Well management systems and methods

Abstract

A method of controlling a sucker rod pumping system including the steps of operating the sucker rod pump over at least one pump stroke at a pump operating speed associated with a first pump operating speed setpoint; generating a downhole dynagraph card corresponding to the operation of the pump at the pump operating speed corresponding to the first pump operating speed setpoint; determining, for at least one sucker rod position, a traveling valve speed using the generated downhole dynagraph card; generating a second pump operating speed setpoint if the determined traveling valve speed is equal to or above a predetermined maximum traveling valve speed setpoint, wherein the second pump operating speed setpoint is less than the first pump operating speed setpoint; and operating the sucker rod pump at a pump operating speed associated with the second pump operating speed setpoint.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling a sucker rod pumping system, the sucker rod pumping system including a sucker rod and a sucker rod pump, the sucker rod pump including a traveling valve that travels over a pump stroke in response to movement of the sucker rod, the traveling valve contacting fluid within the pump at a point in the pump stroke, the method comprising the steps of:
 1.1. operating the sucker rod pump over at least one pump stroke at a pump operating speed associated with a first pump operating speed setpoint;   1.2. generating a downhole dynagraph card corresponding to the operation of the pump at the pump operating speed corresponding to the first pump operating speed setpoint;   1.3. determining, for at least one sucker rod position, a traveling valve speed using the generated downhole dynagraph card;   1.4. generating a second pump operating speed setpoint if the determined traveling valve speed is equal to or above a predetermined maximum traveling valve speed setpoint, wherein the second pump operating speed setpoint is less than the first pump operating speed setpoint; and   1.5. operating the sucker rod pump at a pump operating speed associated with the second pump operating speed setpoint.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one sucker rod position in Step 1.3 is the sucker rod position associated with the point of contact by the traveling valve with fluid within the pump. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one sucker rod position in Step 1.3 is a sucker rod position that precedes contact by the traveling valve with fluid within the pump. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of:
 4.1. using the generated downhole dynagraph card to determine, for each of at least a plurality of sucker rod positions, a traveling valve speed associated; and 
 4.2. using the traveling valve speeds determined in Step 4.1 to determine a rate of change of the traveling valve's traveling speed for a plurality of sucker rod positions; and 
 wherein the at least one sucker rod position in Step 1.3 is a sucker rod position selected in relationship to an inflection point in the rate of change of the traveling valve's traveling speed. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of performing Steps 1.2 through 1.4 on a periodic basis, where the time interval required for the pump to complete a pumping stroke is greater than the time interval of the regular periodic basis such that Step 1.3 is performed more than once within a pumping stroke. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein Step 1.3 is performed once during each pumping stroke. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein Step 1.3 is performed during the upstroke portion of the pump stroke. 
     
     
         8 . A method of controlling a sucker rod pumping system, the sucker rod pumping system including a sucker rod, and a sucker rod pump, the sucker rod pump including a traveling valve that moves at a traveling valve speed in response to movement of the sucker rod, the method comprising the steps of:
 8.1. operating the sucker rod pump over a first pump stroke at a pump operating speed corresponding to a first pump operating speed setpoint value;   8.2. generating a first downhole dynagraph card corresponding to the operation of the pump over the first pump stroke;   8.3. determining a pump downstroke fluid load line using the first downhole dynagraph card;   8.4. determining, for a plurality of sucker rod positions, a traveling valve speed associated with the sucker rod position, using the first downhole dynagraph card to; and   8.5. determining, for each of the plurality of sucker rod positions, whether the traveling valve speed is equal to or above a predetermined maximum traveling valve speed;   8.6. if at least one traveling valve speed determined in Step 8.4 to be equal to or above the predetermined maximum traveling valve speed setpoint, operating the sucker rod pump over at least a portion of a second pump stroke at a pump operating speed corresponding to a second pump operating speed setpoint value, where the second pump operating speed setpoint value is less than the first pump operating speed setpoint value.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the portion of the second pump stroke over which the pump is operated at an operating speed corresponding to the second pump operating speed setpoint value includes a portion of the second pump stroke wherein the pump traveling valve position is above the fluid load line. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising the step of operating the sucker rod pump over substantially all of the second pump stroke at operating speed corresponding to the second pump operating speed setpoint value. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the steps of:
 11.1. scaling the load values for the determined downhole dynagraph card such that the fluid load line corresponds to zero load on the system; and 
 11.2. graphically presenting the downhole dynagraph card with the scaled load values to a human user of the system. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising the steps of:
 12.1. receiving, via a human-machine-interface, a maximum pump operating speed setpoint and a maximum traveling valve speed setting; 
 12.2. determining, for each of a plurality of sucker rod positions, whether the pump traveling valve is above or below the downstroke fluid load line; 
 12.3. operating the sucker rod pump at an operating speed corresponding to the maximum pump operating speed setpoint for each sucker rod position for which it is determined:
 (a) in Step 8.5, that the traveling valve speed is below the maximum traveling valve speed setting and 
 (b) in Step 12.2 that the traveling valve is above the downstroke fluid load line; and 
 
 12.4. operating the sucker rod pump at an operating speed below the maximum pump operating speed setpoint for each sucker rod position for which it is determined:
 (a) in Step 8.5, that the traveling valve speed is above the maximum traveling valve speed setting and, 
 (b) in Step 12.2 that the traveling valve is below the downstroke fluid load line. 
 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising the steps of:
 13.1. operating the sucker rod pump over a third pump stroke at a pump operating speed corresponding to a third pump operating speed setpoint value, where the third operating speed setpoint value is greater than the first operating speed setpoint value; 
 13.2. generating a third downhole dynagraph card corresponding to the operation of the pump over the third pump stroke; 
 13.3. using the third downhole dynagraph card to determine, for each of a plurality of sucker rod positions, a traveling valve speed; 
 13.4. operating the sucker rod pump over a fourth pump stroke at a pump operating speed corresponding to a fourth pump operating speed setpoint value, where the fourth operating speed setpoint value is greater than the first operating speed setpoint value but less than the third operating speed setpoint value; 
 13.5. using the traveling valve speed and sucker rod position determinations made in Step 8.4 and Step 13.3 to calculate, for a for a plurality of sucker rod positions, a traveling valve speed; and 
 13.6. operating the sucker rod pump over at least a portion of a fifth pump stroke at a pump operating speed corresponding to a fifth pump operating speed setpoint value, if at least one traveling valve speed calculated in Step 13.5 is above the maximum traveling valve speed setpoint, wherein the fifth pump operating speed setpoint value corresponds to a traveling valve speed that is at or below the maximum traveling valve speed setpoint. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the steps of:
 14.1. using the traveling valve speeds determined in Step 8.4 to determine a rate of change of the traveling valve's traveling speed for each of a plurality of sucker rod positions; 
 14.2. determining at least a first and a second sucker rod position for which the rate of change of the traveling valve speed is at, or within a predetermined range of, zero; 
 14.3. determining the difference between the first and second sucker rod positions; and 
 14.4. calculating the second pump operating speed setpoint value based, at least in part, on the difference determined in Step 14.3. 
 
     
     
         15 . A method of controlling a sucker rod pumping system, the sucker rod pumping system including a sucker rod and a sucker rod pump, the sucker rod pump comprising a traveling valve that moves at a traveling speed in response to movement of the sucker rod, the method comprising the steps of:
 15.1. operating the sucker rod pump over a pump stroke at a first pump operating speed;   15.2. receiving sucker rod load and position data and generating a first downhole dynagraph card using the received data;   15.3. determining, using the first downhole dynagraph card, the pump fillage percentage of the pump over the pump stroke;   15.4. determining, using the first downhole dynagraph card, the traveling valve's traveling speed for a plurality of sucker rod positions;   15.5. determining if the pump fillage percentage is below a predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage;   15.6. operating the sucker rod pump over at least a portion of a second pump stroke at a second pump operating speed, where the second pump operating speed is greater than the first pump operating speed, if both:
 (a) the pump fillage percentage determined in Step 15.5 is above the predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage; and 
 (b) the traveling valve's traveling speed determined in Step 15.4 is, for at least one position of the sucker rod, equal to or below a predetermined maximum traveling valve speed setpoint. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein Step 15.5 comprises the further steps of:
 16.1. determining at a first point in time that the pump fillage percentage is below the predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage,   16.2. operating the pump at the first operating speed over a given number of pump strokes;   16.3. upon the conclusion of Step 16.2, determining at a second point in time that the pump fillage percentage is below the predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage, and   16.4. in response to the determination on Step 16.3, determining that the pump fillage percentage over the first pump stroke is below a predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the given number of pump strokes is three strokes. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising the step of determining the given number of pump strokes based on the degree of variability of the pump fillage percentage. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the predetermined minimum pump fillage percentage is determined as the lower range of a deadband associated with a pump fillage percentage setpoint. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein Step 16.4 wherein the difference between the first pump operating speed and the second pump operating speed corresponds to a predetermined difference.