I Society of Petroleum Engineers I

SPE 24764

Sucker-Rod Lift in Horizontal Wells in Pearsall Field, Texas

J.M. Cortines and G.S. Hollabaugh, Oryx Energy Co.
SPE Members

Copyright 1992, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 67th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers held in Washington, DC, October 4-7, 1992.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author@). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect
any Position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society
of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to copy is restrictedto an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrationsmay not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment
of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 750853836 U.S.A. Telex, 730989 SPEDAL.

ABSTRACT
Oryx Energy has been drilling horizontal wells in the
Pearsall Field of South Texas since 1985. While many of
these wells came in flowing a t rates in excess of 1 0 0 0
BOID, i t soon became apparent that the wells would need to
be artificially lifted early in their life in order to maintain high
production rates. Lifting these type wells has proven to be
very challenging due to fluctuating rates, varying gasloil
ratios, offset interference and gas interference experienced
across the field.
As production from these wells declined to rates below
100-200 BBLID, Oryx started to aggressively pursue
lowering the sucker rod pumps into the curved or lateral
portion of the hole in order to reduce reservoir pressure and
recover additional oil from the highly competitive Austin
Chalk formation. This introduced new challenges as Oryx
tried to determine the most economical and effective
method and material to perform the job.
This paper reviews one operator's experience with
sucker rod lift in the Pearsall Field and is based on data from
over 1 5 0 wells, including over 8 0 which are pumping from
the lateral section or "in the curve". Methods to reduce gas
interference, increase pumping efficiency and extend the life
of downhole equipment are addressed.
INTRODUCTION
Oryx Energy's experience w i t h wells drilled in the
Pearsall Field, located approximately 1 0 0 miles southwest of
References and figures at end of paper.
San Antonio, Texas (see Figure I ) , prior to 1985 was limited
to vertically drilled wells cased w i t h 4 112" or 5 112" casing.
Sucker rod pumps in these wells were positioned vertically
and were generally placed at or below the perforations.
When placed below the perforations, a "natural" gas anchor
was created and the effect of gas interference was reduced
significantly. Wells producing in this manner were able to
produce with very high volumetric pump efficiencies. The
production from these wells generally declined very rapidly
after an initial high flowing and/or pumping period to the
point where the wells could be "pumped off". "Pumped off"
is the condition that exists when there is not enough fluid
available in the casing to fill the pump barrel.
Horizontal wells drilled during and after 1985 presented
a new set of production challenges. Many of the wells
flowed 1000-2000 BOID upon initial completion and
produced at rates equivalent t o volumetric pump efficiencies
of 100% after converting t o sucker rod lift. This indicated
that there was additional fluid that could be produced if the
sucker rod design could be upgraded. This situation
changed as the wells depleted. Efficiencies started to
decline as the pump intake pressures (PIPS)declined because
the wells had to be pumped from above the completion
interval and could not take advantage of a "natural" gas
anchor. Pump intake pressure is the pressure in the casing
of the well just outside the pump, and is essentially the
same pressure that is found inside the pump barrel after the
pump has completed the upstroke. Figure 2 shows a typical
setup for a horizontal well pumping from the vertical section
of the wellbore. Dynamometer analysis showed that
declining production was not totally due to a lack of fluid
available for the pump, but rather due t o gas interference
reducing the efficiency of the pump.
 SUCKER ROD LIFT IN HORIZONTAL WELLS IN1PEARSALL FIELD, TEXAS
A study was undertaken to determine how to reduce
gas interference and produce the horizontal wells in a more
efficient manner. The study determined that gas
interference could best be reduced by increasing the cross-
sectional area available for flow at the pump. This led Oryx
to replace "poor boy" gas anchors on high volume wells with
packer type gas anchors, which greatly increased the
efficiencies of the down hole pumps resulting in increased
production.
As the production rates from the wells continued to
decline and gas interference continued to increase, Oryx
began to aggressively pursue lowering pumps into the
curved or lateral section of the wells. This method of
operation successfully reduced gas interference as it took
advantage of the natural separator effect of the horizontal
well and of the increased pump intake pressure. It did,
however, also cause a great deal of operational problems.
These problems were minimized by performing tests w i t h
various downhole materials and running extensive field tests
with different rod guides and pump designs.
History of Artificial Lift in Pearsall Field
Oryx Energy's initial attempts at artificial lift in the
Pearsall Field were as aggressive as they were varied. With
the Austin Chalk play shaping up to be very competitive,
Oryx felt the need to develop artificial lift technology quickly
in order to take advantage of the high oil production rates.
The initial horizontal wells drilled in Pearsall Field, which
were re-entries in old vertical wells, were artificially lifted via
sucker rod lift. Sucker rod lift was utilized here for several
reasons; the equipment was already on the wells, the
technology was sufficient to adequately test the wells, this
method would be least likely to draw attention to Oryx's
horizontal well program during this early development and
evaluation time period, and the allowable for the wells was
limited t o 2 4 0 BOID.
As development of the field continued, Oryx looked for
artificial lift methods that would increase and maximize
production from this highly competitive reservoir. Gas lift
was initially attempted as a method of high volume lift in the
first "grass roots" horizontal well drilled by Oryx in the field.
Gas lift was found to be effective very early in the life of the
well when the producing bottom hole pressure was high,
and production rates in excess of 1 0 0 0 barrels of fluid per
day were achieved. This type lift was not used extensively
across the field for several reasons; there were limited
compression facilities in place, freezing problems were
experienced in periods of cold weather and it was not as
effective at lower bottom hole pressures.
Submersible lift was also utilized in this same well. The
submersible pump in this well was set in the vertical section
of the well initially and production rates in excess of 1600
barrels of oil per day were achieved. As the bottom hole
pressure fell, the pump began t o cycle and gas slugging
became a problem. The submersible pump in this well was
SPE 24764
found to have limited application due t o the quick decline.
Subsequent submersible lift installations were limited to
wells that exhibited the ability to produce at high rates
(greater than 1 0 0 0 bblldl for extended periods of time. A
review of Oryx Energy's experience with submersible lift, as
well as advances and developments made that have
increased the use and efficiency of this type lift in the
Pearsall Field is described in SPE paper 24763 by Freet and
McCaslin.(l )
Sucker rod lift was the most viable method of artificial
lift and was found to be effective at all producing pressures.
While it was apparent that it could not lift as much volume
as gas lift or submersible lift early in the life of the wells, it
was clear that this type lift would provide the versatility
needed to produce these wells over the wide production
ranges encountered as the field was developed and
produced. Another advantage to utilizing sucker rod lift as
the main production method in the field was the availability
of equipment. Oryx had over 1 0 0 large pumping units that
could be used with minimal capital expenditure. Realizing
that sucker rod lift was to be utilized throughout the field,
several questions had t o be addressed: 1) how will gas
interference be handled when producing these wells under
a wide variety of conditions, and 2) how will sucker rod lift
be used to produce the wells to depletion since the kick off
+
point (KOP) in most wells is 600' above the greatest total
vertical depth (TVD) of the well. Figure 2 shows a typical
horizontal well configuration including KOP and TVD for a
well pumped in the vertical portion of the hole.
HANDLING GAS INTERFERENCE
Gas interference in sucker rod lifted wells is a well
documented problem, and one that can be reduced with
proper downhole equipment design. Gas interference can
range from little or none in low gas-oil ratio, high pump
intake pressure wells, to the extreme condition of 100%
interference, or gas locking, where no fluid is pumped due
to gas compression. Most of Oryx Energy's Pearsall Field
wells fell between these extremes. Many wells were
capable of producing very high volumes, which in
conjunction with gas interference made for a very
challenging artificial lift program.
When sucker rod lifting wells from above the producing
intervals without a method for gas separation, as with a
horizontal well w i t h the sucker rod pump positioned in the
vertical portion of the hole, gas bubbles are entrained in the
produced fluid and easily pulled into the pump. The gas
bubbles then occupy space in the barrel and cause the
volumetric efficiency of the pump to be reduced. This
reduction in efficiency due to gas in the pump is a function
of how much volume the gas occupies, and is therefore a
function of the pump intake pressure.
When pump intake pressures are high, gas bubbles are
small and occupy a relatively small volume in the pump.
This condition usually causes little or no gas interference.
As pump intake pressures decrease, the size of the gas
SPE 24764 JOSEPH M. CORTINES & GREGG S, HOLLABAUGH
bubbles and the volume they occupy increase. This leads to
more severe gas interference and potential gas locking. The
viscosity of the oil in the Austin Chalk formation increases
as the pressure decreases. As the viscosity of the oil is
increased, the gas bubbles cannot rise as quickly resulting in
additional gas interference. In cases where the pump intake
pressures are not very high and decline rapidly, such as in
the Pearsall Field's Austin Chalk formation, it is necessary to
produce the wells in a manner where some of the gas can
be separated from the produced fluids. This process is
performed w i t h the use of a downhole "gas separator" or
gas anchor.
Two types of gas anchors have been used in the
Pearsall Field. These are the conventional, or" poor boy",
gas anchor shown in Figure 3, and the packer type gas
anchor shown in Figure 4. The t w o types perform the same
function, but in different ways. The conventional gas
anchor directs flow around the outside of the anchor and
has ports allowing fluid to enter and gas to exit. The fluid
is then picked up by an internal dip tube located inside the
gas anchor. The packer type gas anchor directs flow inside
the anchor and has slots for gas and fluid to exit. The fluid
then falls and is picked up by an external dip tube.
Another difference in the t w o types of gas anchors is
the amount of fluid and gas they can handle under a given
set of conditions. This can best be related to the velocity in
the gas anchor. The velocity in the gas anchor is defined as
the rate of downward flow of fluid in the gas anchor
(conventional type), or around the gas anchor (packer type).
The faster the downward velocity, the less time the gas
bubbles in the fluid will have to break out and the greater
the gas interference will be. This suggests that a packer
type gas anchor will be more efficient than a conventional
gas anchor since it has a larger cross-sectional area available
for downward flow, and therefore will have a slower velocity
than a conventional gas anchor producing at the same rate
and under the same conditions. This is because the packer
gas anchor uses the well casing as it's O.D., while the
conventional gas anchor's O.D. is the I.D. of the pipe used
in constructing the anchor. Each type of gas anchor has an
associated "quiet space". This quiet space is the space
between the holes cut for fluid entrylexit and the top of the
fluid intake, and provides a space for the turbulence
generated during the pumping stroke to subside. This space
should be as least twice the volume of one complete pump
stroke. The pump will lose efficiency if the quiet space is
undersized, as the entire quiet space will be evacuated
during pump fillage, and gas will likely be pulled into the
pump. Severely oversizing the quiet space, while not as
detrimental as undersizing, should be avoided as it can cause
excess pressure drop in the dip tube, and release free gas as
a result of the change in pressure.
Other factors affecting the performance of gas anchors
are the physical properties of the produced fluids. The
viscosity and gravity of the produced fluid will affect how
quickly the gas can be separated, and will therefore affect
the gas anchor efficiency. Typical PVT information for the
Pearsall Field, Austin Chalk oil is shown in Table 1. It should
be noted that oil gravities and viscosities change across the
field, and that the performance of gas anchors will be
affected by these changes.
In order to compare the efficiencies of various gas
anchors, a method to normalize the data was utilized. The
data was normalized by converting the production rate to
the downward velocity in a conventional anchor or around
a packer type gas anchor as previously discussed. The
larger the cross-sectional area of the gas anchor, the slower
the velocity and the higher the efficiency should be. This
velocity represents the maximum downward velocity
possible for a given type and size gas anchor under a
specified set of conditions. This is true for all cases except
when a well is "pumped off" or when the production is
limited due to the surface or downhole sucker rod
equipment. Production rates can be converted to velocity in
the gas anchor by use of the following equations:
Conventional (poor boy) gas anchor:
Packer type gas anchor:
The production rate used to calculate the velocity should
be the rate at the pump. For this reason the oil volume must
be multiplied by the oil formation volume factor (B,) for the
PIP that existed at the time the data was collected.
Data Acquisition
In order to properly evaluate gas anchor designs, it was
necessary to determine pump intake pressures under a
variety of producing conditions. This was done w i t h the use
of a portable dynamometer that had the capability to
calculate downhole and surface equipment performance as
well as pump intake pressures at the well site. In order to
use the dynamometer t o determine pump intake pressure, it
was first necessary to generate a downhole dynamometer
pump card as shown in Figure 5. The fluid loads were
determined by the data gatherer, and the dynamometer
calculated the pump intake pressure based on the solution
gasloil ratio, bubble point pressure and oil formation volume
factor. The program calculated pump intake pressure by
determining the average pressure gradient in the tubing, and
then calculating the correct pressure required to yield the
fluid load that was measured. From sensitivity analyses
performed on the input data, it was found that the proper
determination of fluid load is the most critical input variable
w i t h solution gasloil ratio the second most critical.
A new method for calculating pump intake pressure is
now in use that is more accurate and easier t o obtain. The
method requires that the well casing valve be shut-in and a
t w o pen pressure recorder installed on the tubing and casing
of the well. The well is allowed t o build up casing pressure
 SUCKER ROD LIFT IN HORlZONTAL WELLS IN, PEARSALL FIELD, TEXAS
until the producing fluid level in the well is pushed down to
the pump and the gas from the casing is forced into the
tubing. This generally causes the tubing pressure to
increase and casing pressure t o fall. The pump intake
pressure can then be calculated from the casing pressure at
the time the gas "u-tubed" into rhe tubing after adding the
hydrostatic pressure of the column of gas in the casing.(2)
This method has been used very successfully across the
field and a schematic of how the test is run is shown in
Figure 6.
Data Analysis
After scrutinizing all the data and eliminating wells w i t h
no gas interference and wells that were "pumped off", the
information was normalized by converting the production
rates to velocities and plotting the data as a function of
pump intake pressure. It became apparent early during the
study that t w o distinct sets of results were being generated.
These results indicated that there was a difference in gas
anchor performance for high oil cut wells when compared to
high water cut wells. Gas anchors in high water cut wells
exhibited higher fluid production rates at all pump intake
pressures for the data analyzed. This occurred due t o the
fact that the gas bubbles entrained in the produced fluids
rose faster in the lower viscosity water. For this reason the
results were separated into t w o groups: 1) wells with an oil
dominant phase (oil cut greater than 50%). and 2) wells
w i t h a water dominant phase (oil cut less than 50%).
The results of this analysis can be seen in Figures 7 and
8. All data used t o generate these curves fell within a
narrow pressure range (140-850 psi). This is because many
of the wells were flowing at the higher pressures, while few
wells were analyzed when their pump intake pressures fell
below 2 5 0 psi as the wells were generally "pumped off" at
this time.
Figure 7 shows the results for wells w i t h producing
water-oil ratios greater than one (oil cut less than 50%). It
can be seen that the data falls onto a relatively smooth
curve w i t h velocities ranging from 0.070-0.312 ftlsec.
Figure 8 represents the same information for wells w i t h
water-oil ratios less than one (oil cut greater than 50%).
This data, while following the same trend, showed velocities
ranging from 0.040-0.270 ftlsec and was more scattered
than the data for high water cut wells. The scattering of the
data for the high oil cut wells is due to the varied oil
gravities and viscosities across the field.
Substantial scattering of the data was experienced at
low pump intake pressures. It is believed that this is due to
assumptions made when obtaining pump intake pressures.
Pump intake pressures were determined by calculating the
gas gradient in the tubinglcasing annulus. Any error in
calculating the pressure in this manner would result in a
greater percentage error at lower pressures. In the same
manner, any errors made when obtaining the well test used
to calculate the velocity would also have a greater
SPE 24764
percentage error at lower rates.
Data where the production rate was limited due to
surface or downhole equipment limitations, rather than gas
anchor limitations, is also presented in Figures 7 and 8. It
can be seen that all of this data falls above and t o the left of
the fitted curves. This indicates that the gas anchor had
additional capacity that could not be utilized due to
equipment limitations. The equipment limitations
experienced most often in the Pearsall field were with the
pumping unit gearbox rating andlor rod load (stress)
limitations.
The results of this study encouraged Oryx Energy to
continue drilling and completing wells w i t h 9 518" casing
that allowed for high production rates at lower pump intake
pressures. Table 2 shows the calculated maximum
production rates possible at oil cuts greater than 5 0 % based
on the results of this study. From this table it can be seen
that the packer type gas anchors are more efficient than
conventional gas anchors. These rates represent maximum
calculated rates, and in many cases the existing equipment
in the wells could not lift these volumes.
This technique can be applied t o other fields providing
the data is collected and analyzed in a similar manner. The
results in this study may be optimistic when applied to other
fields due to the low gas-oil ratio and low viscosity oil found
in the Pearsall Field.
Packer Type vs. Conventional Gas Anchors
The use of the packer type gas anchor in Oryx Energy's
horizontal wells expanded at a rapid pace after realizing the
increased efficiency that could be gained. There were
several problems that had to be overcome during the
implementation of this program.
Most concerns that surfaced were mechanical in nature.
Before running any packer type gas anchors, the concern
w i t h sticking the packer in the hole due to cuttings or fill
falling out as the produced fluids were expelled into the
casing had to be addressed. Many horizontal wells in the
Pearsall Field were drilled w i t h partial or no returns resulting
in the cuttings remaining in the hole. Oryx Energy was
concerned that some of these cuttings would be produced
back when the well was put on pump resulting in the packer
and tubing becoming stuck. To avoid this problem an "on-
off" tool is run below the gas anchor and above the packer
as shown in Figure 4.
The first failure of a packer type gas anchor occurred in
the first well t o have one installed. This well was a
horizontal reentry of an existing vertical well completed with
5 112" casing. A 2 718" x 5 112" packer type gas anchor
was run in the well. While an initial production increase over
the rate that the well was producing w i t h a conventional gas
anchor was seen, the production rate quickly declined.
After pulling the equipment from the well it was found that
the gas anchor had parted at the point where the hole was
.SPE 24764 JOSEPH M. CORTINES & GREGG Sa HOLLABAUGH 5

cut for the dip tube and fluid entry. The cyclical loading on of the hole while the pump draws fluid from the low side.
the 2 718" tubing caused the joint to fail where the hole had This is shown in Figure 9. The results from the initial wells
been cut forming a stress riser. To prevent this mode of lowered into the horizontal portions of the holes proved this
failure, 3 112" tubing is now used in the construction of gas t o be true.
anchors for use in wells completed w i t h 7 " or larger casing.
For wells completed w i t h casings between 5 112" and 7". 2
718" tubing is used and a 3 112" tubing sub is welded on the EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS
bottom of the joint. The hole for fluid entry is then cut in
the 3 112" sub. In wells w i t h 4 112" casing, 2 318" tubing The first wells pumped below the kick off point were
is used and a 2 718" pup is used for cutting the hole for fluid pumped from the curve or build portion of the hole. The
entry. There have been no failures where the gas anchor only design change made for the first group of experimental
has parted in this manner since these changes were made. wells was t o add rod guides to the sucker rods from the
pump t o 2 0 0 feet above the kick off point. Many lessons
There have been several packer type gas anchor failures concerning pumping Pearsall Field horizontal wells have been
where the gas anchor has parted where the slots for fluid learned. The following sections describe Oryx's experience
exit were cut. The parts have generally occurred while w i t h the challenges and solutions of each pumping
attempting to release the packer. In order t o eliminate this component.
problem, the "on-off" tool is now released and the gas
anchor laid down. The packer is then retrieved w i t h a full
Pumping Units
string of 2 718" tubing.
Pumping units ranging in size from 228,000 t o 640,000
There is a time when the best gas anchor that can be
inch-pounds peak torque have been used in the Pearsall Field
run is no gas anchor at all. This is true when the downhole
horizontal program. Due t o high production rates and
pumping equipment is run below the producing interval, and
pumping depths of 6 0 0 0 feet, the majority of wells initially
gas is separated from the produced fluids before it reaches
require a 640,000 inch-pound peak torque unit. Many of the
the pump. This ideal pumping condition is not possible in
wells have been downgraded t o smaller units as production
horizontal wells. These wells must be pumped in or above
declined. To date w e have not seen excessive loads when
the producing intervals, and gas separation must be
pumping wells from the lateral portion of the hole.
accomplished by a downhole gas anchor, or by placing the
Measured loads have been lower than predictions made by
pump in the deviated portion of the well.
conventional API and wave equation methods. Sam Gibbs
with Nabla Corporation recently presented a method to
PUMPING "IN THE CURVE" design rod pumping installations for horizontal wells utilizing
a wave equation. (3) Our Pearsall experience confirms his
After producing wells from the vertical portion on the conclusion that "as long as borehole deviation is carefully
holes to the point where they were "pumped off", the next planned and controlled, wells can be pumped at high
logical step was t o lower the pumps in order to take inclinations and large horizontal displacements" without
advantage of the additional hydrostatic pressure available. encountering excessive loads.
This required that the pump be lowered into the build or
curved section of the wellbore. It quickly became obvious
Polished Rods
that challenges would be presented in the areas of pumps
and rod guide design.
A discussion on polished rod experience in Pearsall Field
is included because bf steps taken-in the fall of 1 9 9 0 that
Before running any equipment into a curved portion of
significantly reduced polished rod failures. A review was
a well, it should first be determined if the equipment being
made after numerous failures occurred in the 1-114" spray
run will be able to pass through the curvature of the well.
metal polished rods being utilized. While loads were high,
In order to determine this, the maximum dog-leg severity
the main causes of failure were determined t o be improper
that equipment will pass through must be determined. The
polished rod clamp installation and settling of pumping units
maximum length of a rigid tool that can be run through the
due t o sandy soil conditions. Steps taken t o alleviate the
dog-leg can be determined by the following equation:
~ r o b l e mincluded switching to 1-112" piston steel polished
iods w i t h spray metal liners for additional strength. A
..........................................(3)
L = 2 x Ro x (1-(RxIRo)~)"~
different type polished rod clamp requiring less torque was
installed on all new wells. The well service crews and
This value represents the maximum length that can be run,
roustabouts were provided torque wrenches and trained on
and a safety factor should be applied to avoid any potential
proper use. Existing pumping units were leveled to eliminate
problems.
alignment problems and a crushed limestone base was
utilized on any new well where soil conditions were poor.
In addition to gaining additional hydrostatic pressure by
The result of this effort was t o reduce polished failures by a
lowering the pump, an added benefit is increased gas
factor of ten.
separation efficiency. This is because the casing acts as a
horizontal separator allowing the gas t o "ride" the high side
 SUCKER ROD LIFT IN HORIZONTAL WELLS IN. PEARSALL FIELD, TEXAS
Tubing
The typical well in the Pearsall Field has performed
satisfactorily utilizing 2-718" 6.5 Iblft, J grade tubing w i t h
standard 8R EUE connections. Several tubing connection
leaks were experienced in wells w i t h the tubing anchor set
below the kick off point, and w e now set all tubing anchors
in the vertical portion of the hole. New tubing is run in the
bottom portion of all wells that are pumped from the lateral.
Wear rates are being monitored w i t h the use of a wireline
caliper during routine well service operations. To
accommodate wireline tools the tubing is pulled to the
vertical section of the hole before the caliper in run. Minimal
tubing wear has been noted to date due to the success of
the rod guide program.
Sucker Rods
The typical sucker rod string utilized by Oryx Energy in
Pearsall Field consists of grade 'D' rods and an 8 6 API taper.
Rod guides are added to the bottom portion of the rod string
when pumping either in the curve or horizontal portion of the
well. Sinker bars have not been used t o date as rod fall has
not been a problem at pumping speeds of 6 to 9 strokes per
minute.
Rod Guides
Field tests were originally conducted on three materials
from t w o manufacturers w i t h the number of guides per rod
varying between five and ten. Oryx is currently using eight
guides per rod evenly spaced over the length of the rod.
Wear life for both the nylon-fiber filled and Ryton guide
materials extrapolated to six months or less with the nylon
outperforming Ryton. A composite material consisting of
Kevlar and a nylon filler has been the best performer to date.
Wear life of the rod guides is determined from caliper
data obtained on routine well service jobs taken by the
manufacturer. Rod guide wear data taken to date on wells
pumping in the lateral from six months to a year indicates
wear in the range of 20-30 percent. This extrapolates t o a
rod guide life of 2-3 years. Some localized wear has
occurred throughout the guided rod string, but occurs most
often in the top portion near the kick off point due to
compression. Well service crews need to inspect the strings
closely on all well service jobs and replace all rods w i t h worn
guides. To further optimize the program t w o new materials
are currently being field tested.
A typical well pumping from the horizontal portion of the
hole will have 1 2 0 0 feet of guided 314" grade 'D' sucker
rods from the pump to 3 0 0 feet above the kick off point.
Slim hole couplings were initially utilized to maximize the
erodible wear volume between the rod guide and rod
coupling. Rod guide life is now sufficient to justify use of
regular couplings. Rod rotators are utilized on all wells
pumping from the lateral. Wells where the installation of a
rod rotator was delayed or the rod rotator malfunctioned
exhibited accelerated wear on one side of the rod guides.
SPE 24764
Due t o the effectiveness of molded on rod guides wheeled
guides and/or roller guides have not been tried in Oryx's
Pearsall program.
Sucker Rod Couplings
Oryx is currently using standard API 'T' couplings on all
sucker rods. Some new coupling materials have been field
tested w i t h limited success and current philosophy is to
protect the tubing and rods w i t h rod guides.
Sucker Rod Pumps
The sucker rod pump has been the pumping component
offering the greatest challenges t o the Pearsall program.
Downhole mechanical wear from pumping at or near 9 0
degrees and having to pump solids left from the drilling
program have been the main problems.
During the planning stages of the Pearsall program it
was not known how deep horizontal wells could be pumped.
Dogleg severity in the curve was kept to a minimum with a
target of 12-16 degrees depending on the size hole drilled.
Most wells were completed w i t h 9-518" casing set at 40-60
degrees and an 8-1 12" open hole from the casing seat to the
end of the lateral. Several wells were drilled with a
"tangent" or straight section near the casing seat of the well
to allow a place to operate a pump. The incremental cost of
this practice was greater than the benefit derived, and to
achieve maximum drawdown most wells are now pumped
at 86-90 degrees deviation in the lateral. Table 3 is a
sample directional survey indicating where a pump would be
located in the tangent or lateral portion of the hole for a
typical Pearsall well.
The pump Oryx is currently using is a t w o stage, hollow
valve rod pump with a spray metal box end plunger,
carbonitrided barrel, carbide insert on the valve rod guides,
carbide balls and seats and a -0.004" clearance plunger.
Pump sizes have ranged from 1.5" to 2.75", but the majority
are 1.75" and 2" insert pumps. To best describe the
evolution of the total pump package, several key
components will be discussed separately.
Pump Plunger and Barrel
The initial barrel and plunger utilized for pumping below
the kick off point in the Pearsall program was a chrome
barrel and spray metal plunger. This was the same pump
being used in the vertically pumped horizontal wells. The
first wells pumped from the curve or build section exhibited
a pump life of only a few weeks or months. A flexite ring
plunger extended pump life several months, but wear
occured quickly when the flexite material deteriorated. The
plunger tried next, and the one currently in use, is a spray
metal "box end" or thin wall plunger. The thin wall plunger
is more flexible and has helped extend pump life to 6-12
months.
SPE 24764 JOSEPH M. CORTINES & GREGG S, HOLLABAUGH
Chrome barrels were replaced w i t h less expensive
carbonitride barrels due t o the number of the Pearsall wells
requiring acid jobs for stimulation and clean up. Some
chrome barrels are being utilized in wells that do not require
stimulation. To help handle solids and cut down on the
number of stuck pumps -0.004" clearance plungers are
being used. The extra clearance has not adversely affected
pump efficiency and has extended pump life by reducing the
number of stuck pumps.
Valve Rod and Valve Rod Guide
The t w o stage hollow valve rod pump is being used in
Pearsall for t w o reasons. First, it creates a washing action
that helps prevent solids from falling around the pump. This
is important because Pearsall horizontal wells are drilled in a
lost circulation mode, where the drill cuttings remain
downhole. Second, the 1.5" O.D. valve rod tube is less
flexible than the conventional 0.875" O.D. valve rod, which
reduces wear to the pump barrel. The hollow valve rod also
has a greater cross sectional area over which wear can
occur.
It was noted early in the program that the valve rod
guide was a point of extreme wear. Alloy inserts that were
first utilized to slow the wearing process were later replaced
with carbide inserts, which have almost eliminated wear in
this area. Another reason t o strengthen this portion of the
pump is that "tapping bottom" with the pump is more
difficult to detect in a horizontal well due t o the added
friction in the pump system. Rig crews need t o take greater
care when spacing out pumps in horizontal wells. "Bumping
bottomn for extended periods of time when attempting to
break a suspected gas lock should also be avoided.
Balls and Seats
Many combinations of balls and seats have been tried.
Carbide balls and seats have been very successful, but since
problems in this area have been minimal w e are currently
using alloy balls with carbide seats. A stainless steel ball
and seat are used as the top valve in the t w o stage pump.
Spring activated balls were tried in early wells in an attempt
to improve valve seating with the pumps at or near 9 0
degrees. The valve life was less than a month due to
mechanical wear to the ball caused by the repeated spring
action of the valve. The practice was abandoned after
conventional ball and seat arrangements were found to
operate normally in horizontal wells.
DOWNHOLE FAILURES
Oryx Energy currently has approximately 1 5 0 horizontal
wells in Pearsall Field on sucker rod lift. Eighty (53%) of the
wells are pumping from the lateral portion of the hole. A
brief discussion of the field wide failure rate for horizontal
wells pumping in the vertical section of the hole will be
made to compare w i t h failure data for wells pumping in the
lateral.
Vertical Failure Rate
The failure frequency for vertically pumped horizontal
wells is 1.3 failureslwelllyear. Sixty percent of the failures
were pump related. Seventy percent of the pump failures
were related to stuck pumps or gas interference problems.
Some of the pumps were pulled "green" in an effort to
maintain the high oil production rates characteristic of
Pearsall wells. Only 24% of the pump failures were related
to actual pump wear. Sucker rod failures accounted for
27% of the failures, polished rod failures 7%, and tubing
failures 6%. This data is summarized in Table 3.
Horizontal Program
The first well Oryx pumped below the kick off point was
in February, 1990. Five other wells were pumped from the
curve section in 1 9 9 0 mainly t o evaluate rod guide and
pump performance. After establishing an expected rod
guide life approaching t w o years and a pump life of several
months, the program for pumping wells in the lateral portion
of the hole became more aggressive. Table 4 shows the
activity level by quarter for wells lowered into the lateral.
The timing of the more aggressive program coincided w i t h
many of the wells being pumped off w i t h the pumps located
in the vertical section of the hole. In most of the Pearsall
Field horizontal wells the ability t o pump from the lateral
portion of the hole contributes an additional 2 0 0 psig
drawdown, and significant production increases have been
realized. The following section reviews the failure rate for
wells pumping from the lateral and compares the results to
vertical wells.
Lateral Failure Summary
The failure frequency for horizontal wells pumping from
the lateral is 2.5 failureslwelllyear. or approximately double
the rate for vertically pumped horizontal wells. The data for
ten wells that have been pumping from the lateral for at
least one year is shown in Table 5. A breakdown of the
type of failures is shown in Table 6. Some general
comments concerning how pumping in the lateral has
affected the failure rate of each pump component in Oryx's
Pearsall program will now be reviewed.
Sucker Rods - The sucker rod failure rate for wells pumping
in the lateral has increased due t o higher loads, and in
Oryx's case the fact that the rods already have 3-7 million
cycles pumping from the vertical section. Stuck pumps, due
to solids and rod handling during the numerous well service
jobs, add to the rod failure rate. Dynamometer analysis does
not indicate excessive friction from wells pumping in the
lateral. This is partly due to most of the wells having oil
cuts greater than 5 0 percent.
Pumps - Initially pump life was very short, but with the
changes made t o better handle solids and mechanical pump
wear, pump life has been extended from a f e w months to
over a year in some cases. Due to high oil production rates
pumps in the Pearsall Field are routinely changed out any
-8 SUCKER ROD LIFT IN HORIZONTAL WELLS IN. PEARSALL FIELD, TEXAS
time a well is serviced. This practice is more costly up-
front, but maximizes production in a competitive reservoir
and provides valuable information t o further optimize the
program.
Tubing - Tubing failures have increased as one would
expect. Every attempt should be made to keep the rods and
rod couplings from contacting the tubing. Tubing anchors
should be set in the vertical portion of the hole. New tubing
should be run into the lateral overlapping into the vertical
section by several hundred feet. Over 9 0 percent of tubing
failures t o date have occurred at or near the kick off point of
the well. As mentioned in the rod guide section, rod guides
should be inspected closely on every well service job and
replaced if necessary.
PRODUCTION RESPONSE
The production increase from lowering the pumps into
the lateral has been significant. As stated earlier, 2 0 0 psi
additional drawdown is available w i t h the pumps located in
the lateral. The productivity index for a Pearsall well
generally declines as depletion occurs. Each well will
behave differently, but it is Oryx's experience that the
average Pearsall well has a PI between 0.5 and 1.0 at the
point it becomes advantageous to pump from the lateral
portion of the hole. Table 8 shows the production response
for the three sets of wells analyzed to date.
The first set of fourteen wells lowered into the lateral in
the summer of 1 9 9 1 had an average increase of 1 1 2 BOPD
and 9 8 BWPD. After 3 0 days incremental oil production
was 7 6 BOPD, and after 6 0 days was still 5 0 BOPD.
The second set of thirteen wells lowered into the lateral
in the fall of 1991 had an average increase of 5 1 BOPD and
1 0 4 BWPD. Thirty day production from these wells had
declined t o below original levels. Production from this
second set of wells was adversely affected by 4 wells
producing 4 7 percent of the total group oil production that
completely pumped off within 3 5 days. T w o of these wells
were later stimulated and production was restored.
The most recent group of 2 0 wells had an average
increase in production of 6 1 BOPD and 9 5 BWPD. The cost
t o lower a well into the lateral is approximately $15,000
w i t h payout occurring in 15-30 days. It must also be noted
that thirteen wells experienced an increase in oil production
of over 9 0 BOPD. The quick payout and ability t o increase
ultimate recovery in these low pressure, high PI wells make
pumping from the lateral necessary for Pearsall Field
horizontal wells.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Packer type gas anchors are more efficient than
conventional gas anchors. The increased efficiency will
allow for higher production rates from a well w i t h a given
casing size due t o reduced fluid and gas velocities.
40
SPE 24764
2. Wells should be completed w i t h the largest practical and
economical casing size. This will allow for the largest
gas anchor t o be run thereby achieving the highest
production rates.
3. When economics dictate a well be completed with
smaller casing, high production rates will still be possible
by use of a packer type gas anchor.
4. Pumping in the build or horizontal section of a horizontal
well provides a means of gas separation and reduces gas
interference due to the gas "riding" the high side of the
hole.
5. Sucker rod lift is a viable artificial lift alternative in the
lateral portion of a horizontal well utilizing existing
technology.
6. The introduction of new technology and innovation by
the entire project team has reduced the failure rates for
wells pumping from the lateral to just under twice that of
wells pumping from the vertical section.
7. The increased production rates that result from pumping
a well from the lateral portion of the hole offer a quick
payout, and maximize reservoir drawdown.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors of this paper thank Oryx Energy for
permission to publish this paper. Special thanks to Kurt
McCaslin and Tom Freet for their advice as this program
developed, and to field personnel who gathered the data
needed to perform this study.
NOMENCLATURE
A = angle of dog-leg severity rigid tool is to pass
through, degrees1100 f t
API = American Petroleum Institute
dl = conventional gas anchor inside diameter, inches
d2 = conventional gas anchor dip tube outside
diameter, inches
d3 = well casing inside diameter where packer type
gas anchor is set, inches
d4 = packer type gas anchor outside diameter,
inches
ID = inside diameter of hole rigid tool is to pass
through, feet
L = length of rigid tool w i t h outside diameter of OD
that will pass through a dog-leg severity with
an angle of A, feet
OD = outside diameter of rigid tool, feet
PI = Productivity Index, bblldaylpsi
0 = total production rate, reservoir barrelslday
R = 57301A = radius of curvature
Ro = R + 0.5 x ID
Rx = R - 0.5 x ID + OD
v = downward velocity in gas anchor, ftlsec
 JOSEPH M. CORTINES & GREGG S: HOLLABAUGH

REFERENCES
1 . Freet, T. G. and McCaslin, K. P.: "Successful
Submersible Lift in Gassy Horizontal Wells, Pearsall Field,
Texas," paper SPE 24763 presented at the 1992 SPE
AnnualTechnical Conference, Washington, D.C., October
4-7, 7992.

2. Deax, D. W.: "A Simple Low Cost Method for

Determining the P.I. of High Gas-Oil Ratio Pumping
Wells," paper presented at the SPE meeting May 25-27,
1969 in Denver, Colorado.

3. Gibbs, S. G., "Design and Diagnosis of Deviated Rod

Pumped Wells," paper SPE 22787 presented at the
1991 SPE Annual Technical Conference, Dallas, TX.,
October 6-9. 1991.

SI METRIC CONVERSION FACTORS

bbl x 1.589 873 E-01 = m3
degree x 1.745 329 E-02 = rad
ft3 x 2.831 685 E-02 = m3
ft x 3.048* E-01 = m
in x 2.54* E+OO = cm
ib x 4.536 E-01 = kg

* Conversion factor is exact.

 F::~L~ Casing

1 yKi;pff- +Gas Anchor

Open Hole

Figure 1 - Austin Chalk Trend Map Of South Texas Figure 2 - Typical Setup For Pumping Horizontal Well
From A Vertical Position

Well Casing i I Tubing

Pump

-Seating
Nipple
I
Seating
Slots For Nipple
Gas Exit1
Fluid Entr) -0000 0000 - Slots For Tubing (Gas
-
JtOOO
-1
0000 Fluid & Gas Anchor O.D.)
Exit
Quiet -Dip Tube
Gas
- -
$.
-
Anchor
Dip Tube Space
Casing
Fluid

Well -
Strainer
- Nipple For 3 112" Tubing 1
Fluid Entry Sub (For 5 112" Port For
Casing Casing) Fluid Entry

Hookwall
(Tension) - Oil, Gas
Packer
& Water
& Water Bottom

Figure 3 - Conventional (Poor Boy) Gas Anchor Figure 4 - Packer Type Gas Anchor
 -
-t-
- Fluid '
- Upstroke -

Downstroke

Gas ' U - ~ ~ b e d " '

w Into Tublng
Position

Figure 5 - Typical Dynamometer Card

Figure 6 - Obtaining Pump Intake Pressure With

A 2 Pen Recorder

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

GAS ANCHOR VELOCITY (fUsec) 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
GAS ANCHOR VELOCITY (Wsec)
LIMITED DUETOGAS ANCHOR LlMrrATlONS 0 LMlTED DUETOSURFACODOWNHOLELMITATIWS LIMRED DUET0 GAS LNCHOR WITATIONS OLlMlTED DUE TO SURFACECOWHOLE LIMITATIONS

Figure 7 - Gas Anchor Performance With Oil Cut c 50% Figure 8 - Gas Anchor Performance With Oil Cut s 50O/0
 -
8 112" OH -
20' 3 112" Sub
\ -
2 718" TBG Bull Plugged On

Figure 9 - Typical Setup For Pumping A Horizontal

Well In The Deviated Portion Of The Hole

TABLE 1

Typical PVT Data

Pearsall Field. Austin Chatk Oil
TABLE 3
Solution
Pressure GOR BO Viscosity Twical Well Survey
(PSIG) fT3/s~B) (RBBLISTB) (CP)
2500 743 1.435 0.609 Dogleg
Measured Inclination Vertical Severity
2340 743 1.438 0.602 Deoth Anale Depth JDaall00'1
1850 598 1.371 0.702 6458 0.3 6458 0.00
1350 460 1.309 0.858 6569 6.2 6569 9 .oo
8 50 328 1.249 1.024 6692 19.3 6688 11.05
350 187 1.182 1.298 6846 38.8 6822 12.59
169 f 17 1.144 1.497 6939 48.8 6889 10.90

-
1) Bubble point pressure 2340 psig 7014 53.5 6936 6.27
2) Data corrected to BHT of 191 F
7045 54.0 6954 1.79

7076 54.1 6972 f .OS(Af

7230 74.4 7043 15.85

7336 86.1 7059 5.51

4.06
TABLE 2 O.OO(B)

Calculated Gas Anchor Performance 1.OO

Oil Cut > 50% (BELID)
2.7 1

Casing Gas Anchor Pump Intake Pressure PSlG - A) Tangent section for pump location
Size (In.) Twe - - -
300 450 600 6) Pump location in lateral

9 %* 9 S a x 3 %" 3 20 600 1080

Packer

9 %" 7" Conventional 200 350

7" 7" x 3 'k" Packer 180 340

7" 5 K" conventional 110 200

 TABLE 4 TABLE 5

Nine Month Failure Summary for Horizontal Wells Horizontal Wells

Pumpina in the Vertical Section Pum~inaFrom The Lateral 8v Quarter

No. of Percent of New Wells Total Wells

Cateaory -
Failures Total Time In Lateral Pumpino in Lateral

Pump related 58 60% 1990 6 6

Sucker Rods 26 27%

Polished Rods 7 7%

Tubing 6 6%

Total failure rate ---- > 1.3 Failure/wali/year

TABLE 6

Failure Summary for Horizontal Wells

Pumpina From the lateral

Days In No. of Failure Rate

Well Lateral Failures
f ABLE 7
1 834 7
Type of Failures for Ho~zontelWelts
2 617 2 Pum~inaFrom the Lateral
3 542 8
No. of Percent
4 47 1 0 Cateaorv Failures -
of Total
5 423 3 Pump Related 11 33
6 392 4 Sucker Rods 15
7 38% 1 Tubing 5
8 366 2 Others 2
9 3 60 4 Total failure rate ----> 2.5 FailuresNIeliNear
10 333 2..
Average 473 3.3

TABLE 8

Production Response From Horizontal

Wells Pumvina in the Lateral

Average Average Average

Well Vertical Test Lateral Test Incremental
Group BOPDIBWPDIMCFD BOPDIBWPDIMCFD BOP0
I
(14 Wells)

ll
(13 Wells)

111
(20 Walls)