Extending Rod-Pump Life During Proppant Flowback at the Lost Hills Field

Summary Proppant flowback from hydraulically fractured wells can lead to sand wear on the pump barrel and plunger and to increased pulling costs on rod-pumped wells. Two separate approaches for lengthening the run times of the pumps were tried and evaluated individually. One approach was to install pumps that allow production of a sand-laden fluid. Pressure-actuated plunger (PAP) pumps were field tested, and they showed an average increase of 81.6% in run time. These split ring wiper pumps clean the barrel of sand before the passing of the plunger. The other approach was to keep the sand from entering the pumps. When downhole filters were used, the run life of the pumps with the filters increases 135%. Well-pulling cost savings of U.S. $11.91 per well day and U.S. $9.24 per well day are documented for the PAP pumps and filters, respectively. Application guidelines based on the sand-loading rate and gross liquid production of the wells are presented, as well as some operational experiences.