Recommended Practice for Care and Use of Subsurface Pumps

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 11AR FOURTH EDITION, JUNE 2000

ERRATA, DECEMBER 2013

REAFFIRMED, FEBRUARY 2020

Recommended Practice for Care and Use of Subsurface Pumps

Upstream Segment

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 11AR FOURTH EDITION, JUNE 2000

ERRATA, DECEMBER 2013

REAFFIRMED, FEBRUARY 2020

SPECIAL NOTES

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Copyright © 2000 American Petroleum Institute

FOREWORD

Jurisdiction. This recommended practice (RP) is under the jurisdiction of the American Petroleum Institute (API) Committee on Standardization of Production Equipment.

Purpose. This document presents recommended practices for the care and use of subsur- face pumps.

American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practices are published to facilitate the broad availability of proven, sound engineering and operating practices. These Recom- mended Practices are not intended to obviate the need for applying sound judgment as to when and where these Recommended Practices should be utilized.

Attention Users of This Publication: Portions of this publication have been changed from the previous edition. The location of changes has been marked with a bar in the margin. In some cases the changes are significant, while in other cases the changes reflect minor edi- torial adjustments. The bar notations in the margins are provided as an aid to users to identify those parts of this publication that have been changed from the previous edition, but API makes no warranty as to the accuracy of such bar notations.

Note: This is the third edition of this API Recommended Practice. It was authorized by the Committee on Standardization of Production Equipment at the 1988 Standardization Con- ference as reported in Circ PS-1858, and subsequently approved by letter ballot.

The formulation and publication of API Recommended Practices is not intended to, in any way, inhibit anyone from using any other practices.

Any Recommended Practice may be used by anyone desiring to do so, and a diligent effort has been made by API to assure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein. However, the Institute makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with the publication of any Recommended Practice and hereby expressly disclaims any lia- bility or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use, for any violation of any fed- eral, state, or municipal regulation with which an API recommendation may conflict, or for the infringement of any patent resulting from the use of this publication.

API publications may be used by anyone desiring to do so. Every effort has been made by the Institute to assure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in them; however, the Institute makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with this publication and hereby expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use or for the violation of any federal, state, or municipal regulation with which this publication may conflict.

Suggested revisions are invited and should be submitted to the general manager of the Upstream Segment, American Petroleum Institute, 1220 L Street, N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20005.

iii

1. Tubing Pumps 4

2. Rod Pumps 5

3. To Obtain Optimum Performance 6

4. Allowable Pump Setting Depths 6

1. COMMON PUMP PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 13

   1. Corrosion 13

   2. Fluid Pound 13

   3. Gas Pound 14

   4. Gas Lock 14

   5. Sand Problems 14

   6. Scale Problem 14

   7. Systematic Problem Solving 15

2. MATERIAL SELECTION 22

3. PUMP REPAIR 24

   1. General 24

   2. Conditions 24

   3. Insert Pump 24

   4. Tubing Pump 46

4. CARE AND HANDLING OF SUBSURFACE PUMPS 47

5. RECORDKEEPING 48

Tables

1. Pump Type Modes of Failure and Reference Figures 8

2. Yield Collapse Pressure Formula Range 9

3. Formula Factors and D/t Ranges for Plastic Collapse 9

4. Formula Factors and D/t Ranges for Transition Collapse 10

5. Common Pump Barrel Material Mechanical Properties 11

6. Pump OD/ID/Thread Data 11

7. Pump Setting Depths (ft) for Common Barrel Materials 12

8. Pump Designations 22

9. Pump Fittings 40

v

Page

Figures

1. Pumping System 1

2. Operation of Tubing Type Pump 3

3. A Typical Tubing Pump 4

4. A Typical Traveling Barrel Pump 5

5. A Typical Stationary Barrel, Bottom Hold Down, Pump 7

6. A Typical Stationary Barrel,Top Hold Down, Pump 7

7. Subsurface Sucker Rod Pump Loading Configurations 8

8. A Systematic Approach to Problem Well Tests 15

9. Valves Good Fluid Weight Satisfactory 16

10. Valves Good Fluid Weight Less Than Satisfactory 17

11. Indicated Valve Leaks TV or SV. 18

12. Only SV or TV Recorded 19

13. Abnormal Load Indicated by Valve Measurements and by Card Shape 20

14. A Systematic Approach to Problem Well Tests Without

    Weight Measurements 21

15. Pump Designations 23

1. API Sucker Rod Pump Repair/New Pump Log 49

2. API Sucker Rod Pump Repair Report 50

Recommended Practice for Care and Use of Subsurface Pumps

1. Scope

   1. The intent of this recommended practice is to give infor- mation on the proper selection, operation and maintenance of subsurface pumps so the best economical life can be obtained.

   2. The basic walking-beam sucker rod combination for producing fluids from the ground had its beginning in very early history. In more recent times, many advances in design and metallurgy have evolved. The method is so popular that today approximately 90 percent of all artificially lifted wells are produced by a sucker rod pump.

   3. The downhole sucker rod pump is only one portion of the pumping system (see Figure 1). The other major compo- nents are the sucker rod string, the surface pumping unit and the prime mover. For proper pumping operation and long maintenance-free runs, all components of the system must be designed and sized properly, taking into account well depth, the amount and viscosity of fluids (oil, water or gas) to be produced, and abrasiveness and corrosiveness of fluids. A failure of any one of the pumping components will result in a shut down of the system, resulting in a costly repair, down- time and possible loss of production.

Wire line

Wire line hangar

Stuffing box Bleeder

Polished rod clamp

Polished rod

Flow line

Tubing head

Casing head

Foundation

Polished

rod sub Surface pipe

Casing Sucker rod

Tubing

Sucker rod coupling

Barrel Metal plunger

Barrel coupling

Traveling valve

Standing valve puller Barrel coupling

Extension nipple Tubing coupling

Standing valve Seating nipple Tuping coupling

Perforated nipple

Tubing coupling Gas anchor

Mud anchor Bull plug

Tubing coupling

Figure 1—Pumping System

1