This invention relates generally to oilfield equipment, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved base system for supporting a beam pumping unit.
Hydrocarbons are often produced from well bores by reciprocating downhole pumps that are driven from the surface by pumping units. A pumping unit is connected to its downhole pump by a rod string. Although several types of pumping units for reciprocating rod strings are known in the art, walking beam style pumps enjoy predominant use due to their simplicity and low maintenance requirements.
In most walking beam pumping units, the walking beam is pivotally supported atop a Samson post through a saddle bearing assembly. Typically, the Samson post includes a front leg and a rear leg that are secured to one another by a connection bracket below the saddle bearing assembly. The distal end of the front leg is secured to a base assembly of the pumping unit, often with a bolted connection. The distal end of the rear leg can be secured to the pedestal or to the base assembly of the pumping unit with large bolts. The Samson post carries a significant amount of weight and is exposed to lateral forces during the operation of the pumping unit. The base assembly also carries the weight of the sub base (or pedestal) and the gearbox, crank arms and other components supported by the pedestal.
In the past, the base assembly has been shipped to the well site and placed onto a concrete pad. The base assembly typically includes a series of interconnected steel beams that are anchored to the concrete pad with bolts. The Samson post and pedestal are the connected to the top of the base assembly. Although widely adopted, the use of an independent base assembly presents added shipping and installation costs. There is, therefore, a need for an improved support system for a walking beam pumping unit. It is to these and other deficiencies in the prior art that embodiments of the present invention are directed.
In one aspect, a beam pumping unit includes an integrated base assembly that has a precast concrete pad and a support base partially embedded within the precast concrete pad. The beam pumping unit further comprises a Samson post connected to the support base and a walking beam supported by the Samson post.
In another aspect, a beam pumping unit includes an integrated base assembly that has a precast concrete pad and a support base. The support base includes one or more frame members. Each of the one or more frame members includes an exposed portion extending above the precast concrete pad and an embedded portion within the precast concrete pad. The beam pumping unit further includes a Samson post connected to the support base and a walking beam supported by the Samson post.
In another aspect, the embodiments include a method for making and assembling a beam pumping unit near a wellhead. The method begins with the step producing an integrated base assembly that has a support base within a concrete pad. Next, the method includes the step of placing the integrated base assembly near the wellhead. The method continues with the step of securing a Samson post to the integrated base assembly.
Each crank arm 110 is pivotally connected to a pitman arm 124 by a crank pin bearing assembly 126. The two pitman arms 124 are connected to an equalizer bar 128, and the equalizer bar 128 is pivotally connected to the rear end of the walking beam 120 by an equalizer bearing assembly 130. A horse head 132 with an arcuate forward face 134 is mounted to the forward end of the walking beam 120. The face 134 of the horse head 132 interfaces with a flexible wire rope bridle 136. At its lower end, the bridle 136 terminates with a carrier bar 138, upon which a polished rod 140 is suspended.
The polished rod 140 extends through a packing gland or stuffing box 142 on a wellhead 144. A rod string 146 of sucker rods hangs from the polished rod 140 within a tubing string 148 located within the well casing 150. The rod string 146 is connected to the plunger of a subsurface pump (not illustrated). In a reciprocating cycle of the beam pumping unit 100, well fluids are lifted within the tubing string 148 during the upstroke of the rod string 146.
The Samson post 118 includes a front leg 152, a rear leg 154 and a connection bracket 156. In some embodiments, the connection bracket 156 is rigidly affixed to an upper end 158 of the front leg 152. The connection bracket 156 can be secured to the front leg 152 with a welded or bolted connection. A lower end 160 of the front leg 152 is rigidly secured to the base 116 at a predetermined and fixed angle. In this way, the front leg 152 and connection bracket 156 are held in a fixed geometric relationship with the integrated base assembly 116.
The rear leg 154 includes a proximal end 162 that is retained by the connection bracket 156. The rear leg 154 includes a distal end 164 that terminates in a rear foot 166. The rear foot 166 is attached to the distal end 164 at a fixed angle with a welded or bolted connection. The rear foot 166 is secured either to the sub base 114 (as shown in
The integrated base assembly 116 includes a support base 168 and pad 170. The support base 168 includes one or more frame members constructed from steel or other high-strength metal that are at least partially embedded within the pad 170 during manufacture. In the embodiment depicted in
Turning to
Turning to
The linear drive beam pumping unit 200 and air assist beam pumping unit 300 each include variations of the integral base assembly 116. The Samson posts 204, 304, the linear drive unit 208 and the air cylinder 314 are each mounted to the members of the support base 168, which are partially embedded within the pad 170. As best depicted in
The pad 170 is a precast concrete pad that is designed and configured to distribute and transfer the weight and dynamic loading forces produced by the beam pumping units 100, 200, 300. As illustrated in
The support base 168 is embedded within the pad 170 and produced as an integrated, unitary component. As illustrated in
During manufacture, the structural reinforcements 176 are assembled and placed into a concrete form (not shown). The support base 168 is then connected to the structural reinforcements 176 such that the exposed portion 178 of the support base 168 extends above the top of the concrete form. Next, an appropriate, high-strength concrete mixture is poured into the form to cover the embedded portion 180. Depending on the type of structural reinforcements 176 used and whether the concrete pad 170 is pre-tensioned or post-tensioned, additional steps may be required to complete the production of the integrated base assembly 116. When cured and fully and properly tensioned, the integrated base assembly 116 can be shipped to the well site and placed on a leveled landing surface. The various components of the beam pumping units 100, 200, 300 can then be secured to the exposed portion 180 of the support base 168. Thus, the integrated base assembly 116 presents an efficient, cost-effective solution for supporting the beam pumping units 100, 200, 300. The integrated base assembly 116 simplifies assembly of the beam pumping unit 100, 200, 300, improves the consistency of the concrete pad 170 and reduces the costs of shipping associated with the prior art method of delivering a separate support base 168 to the well site.
It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and functions of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the teachings of the present invention can be applied to other systems without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/525,061 filed Jun. 26, 2017 entitled “Integral Precast Foundation Base for Pumping Unit,” the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62525061 | Jun 2017 | US |