2021 International Sucker Rod

Pumping Virtual Workshop

February 8-12, 2021

Rod pump monitoring and optimization:

New physics for today’s problems

Acoustic
Wells
Dr. Sebastien Mannai
Dr. Charles-Henri Clerget

[email protected]
1 2021 International Sucker Rod Pumping Virtual Workshop
Agenda
 Goals

 System presentation

 New technologies and approaches

 Case studies
 Well setpoint optimization

 Gas locking

 Efficacy of chemical treatments

 Future work and next steps

 Conclusion

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Goals
Show the benefits of field-wide monitoring, control and
optimization

Streamlining SCADA through widespread IoT

Augment traditional dynacard approach with novel sensing

Deploy real-time AI for analysing large streams of high

resolution sensor feeds

Initial target: large, uninstrumented stripper fields

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 Lower oil prices mean lower
margins and producers focused on
running leaner operations
Market
conditions  Tighter regulations tend to enforce
new monitoring requirements and
accelerating better practices

adoption of  With a stronger focus on ESG topics

automation than ever before, the industry’s
environmental footprint has to be
continuously reduced, especially
gas emissions and liquid leaks

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Our approach: A field wide solution
 Upstream
 Underground pump monitoring and
Midstream
real-time pump optimization

 Pumpjack surface issue detection &

diagnosis

 Midstream
 Tank monitoring and leak detection
Control
 Production allocation and virtual flow
metering

 Control Upstream
 Well runtime adjustments and
automatic fail-safes

 Routing and workflow optimization

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System presentation: IoT for all
 Bringing stripper fields into the 21st century

 No infrastructure required for telemetry

 New long range 5G network + compression algorithms
 High resolution data 24/7

 Lowering sensor and automation cost

 New, affordable load cell technology + acoustic sensing
 No RTU/PLC, bare metal microcontrollers + cloud
computing
 Fully wireless with years of battery life

 Everything is recorded simultaneously

 Rod loading, current, vibration, acoustics, pressures

 AI in the cloud and on the edge

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High quality data collection, made simple

User Historian Intranet AP

IT MTU PLC Sensor

Today

HMI RTU Asset

Corporate Enterprise Software SCADA + Contractors

Extended value-add insights Self install & modular, beyond pump

Via Via
Tomorrow

User AW Cloud AW IIoT Sensor

API or direct Cat M1
dashboard CubeSat
Processing Edge
+ storage Asset

Corporate Acoustic Wells managed via SaaS arrangement

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New sensor approach: Acoustics
Surface
sensor

 Pump acts as a
speaker

 Tubing carries the

Field tested and sound waves to the
field proven surface

 Wellhead sensors pick

up the signal

Oil In Oil In

8
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New sensor approach: Acoustics
 Pros
 Insensitive to well deviation
 Good for surface piping
monitoring & flow pattern
anomaly detection
 Very cost effective

 Cons
 Must disentangle signals when
several wells are connected
on the same flowline
 Challenging signal to noise
ratio when pressure is low
(e.g. no backpressure valve)
 Newer and high data rate

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Sensitivity of the acoustic signal to changing
downhole conditions

Strong acoustic
anomaly when
pump gas fraction
increases

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Acoustic analysis gives precise underground
pump information

Traveling valve opening timing obtained using acoustics exactly

matches dynacard measurements as pump gas fraction increases

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Complementing pump cards to detect flow anomalies
 Surface tubing leak stopped well production despite
constant downhole conditions: obvious with frequency
analysis of tubing acoustic (cards and pressure not enough)

Well test: producing Well test: no longer producing

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Advanced signal processing of sensor feeds

 Acoustic signal is data intensive and requires significant

processing
Gas fraction / pump fillage
 Automatic compensation of all readings for
temperature and other environmental effects
Gas lock
AI/ML
layer
Valve wear state
Input data

Signal Anomaly detection

Physics-based
core model Predictive maintenance, etc.

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Case study 1: Haynesville-Bossier operator
Private Examining Chemical Control +
Wells +
operator assets treatment leak
tanks
with ~600 across 5 impact detection
installed
wells leases monitoring coming

Operating Classification

OK 7%

Overpumping 43%

Underpumping 14%

Mechanical Issues 36%

>90% of assets capable of significant improvement;

excludes impact of chemical & workflow optimization + leak detection

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Case study 1:
Setpoint adjustments of timer wells
Normalized polished rod position

Normalized polished rod load

Normalized acoustic signal

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Case study 1:
Setpoint adjustments of timer wells
 For a subset of 14 wells
 4 wells under-pumping (typical 10-20% increase in production)

 6 wells over-pumping (typical ~50% reduction in power usage)

 2 cases of severe gas lock (~20% and 50% of time spent pumping empty strokes)

 1 stuck traveling valve, 2 eroded traveling valves

 Additional issues like motor shorting, sheave failure, and fuse failures detected

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Case study 2: Gas lock and reduced pump action

Load cell indicates periods of gas locking leading to stuck standing valve
(SV), increasing wear and significantly reducing production

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Case study 2: Reasonably good settings still lead to issues

3 partially gas
locked strokes
are enough and
unseat the
standing valve
and block the
pump for a
couple hours

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Case study 2: Stroke by stroke analysis

Full pump
Fluid pound

“Gas lock”

Leaving ”gas
lock”

19

Advanced control schemes running 24/7 are able to avoid “gas

locking”/SV issues and instantly increase production

© 2020 Acoustic Wells, Inc.

www.acoustic-wells.com
19 2021 International Sucker Rod Pumping Virtual Workshop
Case study 2: Solving the problem using control

Initial settings Updated settings

 Control algorithm
leads to:
 Higher
production,
+20% full
strokes
 Lower lifting
costs per bbl
 Longer mean
time between
well failure, i.e.
longer well life

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Case study 3: Efficacy of chemical treatments

 Chemical treatments do not seem

to cannibalize later baseline
production
 Production uplift not significantly
influenced by time interval
between injections

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Next steps

 Advanced control using variable speed drives

 Virtual flowmeter with production allocation and automated

well testing

 Acoustically augmented control of deviated/horizontal wells

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 With 5+ high resolution sensor
streams per well, we are able to
get a complete picture of well &
pump conditions
 Acoustics nicely complement
load cell approach
 Advanced algorithms are
Conclusions necessary to process this
amount of data 24/7
 By developing a product at a low
enough cost with high enough
efficacy across all conditions,
even stripper fields can finally be
automated at the highest level

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The authors are thankful for their insightful
discussions with Dr. Victoria Pons, and to
Thank you Echometer for sharing and creating amazing
online educational content.

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25 2021 International Sucker Rod Pumping Virtual Workshop February 8-12, 2021
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