Field Performance of Clutched Sucker Rod Pumping Systems

摘要

This paper reports the performance of a new type ofoverrunning clutch that has been developed and installed onsucker rod pumping units. The clutch disengages the powerinputshaft of the gear reducer and the unit sheave wheneverthe torque on the shaft is negative. Based on the results ofmore than 100 installations, it was found that the pumpingspeed increased by 9% in average. Liquid production rateincreased by up to 30%. Power saving was 23.6% on average.It was also observed that downhole sand and paraffin depositproblems were greatly alleviated. This paper presents pumpperformance analyses and clutch selection for sucker rodpumping systems.