Sand accelerates the inevitable wear of your rod pumps. Damaging solids enter the barrel/plunger interface, damage the barrel and the plunger, decrease pump efficiency, and finally cause total failure.
Our sand-tolerant pumps (STPs) are the only reciprocating rod-lift pumps that are field proven to increase run life by 450 percent on average. Rather than fighting sand, you simply produce it through the pump while keeping the plunger/barrel interface free from damaging solids.
This patented technology restores economic viability to sandy, rod-pumped wells. By simply preventing sand from wearing moving parts, you can extend equipment life and reduce the frequency of workovers along with the associated costs, downtime, and production losses. The STP is available in most standard API pump sizes and operates in a variety of well conditions with no negative effect on pump performance.
Get more life from your wells.
Sand-tolerant pumps represent only a fraction of our production solutions. With unparalleled experience and an unmatched breadth and depth of solutions for all forms of artificial lift, we can optimize production in any well. Our customer service centers are conveniently located in every major oil-producing area of the world to efficiently address your needs, wherever you operate. We also offer comprehensive artificial-lift training programs that enhance your team’s expertise and productivity.
A simple yet innovative design reduces sand damage.
The Weatherford STP helps you reduce sand damage by moving sand upward through the pump and away from the barrel/plunger interface. Two unique components are the keys to the efficient and reliable performance of the STP: the wiper assembly and the filter coupling. No other comparable product matches the ability of these parts to contain and mitigate sand damage.
Wiper Assembly
The outside of the wiper assembly creates a barrier that keeps sand out of the plunger/barrel interface by continually wiping the inside of the barrel while the pump produces the sandy fluid to the surface. Several different wiper assembly configurations and materials are available to suit your specific well conditions. Because the wiper also prevents sandy produced fluid from entering between the plunger and the barrel, this critical area is no longer lubricated by the fluid above the pump. Instead, the filter coupling allows clean production fluid to lubricate this critical area.
Filter Coupling
The filter coupling enables only clean produced fluid to pass through the equalization ports to the plunger/barrel interface, which provides the necessary lubrication for the pump as the plunger moves up and down. The filter coupling has an internal screen that prevents damaging sand from escaping through the equalizer ports with the fluid. Because the filters move with the plunger, the sweeping action of the fluid on the downstroke cleans the filters and keeps sand suspended within the production fluid. The sand-laden fluid is then produced through the center of the plunger to the surface.
Applications
Sandy, rod-pumped wells
Features and Benefits
- The rod pump moves sand upward through the pump and away from the plunger/barrel interface, which extends run time and reduces the frequency of workovers along with the associated costs, downtime, and production losses.
- The outside of the wiper assembly creates a barrier that keeps sand out of the plunger/barrel interface by continually wiping the inside of the barrel while the pump produces the sandy fluid to the surface.
- The filter coupling enables only clean produced fluid to pass through the equalization ports to the plunger/barrel interface, which provides the necessary lubrication for the pump as the plunger moves up and down.
- The tool replaces current rod pumps without modification or adaptors.
- The filter coupling features an internal screen that moves with the plunger, which enables the filters to be cleaned by the sweeping action of the fluid on the downstroke.
Tool Description
The Weatherford sand-tolerant pump (STP) mitigates damage to the plunger/barrel interface through use of a patented design, including a unique wiper assembly and filter coupling. These features lubricate the plunger/barrel interface and prevent damaging solids from entering this critical area. As STP screens filter damaging solids away from the plunger/barrel interface, the sweeping action of the fluid cleans the filters on each downstroke and keeps sand suspended in the production fluid.
By simply preventing damaging solids from wearing moving parts, the STP can extend equipment life and reduce the frequency of workovers along with the associated costs, downtime, and production losses. Based on an extensive field study, the STP has been shown to increase run life by 450% on average when compared to conventional rod pumps.
The STP is available in most standard API pump sizes and operates in a variety of well conditions with no negative effect on pump performance.
Case study
Increases Run Life by 450% in 56 Sandy, Rod-Pumped Wells
Objectives
• Increase run life in a series of rod-pumped wells that have a history of early failure caused by sand damage.
Approach
• Weatherford collaborated with the operator to identify problem wells for an in-depth field study. In each of 56 wells, two conventional pumps previously installed had failed in 365 or fewer days as a result of significant sand damage.
• Between 2013 and 2014, STPs were installed in each of those 56 wells.
• As of June 15, 2015, the longest recorded STP run life was 584 days, compared to an average of 174 days for conventional pumps in the same well.
• On average, run life increased by 450% when compared to the average run life of the previous two conventional pumps. This resulted in significant cost savings compared to the typical equipment replacement costs incurred from sand-related failures in conventional rod pumps.
Value to Client
• The STP yielded a 450% average increase in run life compared to the conventional pumps that were previously installed in the same wells.
• By extending equipment life, the STP reduced the frequency of workovers along with the associated costs, downtime, and production losses.