) = 2682 PIP = 272

PIP = 228

PIP = 117 w/ DS Friction

Corrected Calculation of Pump Intake Pressures
1) Average Error (PIP – Avg) = 4.5 Psig
2) (Meas – Avg) / Avg = 0.1% – 12% Avg 3.0%
3) Improved Average Error from 436 Psig
Accuracy of PIP from Dynamometer
Measured Loads Depends On
1) Load cell damaged
2) Calibration of the load cell
• Zero Offset and Hysteresis
• Not centrally loaded
3) Pump card shifted off the zero load line
4) Specifying a tubing fluid gradient, difficult in
wells that flow or have lots of gas.
5) Unaccounted friction: deviated wells, tight
stuffing boxes, bottled up pumps, or paraffin
6) Bad/Missing Input Data

15000 lbs x 1% x 1.50” Plunger = 267 psi

 Accuracy of PIP from
Fluid Levels Depends On
1) Can’t shoot Fluid level when Pumping
Below Packer
2) User Frequently does not Verify Input Data
• Default Avg. Joint Length
• Other Missing Data
3) Gaseous Liquid ? for very high Fluid Levels,
CO2 and Viscous Crude
4) Operator does not review and verify
analysis done automatically by software

Fluid Level off by 1 joint = 11 psi

 Conclusions
1) Should not accept default analysis for PIP
• Initial Average PIP Error was 436 psi
• Initial Maximum Error was 2556 psi
2) Error impacts PIP differently
• Fluid Level Off by 1 Tubing Joint ~ 11 Psi
• 1% Error in Dyno Load ~ 267 psi Error
3) PIP from Valve Checks most Error
4) PIP from Pump Card in the Middle
5) PIP from Fluid Level has Least Error

6) Proper Analysis Results in Accurate PIP