Oil and Gas Automation Solutions Issue #26


	Attractive alternative
	LRP® systems offer distinct advantages in safety, aesthetics, and footprint
	New iGMC™ app
	New iPhone and iPad app allows handheld access to GMC® system
	Four Corners office
	Unico has opened a new office in the Four Corners region
	Remotely diagnosing valve problems
	GMC® system helps troubleshoot valve problems in sucker-rod pumps.



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Oil & Gas Automation
Solutions is a publication
of Unico, Inc.

Since 1967

Unico, Inc.
3725 Nicholson Rd.
P. O. Box 0505
Franksville, WI
53126-0505
262.886.5678
262.504.7396 fax
oilgas@unicous.com
unicous.com

All trade designations
are provided without
reference to the rights of
their respective owners.

LRP® Lift Systems Are an Attractive Alternative to Traditional Pumping Systems

In addition to improving production and prolonging the life of a pumping system, Unico’s LRP® Linear Rod Pump artificial-lift systems offer distinct advantages over conventional beam pumps in safety, aesthetics, and footprint.

Inherently Safe
The enclosed design of the LRP® unit is inherently safe. The mechanism has none of the dangerous pinch points associated with walking-beam type apparatus, making it ideal for use in urban environments. LRP® systems can be operated safely near homes, schools, and businesses without requiring unsightly fencing or protective enclosures.

Environmentally Friendly
LRP® units are especially suited for environmentally or aesthetically sensitive installations. The system has minimal impact on a well site. It is quiet, unobtrusive, and motionless to the eye. The system requires no site grading, mounting pads, or other disruptive site preparations, making installation and reclamation easier. A low, slender profile allows the unit to blend in where other pumping systems would be offensive or prohibited by regulation.

Minimal Footprint
With a footprint not much larger than the wellhead on which it mounts, the LRP® system can nimbly go where conventional units cannot. This opens up new opportunities to tap oil and gas reserves that might otherwise be unreachable. Easy to transport, easy to install, LRP® units go where needed.

U R B A N I N S T A L L A T I O N S

Residential Ordinances prohibit the use of beam pumps in this Canton, Ohio, residential neighborhood. Noise is a major concern when placing artificial lifts in close proximity to bedrooms, not to mention the obvious safety and liability issues. The LRP® system eliminates these concerns. Which would you rather look at?
		Athletic Field This LRP® installation at Don Scott Field in Canton, Ohio, is both safe and unobtrusive. The high school athletic field is not far from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which uses the field for special events.
Community Pool This urban dweller just outside Cleveland, Ohio, is located five feet from a sidewalk that leads to the community pool and basketball courts and at the base of a winter sledding hill. Would your rather your child play near this or a beam pump? The fence is to keep out the curious but is not required for safety.
		Upscale Residential This LRP® unit is discreetly camouflaged in the pine trees next to a tennis court and is situated between two half million dollar houses in Brecksville, Ohio. The unit replaced a plunger lift that had lost bottomhole pressure.

D I F F I C U L T I N S T A L L A T I O N S

Parking Lot Real estate is expensive in California, and every inch counts. A minimal footprint allows the LRP® system to fit neatly on a concrete island in the parking lot of a major producer in Bakersfield. Imagine the space and safety concerns for this location if a conventional beam pump was installed.
		Center Pivot A very low profile allows a center-pivot irrigation system to pass right over the pumping unit.
Tight Situation This Bakersfield, California, wellsite originally had a well that had oil, gas, and steam breaking out to the surface. To meet regulatory mandates that stated there be no contaminates at the surface, the area was backfilled and the LRP® units were installed side-by-side as primary and backup lifts. Try fitting two beam pumps in the same space.
		Lake Platform This system is located on Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The LRP® unit offers a nice footprint when you have to build a pier to place a pumping unit into production. On the platform with the lift is a Unico GPL® Gas-Powered Lift that runs the pump from wellhead natural gas.
Flood Zone This well in Ebano, Mexico, is located on a flood plain that floods every spring. In the past, all artificial lift equipment had to be removed when the area flooded. A raised platform was built that elevated the equipment to allow continuous operation during flood stages while eliminating the costly equipment removal. Try doing this with a conventional beam unit!

S E N S I T I V E I N S T A L L A T I O N S

		Cleveland Cavaliers The LRP® system was a natural fit for the Cleveland Clinic Courts, the practice arena of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Independence, Ohio. Located on the edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the facility proudly features landscaping designed to respect its beautiful wooded surroundings. Where’s Lebron?
Blends In This system was painted dark green to blend into the forested landscape of a ranch in Stonewall, Colorado. The coalbed methane well is located on a private hunting preserve. The owner wanted to minimize the visual and environmental impact of the system, so he chose Unico's LRP® system.
		Colorado Beauty There are four pad-drilled horizontal wells at this environmentally conscious Ignacio, Colorado site. While the region is heavily regulated, the LRP® system easily meets or exceeds all requirements. Can you imagine the impact conventional pumping units would have on the neighbors' views of the Rockies? This is a good example of a producer and local land owners coexisting.
Blends In It's hard to see the LRP® system in this desert setting just outside Farmington, New Mexico, which is precisely the point. The antiquated pumping unit that formerly occupied the site was an eyesore that disrupted the stark beauty of the surroundings. In the distance is the famous rock formation of Shiprock, New Mexico.

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New iPhone and iPad Interface Let Users Monitor Their Wells Anywhere, Anytime

The new iGMC™ application from Unico makes accessing well information from your iPhone or iPad a breeze. The app works in conjunction with Unico’s GMC® Global Monitoring and Control System, which wirelessly collects data from any number of wells and delivers around-the-clock real-time monitoring, analysis, automated reporting, and alarm notification.

Previously, the GMC® system was accessible only through a Web browser. The new iGMC™ app provides dedicated access from the iPhone and iPad handheld mobile devices from Apple, Inc. The app uses the same secure data server and back-end infrastructure that powers the browser-based system but tailors the presentation for a touch-driven interface. Whether you’re at your desk, in the field, or just having lunch, all of the data from all of your wells around the globe is at your fingertips. Well status and the latest analysis charts are available at a glance, while more in-depth information—such as parameter and gauge trends and charts, comprehensive well reports, data archives, and event history—is just a few touches away. The convenient interface makes it easy to keep tabs on operations wherever and whenever you want.

You can download the Unico iGMC™ app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge, although a subscription is required to use the GMC® service. The iGMC™ app is a universal application that works on both the iPhone and iPad devices. To get an account, please contact your Unico representative.

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New Office Opened in Four Corners Region

Unico has opened an office in Durango, Colorado, to service customers in the Four Corners area—the region surrounding the intersection of the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Heading the new expansion is Jordan Hanson, who has relocated from our corporate headquarters in Franksville, Wisconsin. Jordan previously provided daily supervision and leadership for the manufacturing process for many of our artificial-lift products, including the LRP® Linear Rod Pumps and CRP® Crank Rod Pumps, among others. Though he will be missed in his production role, his dedication and experience with these units are welcome additions to our outside market support team. He reports to division sales manager Christopher Schmidt.

As regional manager for the southwestern United States, Jordan will be assisting our partners and producers with sales, troubleshooting, and repair as well as establishing a warehouse and inventory to support the region more effectively.

Please welcome Jordan to his new role and to the Four Corners region. Jordan can be reached at 262.488.0240.

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Remotely Troubleshooting Sucker-Rod Pump Valve Problems with the GMC® System

by Ron Peterson development engineer

Valve problems can be hard to pinpoint, especially if they are intermittent. A sticky standing or traveling valve may not make itself known until there's a measurable drop in production with time. Then begins the hunt to find the cause. Unico’s GMC® remote telemetry system gives operators and well analysts the ability to quickly and easily diagnose such problems early so they can be quickly corrected.

In the example below, a well in Illinois using a Unico LRP® Linear Rod Pump system had a history of troubles with sucking in sand and silt. The operator was alerted to a pumping problem by an unexpected drop in inferred production as shown on the main GMC® screen. Double-checking the fluid flow rate trend analysis (below) confirmed that the flow rate had dropped to zero barrels per day.

The problem was investigated further by examining the stored dynamometer plots (below). The downhole plot shows that the pump load is flat-lined at its theoretical maximum. This suggests that the pump is raising and lowering the weight of the rod plus the fluid, indicating that the standing valve is stuck open. Typically, this is remedied by flushing the pump to remove debris. In this case, the problem resolved itself over time.

The next day, the same well experienced a stuck traveling valve. In this case, the downhole pump load is flat-lined at zero, indicating that there’s no load on the plunger and only the weight of the rod is being raised and lowered. This signals that the traveling valve is stuck open—a problem that can be solved by tagging the pump periodically or by flushing out the pump. Incidentally, Unico’s LRP® lift systems incorporate a hands-free automatic tagging feature that can be triggered remotely to loosen debris without ever having to dispatch a crew.

Detecting stuck valves is just one of the many ways the GMC® system is an effective aid to troubleshooting pumping system problems remotely. We will be examining others in future issues of Solutions.

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