BEAM PUMP (BP)

Principle of Operation
Components
Pump Selection

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Advantages & Drawbacks

Principle of Operation
Also called Sucker Rod Pump, the Beam Pump is the oldest and most common artificial lift
method, simple in design and still widely used over the world. It is very economical in low
production wells in shallow to middle depth oil fields.
The system uses a vertical positive-displacement pump consisting of a barrel with a check valve at
its bottom (Standing Valve) and a plunger fitted with another check valve (Traveling Valve). The
downhole plunger is mechanically connected to a surface walking beam by sucker rods. The pump
is rocked up and down by the movement of the walking beam driven by an electric or reciprocating
motor.
During the plunger's upstroke, the standing valve opens, the traveling valve closes and the barrel
fills with fluid. During the downstroke, the traveling valve opens, the standing valve closes and the
fluid in the barrel is displaced in the tubing.

The pumping capacity of the Beam Pump is governed by several factors including pumping speed,
stroke length, plunger type and size and pump efficiency.

The

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system equipment comprises :

. Downhole Pump
. Sucker Rods
. Tubing Anchor
. Gas Separator
. Surface Pumping Unit
Components
Downhole Pump

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Downhole pumps are classified in two categories : Insert Pump and Tubing Pump.

Insert Pump is run inside the production tubing attached to the end of the rod string and seated in a
specially designed landing nipple at the pumping depth. The pump is limited in size by the tubing
diameter and therefore cannot cater for high flowrates. However it can be easily pulled out of hole
for repair.

Tubing pump is an integral part of the tubing string. The barrel is run first on the tubing, then the
plunger is run in screwed onto the rod string. The plunger usually has a setting and retrieving
mechanism. The tubing pump allows a higher output than the insert pump but requires the tubing
to be removed if repairing is needed.

Sucker Rods

Sucker Rods are cylindrical drawn steel bars usually made of steel with squared off stamped ends
for handling and pin shanks fitted with a coupling on one end. Since they are subjected to severe
operating conditions (corrosion, vibrations, loading ...), special steels are used with varying
degrees of mechanical or corrosion resistance. Some can also be found with the rod itself made of
fiberglass and glued shanks made of steel.

Sucker rods are sized by diameter and are commonly available in 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", 1", 1 1/8" for
normal rods, and 1 1/8", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" for polished rods. Common lengths are 25 and 30 ft but a
range of short rods are available and usually used as precise spacers.

In the well, several rods are screwed together and form the rod string. The consecutive rods are
either of the same diameter or of increasingly smaller diameters the deeper down the string. This
tappered profile is intented to better distribute the tensile stresses along the string, between the
bottom which only withstands the fluid load and the top which withstands the additional weight of
the rods. Charts giving the distribution by diameter are supplied by manufacturers.
The top of the rod string is fitted with a polished rod which provides a seal for the effluent passing
the wellhead by means of a stuffing box.

Tubing Anchor

During pump actuation static and

dynamic loads apply on the tubing
and make it move with the rod
pump. During downstrokes, the fluid
load streches the tubing down
yielding maximum elongation and
tension. The variation in tubing
length due to the alternative fluid
transfer from the tubing to the rods

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is termed breathing. During
upstrokes, buckling occurs in the
tubing section located above the
pump which is under low tensile
stress.
This type of stress causes
mechanical fatigue in the tubing along with wear and tear on the rod string and couplings.
Anchoring the tubing at pump depth with Tubing Anchors prevents the tubing from moving and
allows left it in tension which in turn reduces rod wear.

Typically, tubing anchors are fitted with slips which are mechanically pushed out to grip the casing
by rotating the tubing. Similarly, reverse rotation of the tubing allows the slips to retract and the
anchor to unseat.

Gas Separator

Beam pumps are designed to lift liquid only. If gas is allowed to enter the pump, inadequate filling
and lower output will results, in addition damage may occur due to gas lock. When gas is present
in the pump, on an upstroke, the gas must be compressed until the pressure in the barrel is equal
to the pressure in the tubing above the pump before the effluent is allowed to pass in the tubing.
On a downstroke, the gas must expand until the pressure in the pump equals the casing pressure
below the pump before the fluid is allowed to enter the barrel. In extreme cases, nothing will occur
in the pump except gas expansion and compression, the pump is then said to be gas-locked. In
addition, the plunger coming up against the liquid creates a damaging impact which is propagated
to the rod string. This impact can be attenuated by reducing the pumping rate but poorer output will
result.
To prevent these deleterious effects, any entrained gas must be separated from the produced fluid
before entering the pump. This can be achieved by setting the pump below the perforations so that
the gas rises out of the liquid strem flowing to the pump or by employing mechanical separating
means. Downhole devices used to separate gas from liquid are termed Gas Separators or Gas
 Anchors.

Pumping Unit

The surface pumping unit actuates

the rod string for a specified
pumping rate and stroke. The
most commonly used system is a
mechanical walking beam
powered by an electric motor or
engine, the Prime Mover regulated by an adjustable counterweight..
It is made up of the following components :
. the electric motor or engine

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. a speed reducer connected to the motor by belts and equipped with brakes
. a crank and connecting rod system to transform the rotary motion into an alternating
movement
. the walking beam supporting the sucker rod weight and the counterweight
. a horse head that maintain the rod in the well axis during strokes
. a Samson post to support the whole system

Pump Selection
Volumetric Displacement

Positive displacement pump performance is evaluated based on the volume of fluid displaced
instead of the pressure increase generated by the pump. The theoretical downhole volumetric
flowrate generated by a beam pump is given by :

Q=SxNxA where S is the stroke length (in)

N is the number of strokes per minutes
A is the plunger cross-sectional area (in 2)

In practice, an efficiency factor and a unit conversion factors must be included. The surface
production rate is then the downhole rate divided by the formation volume factor.

As the pumped flow rate depends on the plunger diameter, the stroke and the pumping speed, the
same flow rate can be obtained by different combinations of these parameters. The selection will
generally be made with respect to rod mechanical fatigue. As a rule, it is recommended to prioritize
stroke rather than speed or plunger diameter for a given flow rate.

Pumping Rate
In practice the pumping rate limit is under 20 strokes a minute. However, the choice of the pumping
rate is also governed by the effect of resonance in the rod string. If the rate is synchronized with
the natural vibrational frequency of the rods, it can make the plunger bump, rapidly damaging the
pump and the rod string itself. To prevent this type of incident, an asynchronous pumping rate
should be chosen.

Setting Depth

To limit gas entering the pump it is recommended to submerge the pump under a height of fluid in
the annulus corresponding to a pressure greater than the bubble pump pressure at the pump inlet.
However the possible flow rate decreases significantly with the pump setting depth, maximum
performance being approximately 150 bbl/d at 10000 ft and 1500 bbl/d at 2500 ft, depending on the
maximum allowable stress on the rods.

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Advantages & Drawbacks
Advantages

. Most wide spread Artificial lift system, relatively simple and cheap and best known by
field personnel.
. Low intake pressure capabilities.
. Well suited to low and moderate flow rates.
. Readily accomodates volume changes, flexible operation.
. High temperature rating.
. Rather low operating expenses and liteweight servicing requirement.

Drawbacks

. Maximum capacity decreasing rapidly with depth.

. Reduced efficiency in high GOR wells.
. Bulky surface pumping unit unsuitable to offshore platform.
. Sucker rods susceptible to corrosion.
. Illsuited to deviated wells.