Hi Alex, Thanks for your time today!
1-Can you tell our readers about your company and your background? 2-Regarding SWD wells, what should operators take into account?
M and M Pump and Supply consists of three companies: 1. M and M Pump and Supply Inc., Clay City and Mattoon, Illinois, which sells oilfield tubular and sucker rods, steel and fiberglass tanks, pumps for downhole oilfields, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, tubing, valves and accessories and just about anything used to drill, complete or equip an oil or gas well. We also service and repair natural gas engines, seawater pumps, and have a complete inventory of fiber gas pipe and fittings for seawater injection lines. 2. PD Service Co., Clay City, Illinois, providing oilfield trucking, oilfield construction crews, tank trucks, pipe and casing inspection and testing crews, frac and swab tank rentals, steamers and oilfield tapping services. 3. McCoy Machine and Gear Co., Flora, Illinois, equipping a complete oilfield machine shop, new and rebuilt pumping units, and mobile service trucks for field repair of pumping units and seawater pumps and manufacture of Miller sand pumps.
Regarding salt water removal and injection wells, I would recommend putting in a good chain of Sealtite or CPVC plastic lined pipe to protect against internal corrosion and make sure you protect the annular space between the casing and the outside of the pipe with a good corrosion inhibitor. , oxygen scavenger and biocide in liquid or granule form. If you are flooding with water make sure you choose a good producer for your injection well as these seem to make the best injection wells with the best water injection results. It goes without saying that a petroleum engineer analyze his field for recoverable barrels of oil and desired injection rates per injection well to improve his odds of getting the best results from his water injection. Establish a good chemical program for your injected water to control corrosion and scaling tendencies. Starting this program immediately is vital to minimizing future problems that could lead to over-extraction from producing and injection wells in a flood. Make sure a chemical company analyzes the compatibility of the injected and produced water to avoid possible severe scaling and corrosion in the future.
3-What type of pumps work best for SWD wells? How do they work?
Everything about pump selection for a saltwater disposal or injection well is defined by barrels per day of water to be injected and the maximum pressure required to inject the water at that rate. Since most injection wells require moderate injection pressures (300 to 700 PSI) to very high pressures (over 2000 PSI), a positive displacement pump, such as a plunger or piston pump, is generally required. a diaphragm pump. All positive displacement pumps require a good supply of water at the pump inlet and it is very important to ensure this is achieved by oversizing and flooding the pump suction or charging the pump suction with a properly sized centrifugal pump. . Pumps of this type are usually powered by an electric motor or gasoline engine with adequate horsepower to handle the maximum flow rate and pressures the pump will be subjected to. The braking power requirement is calculated using the following formula: gallons per minute multiplied by the maximum pressure multiplied by a constant of 0.000648 equals the maximum braking power required.
4-I have heard a lot about Hydra-Cell and Cat pumps, are there other brands to consider?
Some of the most common brands of positive displacement pumps are Gaso, Wheatley, Oilwell, Gardner Denver, Bethlehem (B-Master), Kerr, Myers, Union, Ingersoll Rand, Cat, Hydracell, among others. The key to choosing which pump works best for your application, again, depends on the barrels per day to be injected and the pressure needed to achieve it. Another key consideration would be to have a dealer that stocks parts and services for the brand of pump you are purchasing so that downtime for pump service and repairs can be kept to a minimum. Hydracell pumps are in most cases less expensive than plunger pumps if you can find one that meets your volume and pressure requirements. These pumps will also probably require a complete replacement after 5 to 10 years of service. Large plunger pumps like Gaso, Wheatley, Oilwell, Gardner Denver, Kerr, B-Master can run for 40-50 years if properly maintained and rebuilt every 3-10 years depending on service conditions.
Cat pumps fill the niche for very high pressure, low volume applications particularly well at a reasonable cost, but replacement parts costs tend to be quite high when the pump needs service. Probably the most important thing you can do for any of the above pumps is to develop a good preventative maintenance program, paying particular attention to the condition of the oil at the power end of the pump. Pumps in this service frequently run 20 hours a day or more, making it imperative that a daily preventative maintenance inspection is performed and that fluid change intervals are strictly followed.
5-Do some brands have pros and cons?
6-Are there any precautions for maintenance or continuous use that should be taken with this type of pump?
#5 and #6- I partially answered these questions by answering question #4. Other maintenance considerations. Be sure to purchase a gland wrench for tightening the plunger packing on plunger pumps, as well as a hammer-type valve cover wrench for pumps with threaded valve covers. Some pumps use a deep gland wrench and others require a wrench. In addition to the daily inspection of the power end gear oil, the plunger packing should be tightened if the plungers are leaking more than 3 to 5 drops per plunger per minute; however, it is imperative not to overtighten the plunger packing like ceramic plungers typically used in saltwater service. will crack if subjected to heat over 150°F and this can occur if the gasket is over-tightened. It is usually best to let the plungers run for several minutes after tightening the packing, turning off the pump, and then feeling the ceramic part of the plunger to make sure it is not hot to the touch; if so, the packing is probably too tight.
If you have an injection well that runs on vacuum and you want to suck your tanks dry, install a heavy spring check valve that will not allow the well to suck your tanks. This will prevent plunger breakage due to the pump running on air and sucking any BS above the water into the pump valves. I would also recommend installing a Y-strainer in the inlet line to the pump to prevent debris from clogging the valves on the pumps. Be sure to inspect this filter regularly and after the initial hour of pump operation and after 24 hours of initial operation, as there is likely to be debris in newly assembled lines that could clog the filter. When running Hydracell pumps, check the gear oil daily, as if you poke a hole in one of the diaphragms, salt water will have direct access to the power end of the pumps. Finally, be sure to oversize the pump inlet (suction) line and use as few 90 degree angles as possible to ensure adequate fluid delivery to the pump. Remember the old adage that 6-90 degrees els almost equals a bull plug!
7-Should an operator overcompensate and buy a pump that has a much higher power than indicated?
A certain amount of safety factor must be built into the design of all pumps and motors in case injection volumes exceed original estimates or more pressure is required to dispose of injected water than originally estimated. It is also advisable not to run any pump at the maximum recommended RPM as this will incur higher maintenance and rebuild costs than a pump running at 80-85% of its maximum capacity. I would recommend designing your pump system at 75-80% of the volume and pressure capabilities of a pump. This will allow for some extra volume and pressure if needed without causing future maintenance headaches.
8-What is a common problem you see in the field?
Common problems I see in the field are: A. Failure to properly maintain power unit oil quality leads to costly power unit repairs. B. Do not oversize pump suction lines and allow adequate water supply to pump inlet valves, leading to premature valve failure. C. Failing to install a bypass valve in the pump discharge lines, which leads to catastrophic failures, such as a broken pump crankshaft, if someone forgets to turn the pump on against a closed valve. D. Not filtering the water entering the pump and not regularly inspecting the screen on the suction Y-strainers, particularly when water is transported to the lease by tanker (Note: it is best to use a settling tank when transporting water). to tank truck leasing.) E. Failure to install a bleed valve in the pump discharge line to allow trapped air to bleed out of the pump. Non-compliance with a daily and weekly inspection and maintenance program for the pump.
9-Please tell our readers how to handle corrosive fluids in the pump.
To adequately prevent corrosion in a salt water pump, the fluid end of the pump should generally be made of aluminum bronze or 316 stainless steel, which are highly resistant to corrosion. In some brines that are not too corrosive and where pressures are not too high, a bronze fluid end will provide satisfactory service at a significantly lower price than aluminum bronze or stainless steel. However, standard brass has limited resistance to hydrogen sulfide and will often wash out quickly when handling brines containing H2S. It is also a good idea to chemically treat the injected water for both corrosion and scaling tendencies, as this will prevent the injection well from clogging and protect the downhole tubes.