The Application of Electricity to the Oil Industry: Engineering Report Citation Cory, George Lewis (1920) The Application of Electricity to the Oil Industry: Engineering Report. Bachelor's thesis, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/n4n4-jp08. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:07262024-182913968 Abstract No abstract. Item Type: Thesis (Bachelor's thesis) Subject Keywords: Electrical Engineering Degree Grantor: California Institute of Technology Division: Engineering and Applied Science Major Option: Electrical Engineering Thesis Availability: Public (worldwide access) Research Advisor(s): Unknown, Unknown Thesis Committee: Unknown, Unknown Defense Date: 1 January 1920 Record Number: CaltechTHESIS:07262024-182913968 Persistent URL: https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:07262024-182913968 DOI: 10.7907/n4n4-jp08 Default Usage Policy: No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. ID Code: 16595 Collection: CaltechTHESIS Deposited By: Benjamin Perez Deposited On: 29 Jul 2024 17:11 Last Modified: 29 Jul 2024 17:39 Thesis Files PDF - Final Version See Usage Policy. 12MB Repository Staff Only: item control page

ENGINEERING REPORT THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO TH~ OIL INDUSTRY ey GEORGE L. CORY Class of Nineteen Hundred and Twenty Department of Electrical Engineering California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 1920 CONTENTS Page Statement of Problem ...................... l Previous Electrification .................. 1 scope of Investigation .................... 2 order of Presenting Results ............... 3 Conclusions ............................... 3 Drilling Wit:r1 Standard Cable Tools ........ 4- Drilling by the Rotary Method ............. 7 Comparison Between Electric and Steam Drilling ................... 9 Advantages of Electric Drilling over Steam. 15 Pumping on the Bearn . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Cou.nterbala.r1ces ........................... 17 Purr~ir~ by Jack-Power ..................... 18 Power Donsumption for Pumping Operations . . 18 CONTENTS Page Cost of Purr~ing EQuipment .................. 22 Advantages of Electric Pwnping . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Auxil~ary Electrical Equipment ............. 22 Advantages of Electrification .............. 2~ Reconune11dations ............................. 26 Acknowl edg emen ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Bibl i ograpr1y ................. -..... 6. • • • • • • • • 29 THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICITY TO THE OIL INDUSTRY statement of Problem There are two purposes to be accomplished in this report: first to ascertain whether or not the electric drilling, pumping, and cleaning of oil wells can be made a commercial success; second to make recorrnnendations as to the type of electrical equipment, and its installation, best suited to the oil industry on the Pacific Slope. The first part of the present report is divided into two groups: (a) The oil well owner and producer must be convinced that the electrification of his wells is to his advantage; he must be convinced that tr1e elee tric motor will handle his operating conditions as well as the time-honored steam engine. (b) It is desired to find wherein the present manufactured electrical equipment, and its installation, fail to meet these requirements. Previous Electrification The use of the electric motor for drilling and pwnping oil wells 1s not a new thing. The electrification of oil wells was started in the Baku fields of Russia during the year 1900, when several wells were pumped by motors. In 1906 occurrecl t11e first electrification of oil fields in this country, when the South 2 Penn Oil Company extensively utilized this process in their fields at Folsom, West Virginia. Five years later this company successfully completed the first oil well drilled entirely by electric power in this country. Today there are approximately two thousand wells being operated by electric motors; the general tendency is to electrify the proven fields, and to drill by electricity wherever possible. This rapid development and success of the oil well motor is largely due to the nwnerous advantages, the ease and reliability of operation, of the polyphase, variable speed, induction motor. Scope of Investigation When this investigation was first undertaken the writer thought that it would be possible to obtain the use of a well upon which he could carry out his experimental work. It was his original intention to study the equipment for drilling and pumping oil wells at the present time, and then to build an entire new set; to install this new apparatus, and to keep accurate data upon the drilling of the well. However, conditions arose wJ:1ich made t11i s work impossible: and so the problem was attacked from another standpoint. The purpose now was to collect all available data and information pertaining to the present manufactured electrical eq_uipment for drilling and pumping oil wells. Most of the printed data that was found was "ancient history" in the oil industry; therefore actual data had to be obtain- .3 ed directly from the fields and offices of different oil companies, order of Data and information will be presented in the Presenting Results of order in wr1ich they were obtained, as follows: Investigation (1) Drilling with standard cable tools (2) Drilling by the rotary method Comparison between electric and steam drilling (.3) (~) Individual pumping on the beam (5) Comparison between electric, steam, and gas pumping. (6) Auxiliary equipment used Recommendations ( 7) The conclusions at Which the investigator Conclusions arrived may be stated briefly as follows: (1) The induction type motor is especially adapted to the oil industry on the Pacific Slope, and has been used from the first, not only because of the fact that alternating current power is available in practically all of the fields, but also because the induction motor has t he mechanical strength and the necessary overload capacity required to withstand the oil field service. (2) The Pacific Slope is especially adapted to the use of electricity in the oil industry. (3) The electrification of all the proven fields on the Pacific Slope will be realized in the near future, and prac tic,allY all new dr1 lling wi 11 ·be done electrically; with this will come a demand for electric drilling and pumping equipment. ( 4-) TJ1e electric drilling and pumping of 011 wells is a decided commercial success for both the oil producer and the electrical manufacturer. Drilling The use of the electric motor for drilling with With Standard Cable standa rd cable tools does not requi!'e any special rig Tools construction other than t.1:1at of the ordinary type, except in the arrangement and size of the motor house. With an old installation the addition of a motor base is necessary. on account of the heavy strain to which oil well equipment is subjected, back-geared motors have not proven a success and are not found in general use. The best layout for electric drilling (and for pumping on the beam) is shown on Plate l; this is a belted type installation, using a countershaft P to reduce the speed of the band wheel. If the installation is an old one, the countersl1aft may be fastened on the engine block. (In some cases it has been found more economical to use the original steam engine itself for the countershaft. ) by "All the operations of drilling are handled a machine installed at tne time of erection of the rig, whi ch is replaced by one of smaller capacity when 5 the well is 'brought in' as a producer and is put •on the beam• or equipped with a pumping-jack."• Plate 2 shows the mechanical arrangement and elect r i cal setup of an electrically operated standard cable tool drilling equipment, installed for the San Fernando Oil Company, near Pacoima, California. equipment This (manufactured and installed by the General Blectric Company) consists of a 75 h.p., variable speed, delta connected, 440 volt, induction motor; a main and an auxiliary controller and resistor, providing eighty-ei ght poss1·01e motor speeds between standstil l and full-load speed. an oil circuit breaker provided with under voltage and overload releases; and a countershaft with pulleys to give the correct drilling speed. The two controllers and resistors are op- erated independently from the headache post by means of wire ropes; the main controller and resistor allow ten possible speed variations between full-load and half-load speeds; the auxil~iary controller and res- istor divides each of the main controller speeds into ei~ht additional speed variations. Tr1e two controllers, the entire control resistance, and the protective oil circuit -breakers, are mounted as a unit upon a movable engine -block in the engine house. In this way practic- ally all of the motor control connections can be made • General Electric Co., Bulletin No. 1+8013 August 1914. N l.zj 1--3 ~ tu 326999 INDEX E 327 20 20 OILWELL DRILLING MOTOR EQUIPMENT AT THE SAN FERNANDO OIL CO PACOIMA CAL. USING 75 HP. 900 RPM. 440 V. MOTOR OPERATING ON 50 CYCLE CIRCUIT. 6 in tl'~e shop; also the equipment, as a unit , may be readily moved to a new location upon completion of the well. To obtain the most effective blow in cable drilling, the beam must overspeed to allow the tools a "free drop" on tlie downward stroke; to accomplish this t11e motor must slow down on the up stroke and speed up on the down stroke. 1'he General Electric Co. obtains this characteristic very satisfactorily with the induction motor by so proportioning the motor and counter s ha ft pulleys that some of the resistance will alway s be left i n the rotor circuit when the motor is operating at the correct drilling speed. It is then merely a matter of minute speed adjustment by means of t he main and auxiliary controllers, in order that the movement of t h e beam may accord wi t11 the natural perio cl of v1·oration of the drilling line. When the stroke i s too s low the amount of work ac c omplished for the t iElS con~w:11ed is small; when the stroke is too fast the stretch is merely taken out of the wire drilling line wit hout permitting the tools to strike a cutting blow. J.i'or slow, easy work 1 such as tong ing up a joint of pi pe, the 75 h.p. drilling motor is too strong and too f a nt; consequently, for this work, its output must be co ns i d.erably curbed. This may De accomplished by insert i ng a third. controller and resistor in tne 7 circuit in series with the other two resistors; it will then, under ordinary running conditions, be shunted out, and should be used only when a small output is demanded. It has been found by actual test that the resistance should be equally divided in the three phases to give a maximum decrease in motor speed. The use of standard cable tools for drilling sometimes requires that the cuttings be taken away with a circulating or slush pump. Common practice in the oil fields points to the use of a separate single, variable speed motor ranging in capacity from 35 to 50 h.p. The motor may be either belted or geared directly to the mud pump. The variable speed required by tlle pump may be obtained by the use of a single main controller and resistor. An ammeter is sometimes inserted in the motor ci::.cuit and mounted on the Sarnson post; at all times it can be easily seen by the driller. This gives him an accurate indication at all times of the amount of strain he is putting on his casing. Drilling By Rotary Method The use of electricity for drilling by the rotary method is comparatively new. The trouble experienced in the past has lain in getting a quick reversal of the rotary table. If the rotary drill strikes a rock and cannot crush or dislodge it upon repeated trials, the drill may hold solid and if the power is not shut off, the drill rod will be twisted. The driller B must tr1erefore be able to reverse the motion immediately and "unwind" tlie drill rod. Heavy, cumbersome ch.ains and. moving parts must therefore be avotc.ed as much as pos s ible; also, all parts of the equipment should be fastened to one soilcl. frame in ord.er to resist the tremenrlous shock and strain upon reversal. A very good example of the necessity of this was found at the Smiley #1 Well, Whittier, California. 1 Here a heavy silent chain was used from t:t1e motor to the countershaft, and a link chain was used to connect the countershaft to the rotary table and draw-works. When a rock was struck which could not be broken or dislodged the power reversed, was but instead of the rotary table's reversing immediately, as it should have done, the heavy silent chain had inertia. enough to make the s101 ving down and 1 reversal a gradual process. Three drills wer~ twisted off in less than a week. At the same well the motor for drilling was mounted on a base separate from the cou.ntersliaft, which was mounted on a separate concrete base; trie result was that the countersr1a.ft and base were torn out by the tremendous reversal strain. A new base of timbers about 24 inches square was built up, making the countershaft and motor solid; the silent chain was taken off and replaced. by a much lighter link chain. Since then t:l'.18 entire equipment has been working very successfully. •owned by The Western Union Oil Co., Los Angeles, Cal. 9 Tr1e srune electrical equiprnent is used for drilling by the rotary method as with the standard cable tools wit:r1 the exception that the motor has three bearings, an out·b oard bearing being supplied to take trrn strain of the long motor shaft which is required to accormnodate tr1e gear for the countersr1aft chain. Also a single controller .usually provides sufficient speed variatiorJ to drive the rotary table and draw-works. The slush pump used with the rotary drill requires an additional motor similar to that used on trie mud pump for cable tool drilling. However, it might be found pro- fitable to install, at first, equipment suitable for bot11 rotary and standard cable tool drilling; then after having driven the hole to the oil sands by the rotary method, the well could be finished with standard cable tools in the customary manner. Comparison A few actual facts as to the initial cost of Between Electric equipment and the cost of drilling with electricity and steam Drilling will 1irobably do most to convince the driller who has never used anything but steam, that the electric motor will serve him equally a s well. The following costs, which. to represent a fair average for the various fields of southern California, are quoted on equipment manufactured by the General Electric Company: A standard cable tool drilling equipment,, 10 including a 75 h.p. variable speed, 4-4-0 volt induction motor; controllers and resistors complete; speed reduction co1J.r,tershaft and pulleys, may be installed complete, ready to run, "exclusive of all belts, buildings, or foundations, u and without a circulating pump for a·bout $2500. The equipment described above, inclu.dir..g a cir- culating pump, would co st about $.3500, installed complete, ready to rur~, foundations. 11 11 exclussive of all belts, buildings, or Tl1is equipment will cost about $200 more in the fields of Northern California as opposed to the soutl'lern fields; the difference in price being due to the higher frequency of the available power, necessitating a motor with a greater nwnber of poles. This cost is about one-third the cost of tl1e same equirment required for stearn operation ; and does the same work. However, the saving in t:te initial cost of drilling equipment is relatively small as compared with the saving in operating expenses. The actual cost of energy for well drill:'..ng, of course, increases with the depth of the well, for as the hole goes down it takes longer to bail and more pipe must be handled, and consequently tr1e weight on the beam is constantly increasing. The data ir.. Table 1, which was o·btained from two wells driJ led wi tr1 General Electric co. equipment using standarrt cable tools, in Ventura County, California, illustrates the gradual increase in t.1:rn cost of drilling 11 wi tl:. the increase in depth of the well: TABLE 1 WELL N0.2 WELL NO.l Cost of Power Depth of Well Date of operation Cost of Power Depth of Well $1_32.85 1096 ft. 5/1 - 7/26 $192.15 869 ft. 16.3.50 14-07 7/26- 8 /26 16.3.50 1194- 201.25 1952 8/26- 9/25 201.25 14-12 202.20 2129 9 /25-10 /.31 202.20 1550 212.15 227l+ 10 /.31-11 /26 212.15 17 4-4- 217.88 2581 11/26-12/27 217.88 2202 9i+. 20' 2987 12/27- 1/27 9 4-. 2Q I 24-35 1/27- 2/26 77 • 4-0 I 2829 2/26- 3/26 2973 The Western Union Oil Company, Los Angeles, Calif., drilled a well on the Harris Lease at Orcutt, rotary equipment. using This well was drilled to a depth of 4-.300 ft., and the average cost of power for the entire well was $8.l+4- per day. other wells nearby were being dri l led at that time by steam equipment; trte averag e fuel consumption on trLese was 50 bbls. of oil per day, the co s t of fuel oil was $1.50 per bbl.(present cost $2.25 per bbl.), delivered at the well, making the fuel 'Actual Iieriod of operation was leas, as tr1e casing was cemented off and allowed to stand for several days. ' 12 expense $75 per day, and to this was added the cost of the water used. It was estimated that the saving on the one well, due to the use of electrical equipment, was $25,000. In a letter to tlrn General Electric Company, the superintendent of tlrn Beatty Oil and Development Co., Los P.ngeles, California, says of a well Which they drilled with electrical equipment, using standard cable tools: u ••• our motor as installed by you operates the tools beautifully, we can get almost any speed desired, and the tools drop as freely as with stear11, we can pull the tools faster with the motor, and we at all times have steam up and have no delays waiting for the tooley to get up steam, cleaning the flues, or any of the dozen cielays that go with the average steam plant, and if someone lJurns a boiler it is no bother to us. u ••• As to the cost of operating our motor, in January we drilled 22 days and used 'juice• f'or 5 days more, the total power bill was $93.70 or about $.3.31+ per day; in February for 29 days our bill was $92.03 or about $3.17 per day. our lighting bill for January and February was $_36.62 this was for the rig lights, cook house, bunk house lights, and also for running a 1 h.p. electric water pwnp, and for the forge fan. u ••• I am confid.ent that the Electric Equipment on this lease shows a saving of 75% over trie cost of operating a steam plant, and at least 15% in tlie efficiency of men, as they are where they are needed, on the derrick floor.u This shows a very low opera ting cost and a higl1 effici.ency in 1a·bor and equipment. In practically all cases tlrn users of electrical equipment are more than 1.3 satisfied with the results and are the real "boosters" for its use. The Shell Company of California has done a considerable amount of drilling, using a standard 75 h.p. motor on the cable tools, and a .35 h.p. motor on the circulating pump. on well 11 A11 , in the Montebello fields, their total power bills for the twelve months of' 1919 amounted to ~~.39.36. tP+, or an average of $.328 per month. on tlrn Turnbull Canyon well, their total c0st of power for drilling for 4-½ montr1s was $1221.21+, or an average of $271 per month. The McGonigle #1 well, d.ri lled by the Shell Company, in Ventura County, 1 s tr1e deepest well that has been bored electrically. It is l.!-412 feet deep, and was drilled. with a 75 h.p. motor on the cable tools, and a 4-0 h.p. motor on the circulating pump. The McGonigle #2 well was drilled to a depth of 1+200 feet. The Western Union Oil Company drilled the Smiley #1 well at Whittier, to a depth of 2520 feet. This well was equipped with a standard rotary equipment (General Electric co.), using a 75 h.p. drilling motor on the draw-works and rotary table, and a 50 h.p. variable speed motor on the circulating pumps. The time elapsed during operations was 45 days, of which 16 days were required for the actual drilling. The total light and power cost was $.325. tu \.>J t:cJ 1-3 ~ 326978 I ND E X E-323 1 20 20 QIL WELL DRILLING MOTOR EQUIPMENT AT THE SAN FERNANDO OIL CO .. PACOIMA. CAL.. USING 75 HP 900 RPM . 440 V. MOTOR OPERATING ON 50 CYCLE CIRCUIT. 14- The San Fernando Oil Company, used a standard cable tool installation ( General Electric Co. eq_uipment, See Pla,tes 2 and 3) Canyon. in drilling a well in the Pacoima Mr.W.Nelson Shell, president of the San Fernando Oil company, submitted trie following statement: " ... our power and lighting bills since the installation of this system, has been as follows: PERIOD oct. 2 - oct.11,1919 oct.11 - Nov.12,1919 Nov.12 - Dec.13,1919 Dec.lJ - Jan.13,1920 Jan.13 - Feb.13,1920 LIGHT POWER $1.04- ~~27.60 18 4-.3 6 287.18 163.24- 4-2 • 79 43. 76 37. 46 29.21 l8 2 • 16 u•ro the above costs, of course, tr1ere has to be added expense for coke for heating bits which work is usually done with oil and we think would be a proper addition to power cost. Coke has cost us somethiLg like $75.00 per month. "We estimate that the use of fuel oil for the work we are doing, including transportation to our lease, would run about eight hundred to nine hundred dollars per month, indicating, as you will see, q_uite a material saving. 11 The power bill for the period Nov.12 to Dec.13, 1919 sr.1ows a marked increase over that of any of the other months, this being due to a long period of "fishing 11 which the company was compelled to do at that tirne. After t:trn cost of coke has been added to the power expense, making tr.ie maximum montr1ly power cost $250, we find that the drilling cost is only onethird as much as it would have been with the use of steam. 15 M:r.E.W.Kle1n, secretary of the San Fernando Oil and Gas Company, Los .Angeles, California, referring to their electrical equipment, says: u ••• our operation expense to date (April 14,1920) has not exceeded $200.00 per month for power and lights running full capacity 2~ hours daily. "We consider electric power the best and mo st economical as well as the cleanest of any power for oil well drilling and will gladly recommend the same. 11 Advantages The advantages of electric drilling over steam of Electric Drilling may be briefly summarized as follows: over steam (1) operating expenses are minimized. (2) There are no standby losses for idle equipment and the equipment is always ready for use. (.3) Maximum saving of time is gained in all operations. ( 4) Fu.11 power may be developed at any speed. (5) Momentary overload of about .300 per cent may be carried by the equipment. (6) Exact speed control is realized at all times. (7) Explosions and fire are sources of danger and are minimized. (8) Pumping on the Beam Maximum safety of operation is gained. The two speed, variable speed, induction motor has become the standard type of motor used for pumping, pulling, and cleaning purposes; it is usually of much smaller horsepower than the drilling motor. 16 Plate l shows the elevation and plan views of a motor-operated 011we11 rig. The motor is belted to the countershaft and this is belted to the band-wheel; the 1,valki ne; beam is then operated by the crank in the usual manner as shown. Wriere the well is to oe put "on t11e beam" and :pumped by an individual motor it is usually preferable that a ll operations of pu.~ping , pulling , and cleaning be performed by the same motor. Thus there 1s a very wide range of duty requirecl of t:r1e motor installed.. To meet t.riis requir-~ment the General Electric Company has produced. a two speed, variable speed motor; t:".le capacity and speed may be changed immediately by means of a pole changing switch mounterl on tne frame of the motor. The nonua l rating of their motor is 30 h.p. at 1200 r.p.m.; t:r1is is used for shaking, 'bailing, or handling tubing or rods; the other rating of 15 h.p. at 600 r.p.m. is used for the steady pumping load. (See Plate 6) This motor iB capable of light re-drilling work which 1s often necessary when cleaning out a well. The stator of t:r1eir motor has two separate three-phase windings, and the rotor is a six-phase wound r:)tor, requiring six coJ. l Getor rings. The two controllers (see Plate 2) are equipped with rope wheels so that the motor may be controlled from the headache post by means of telegraph cords in the same way as for drillingo An oil c1reu1t 17 oreaker providiJ:1...g for undervol tage and overload protectio~ is connected in the circuit as shown in the diagram. 1 Plate 5 shows the installation at the T.F. Gilmore Oil Company, Los Angeles, California. It shows the arrangement for the individual pumping of wells on the ·beam, with a small horsepower squirrel cage motor wi t:t1 a larger motor for pulling and cleaning purposes. In a few cases where the depth of tubing has exceede1 ~ooo feet, or where extra heavy gravity oil is pumped, it has been found necessary to install equipment rated at 20 h.p. for plllllping pur11oses and 50 h.p. for pulling and cleaning; these motors have a momentary maximum capacity of 75 h.p .. counterbalances The economy of pumping has been materially increased by the addition of a weight to counterbalance the rods on the beam. The counterbalance, which is hung from the back end of the walking beam, relieves the motor of the necessity of lifting the full weight of the rods on each stroke. Actual tests have shown a saving of from 8 to 22 per cent in the power required to pump the well, the amount depending upon the depth of the well, the weight of the rods, and the speed and length of the stroke. 'See Plate~, Blueprints furnished by the General Electric co., Schenectady, N.Y. '"d \.n l?:l 1-3 t-1 :t> • 326979 INDEX E-327- 1 20 ao SEPARATE MOTORS FOR OIL WELL PUMPING AND PULLING AT THE A. F. GILMORE OIL CO., LOS ANGLES, CAL., THE PUMPING MOTOR BEING TYPE KT-7 5 HP - 1800 RPM 440 V AND THE PORTABLE PULLING MOTOR BEING TYPE MT-40HP- 1200 RPM -440V WITH T-10-J CONTROLLER. MOTORS OPERATE ON A 50 CYCLE CIRCUIT. 18 Pumping by .rack-Power If the pulling and cleaning of several wells in the same territory is infrequent, and the wells are well balanced against each other, and if the gravity of the oil, the diameter of the tubing, and the general conditions of the well are approximately t:r1e same, the pumpin.:; may ·oe done from a central power head or jack, which ro.ay be electrified at a comparatively low cost per well. A standard constant speed, squirrel cage motor is suitable for practically all operating conditions met with. The motor is belted to a countershaft, which is in turn belted with a quarter turn belt to the power t1ead. al l 11 s:r1ak1ng u:pu, pulling, and cleaning must be done by some Power When the wells are pumped oy jack-power type of portable outfit. The simplicity and flexibility of operation, consump- tion for aside from the all-round efficiency of the electrical Pumping Operations pum:pi::ig equipment, appeals to the average oil man. Mr.J.H.Royer, of the Birch Oil Company, }ullerton, California, says: u ••• regarding our motor installation for oil well pu_.'11p ing I would say that we are operating ten .30/15 h.p. oil well pumping motors on our wel l s t:tia t are tubed to a depth of 2500 to 3900 feet, and the gravity runs from 19° Baume on t he shallow wells to 21. 5° to 28. 5° Bau.me on tr.1e deep ones. The shallow wells are tubed w1 th 2 11 tubing and the deeper wells wi t11 2½ 11 • • • • onr power cost averages about $90.00 per montr.1 :per well, and the rate is 1 cent per kW-hr. wit}1 a stand·oy charge of $1.00 per month per h.p. and a surcharge of . 001 per 1e--.v-hr. 11 11 19 The 11 cleaning gang" at this ,11rell, using a 30 /15 h.:p. mo tor for pulling and cleaning, pulled sixty, 60-ft. stands of¾ in. rods in 55 minutes. From Mr.Royer's statements we see that the cost of :power for pumping does not depend upon the depth of t h e well to any great extent, because the gravity of the oil pumped offsets the increased depth of pumping. The power cost, however, is regulated to a large extent by t11e viscosity of the oil and tr1e gas :pressure, speed of the rods and the length of t he pumping stroke. The significance of these statements is further shown by the subjoined report of the FUllerton Oil Co.: No. of wells pumped by motor------- 6 Averag e minimum pumping depth ---2581 ft. Average maximu.m pumping depth ---3220 ft. Size of tubing used----------- 2 11 Gravity of oil - 2½ 11 -------------- 17° - 22°B. Av erage power cost per well per month------- ---- $80.00 The load in an oil field is almost of an ideal nature as is well shown by Plate 6, the actual curvea.rawing wa ttmeter records of sub-stations serving typic a l California oi l fields. The load is practically const an t twenty-four hours a day, throughout the year, without an.y material variation. Tl1e slight rise shown 1n tr1ese curves at ni ght is due to t11e lighting load. ==+===t==::j==:::t===t===il:==1-_-_...j+.-_~-= _+ l--= _= _= _fl-=_= _J_i-_= _ --+-+--i-------1~ --,---+---+---I :::ll _J. "" -+---l-----1----;--J.- ~I1- - -t1- -_-_--t-1+-_--_-_++_-_--iJ-_-_-_-1-~_-_-_+,__-_-_--l--~-_-_-...::.-~· - - + -- -1 -➔--+--1 11 1' \I •• l' "I 3 2011 2 TYPICAL 24 HOUR OIL FIELD LOAD CURVES. UPPER RECORD FROM SUB• STATION OF SAN JOAQUI N LIGHT AND POW ER CORPORATION $'ERVING A PORTION OF THE MIDW AY OIL FIELDrAT TA FT. CALIFORNIA. LOWER RE CORD FROM SU BSTATIO N OF MI DLAND COUN TIES PUBLIC SERVIC E CORPORAT IO N SERVING A PORTION OF THE COALI NGA OIL FIELD IN CALI FORNI A. INDEX E -327 9 19 18 PLATE 6 20 The Pan American Petroleum Corp., Los Alomos, California, using a 30/15 h.p. General Electric motor, is pwnping a 4-, ooo ft., 3 in. tubed well at the rate of 20 strokes per minute, using the first hole of the crank. This is the deepest well that has been pumped wi tr.1 a motor of this capacity. The Coalinga Mohawk Oil Co. is pumping a .3,800 ft. well at .30 strokes per minute, using the third hole of the crank, with a 50 /20 11.p. General Electric motor. However, the actual measured input on this motor is only 26 r1.p. The Petroleura Midway Co. is operating the Mulholland Lease in the Montebello fields on a 30 /15 h.p. General Electric Co. motor at an average cost of $65 to s;70 per month, consuming an average of .36t~o kW-hr. per montl1. The P.& D. Lease, operated by the sarne company, consumes an averag e of 824-0 kW-hr. per month for two wells. The power rate at this field is 1.2 cents per 101v-hr. plus a maximum demand standby charge of $22.50 per month . These wells are all pumped on the beam by individual motors. Table 2 1 shows the comparative power consumption l of selected groups of electrically operated oilwells in California. ' See page 8, 11 Electric Power in the Oil Fields", by r W. G. '.1:'aylor, Power and Mining Engineering Department, General Electric Co., Schenectact..y, N.Y. 21 TABLE NO. 2 Case 1 No. of wells ..... . 50 Location (Calif. ) .. Kern Case .3 Case 4- Case 5 5. 6 4- 6 Casmalia casmalia Cat Canyon Av. depth, feet ... 1000 to 1100 Pu.~ping speed ..... case 2 27 1800 Size of tubing ..... Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gas • •• Much 18 2800 20 22 20 1st. 1st. 1st. 10°to 11° . .. 1,.l. U 'i'c:J Much ... ............... 2900 3000 Hole in crank used 1st. for pumping ...... 2nd.&3rd. 1st. Gravity of oil 0 B.. 12.5°to 14-.9° 2000 ~r!~l: ... ... Very Little Some Yes No. of months ave'd 4- 3 .3 .3 .3 Av. kw-hr. per well per month .. 5252 4-4-0.3 3927 4-229 .39 4-1 It is interesting to note in the above table that the kilo-watt hour consumption of the deep wells is no more in many cases than that of shallow wells. This table shows tha~ t11e mo st 1nfluent1al factors are the length of the stroke, the speed of pwnping, the diameter of the pw1~ barrel, the gravity of the oil and the fluid level in the wells. -I t,tj > 1-3 t-d t-4 ,,.,.W· ◄-:: ,r,7'." d)~~~ o. J'-n}z 3203 24 INDEX E - 357 10 2 18 TYPE OMT-336-6 / 12 POLE. 30 / 15 HP-1200/ 600 RPM 440 VOLT TWO-SPEED VARYING -SPEED OIL WELL MOTOR AS INSTALLED BY THE ASSOCIATED OIL CO .. IN THE COALINGA OIL FIELDS IN CALIFORNIA. 22 Cost of PUmping Equipment The following costs are quoted on the standard electrical pumping equipment manufactured by the General Electric Company. This standard equipment such as shown in the photograph (Plate 7) includes: A 30/15 h.p.two speed, variable speed induction motor, countershaft and pul l eys, all control equipment, belt from motor to countershaft, and motor house, installed complete, ready to run, $1600 to #2000. The same equipment with a 50/20 h.p. motor installed complete would cost from $2000 to #2500. Advantages The arg'Wilents which have been presented in favor of Electric PUmping of electrical drilling apply equally well to the pumping of oil wells. Further than this we may briefly summari z e the advantag es as follows: Practically all shut-dovms due to engi ng trouble; rod breakage and repairs, etc. are eliminated. Steady pumping is maintained at all times. In pulling and cleaning ,the motor will pull the first stand of tubing as fast as the last one, the load making practically no difference in the motor speed, while the steam engine speed 1s greatly reduced with the heavier load. Auxiliary The demand for increased production and at the Electrical Equipment same t ime a decrease in cost has brought about the perfection of several metr1ods of electric de-hydration within the last few years. Having electrical energy at the oil well makes electric de-hydration possible, and so in the future the electrical manufacturer will be obliged to consider equipment for this work. It is a very significant fact that at the present time more than one million barrels of oil per month are being electrically de-hydratecl in California, the averag e power consumption per barrel of clean oil ranging from 22 to 65 watthours. If the well is located in a 11 pocket 11 and is a ugas s er" it is advisab le to use oil swi tcl1 es throughout the entire equipment, for this prevents any chance of the igniting of the gas from the well by the make or break spark of an open knife switch. In one particular case where the gas is unusually strong an~ may come on at any time, t he oil company has asked t he electrical manufacturer to provide against sparking at the collector rings. This , however, is a very extreme case such as 1s not often met. Portable pulling and cleaning equipment should be provided for if t he wells ar e pun1ped on t he beam by jack-power, or if t he individual motor is too small for t hat purpose. Any standard typ e hoist may be connected to an electric motor and mounted upon a movab le frame; such a portable motor driven hois t may be transported from well to we ll and connec ted by plug connectors at eac h :plac e. Transformers are usually f urni shed and installed at the t!ields by the power companies. However, wh en the oil c ompany purcr1ase s 1 ts own tran sformers, t h e co s t of elec tr if ication per well will be lower if a gro up of wells can be equipped wit h motors and al l op r3r,1,t 9ct fr om the one bank of transformers. For drilling wort . a separate bank of tran sformers should be us ed fo r each motor. Adv?. nt ag es of Electri- fi cation Durtng tl1e 1r.vest iga t i on mar.y advant age s of t h e elect r i c motor over t he st earr: o:r gas engir..e l:-i. ave be en fo uncl. Trie se may be summed up as f ollows: ( J.) Motor drive is the moat eco nomical and there- for e minimizes the operat i ng expenses. \\There the price of boiler feed wate:r 1s high and the quali ty poor the s av i nc in wa ter alone has amo unt ed to more than the cost of t11e electric power. The reduction in the number of boilers or their complete eliminat i ori., increases the oil pro o.uction. This saving is an item of cons1dera1)le va lue , part i cularly where rii gh gr a vi ty oil is produced. (2) As ha::; been cited in t h i s a rticJe, the s team or gaD engine does not allow a st eady pwnpir.g mot i on, whereas the electr i c motor gives a very constant motion, tr.us increasing t h e oil. production. (.3) Valves, cylir...der l'1eads, and steam piping a.re bounc1 to leak and are thus the cause of well known los s es in tr1e oil fields. The corresponding losses of 25 electric power due to transmission are low and have a fixed percentage throughout the life of the equipment. (~) No fuel is required to get up steam; no power 1s consumed w1 th idle equipment. (5) Accurate control is essential and may be obtained with the electric motor to a higher degree than for any other method of drive, whether for drilling, pumping, or cleaning. (6) Time is valuable. The delays due to motor trouble are much less than the delays due to engine and ·boiler trouble. In pulling a well the first stand of tubing may be pulled as fast as the le,st one, practically without regard to the load lifted. (7) The motor is always ready to start at the turn of tLe controller, and will always give the same speed upon the same controller point under similar operating conditions. (8) The control 1s simple and accurate; there is no reverse lever. {9) The speed of the motor is practically inde- pendent of the voltage fluctuations but may be varied at will by tr1e controller. ( 10) Tb.ere is less danger of rod breakage with the motor drive than with the steam or gas engine, since the motor does not pick up the rod with a jerk; the speed of the band-wheel is practically constant during the entire revolution, thus reducing the tendency tor the rods to crystallize. 26 (11) The fire risk is reduced, and the danger rrom ex:plosions is practically eliminated. Insurance rates are t herefore lower. (12) Greater safety of operation is obtained with the motor, as it cannot urun away" when the rods part or t he hoisting cable breaks under t he heavy load. (13) Boiler depreciation (which is usually high in the oil fields) is greatly reduced or entirely eliminated. (1~) Power consumption can be measured at all times and thus an accurate cost of operat i on can be kept for each well. (15) The motor house, belts and machinery, can be kept cleaner , with a consequent less rapid deterioration of machinery and rig. Recommendations From the results of the foregoing investigat i on we find that the electrif icat ion of oil wells is a cornrnercial success for both the oil producer and the electrical manufacturer. With t he electrification of fut ure wells and of proven terr ito ry must come a demand for standard electr i cal equipment, for Which the followi:ng recommendations may be made: DRILLING MOTOR AND EQ,UIPMENT.- A variable speed induction motor, with a main and auxiliary controller and resistors complete, protected by a triple-pole oil circuit breaker with an automatic under-voltage 27 release and an overload trip is recommended. The motors should be built in two sizes, 50 h.p. and 75 h.p. for 44-0 volts. PUMPING EQ,UIPMENT.- Pwnping motors should be two speed, variable speed induction motors, and should be b'J.ilt in at least two different capacities; .30/15 h.:µ ancl 50 /20 h.p. A convenient method for obtaining tr1e change in speed is by means of a. pole changing switch (which rray be mounted on the frame), one position connecting tr1e stator windings for six-pole operation and the ot11er position for twelve-pole operation. The rotor which has been found most satisfactory 1s a six-phase wound rotor, requirir~g six collector rings. This equipment sh~uld be protected by a triple pole oil circuit breaker equipped with an automatic under-voltage release and a two-co 11 series- -inverse-t ime-11m1 t overload trip. The two coils should be electrically interconnect- ed wi t:t1 the motor pole changing switch in such a manner that whenever the latter is thrown to either the highspeed or the low-speed positions the coils will be connected to trip the switch at an overload corresponding to t:tie motor rating in use. CONTROL .APPARATUS.- The controllers should be :prov1decl with rope wheels in place of the standard industrial handles, so that trrny may be operated independently from the headache post by means of telegraph 28 cords, w:r.icr1 should govern both the forward and reverse operations as well as all speed variations. TRANSFORMERS.- For drilling work a separate bank of transformers should be used with each motor. For purnping purposes the cost of electrification per well will be lower if an entire group of wells equipped with motors is put on one transformer bank. standard outdoor-type oil cooled transformers are best suited for oil field service. INSTALL.t\TION.- For drilling purposes separate concret e bases are not satisfactory; the equipment should be mounted upon a fabricated u I" beam base. Excessively heavy chains from the motor to the countershaft should be avoided so as to reduce the moment of inertia and thereby allow a quick reversal of the motor and rotary table. The writer of this report wishes to acknow- Acknowl ed.g emen ts ledge his indebtedness to Mr.w.G.Lane, Sales Engineer, General Electric Company, Los Angeles, California, for his valuable suggestions arni assistance rendered in preparing this report. The writer also takes this opportunity of expressing his indebtedness to the General Electric Company, and to the various oil companies in, and around, Southern California. Bib 1 iography Electrical Equipment of Oil Wells ....... G.F.Co. General Electric Co. BU.lletin No.l.J.8013, Aug.191~ u APPl:Ying Mo tors to Oi 1 Wel 1 Plm1ping 11 • • • • • • W. G. Taylor Electrical World, __ Jan.~,1920 __ .::.,. uThe Operation of Oil Wells by Electric Power and the Resulting Gain to the Oil Producer.u General Electric Review, May, 1919 ... W.G.Taylor 11 Electric Power in the Oil Fields" ......... W.G.Taylor Presented at the Forty-third Convention of the National Electric Light Association Pasadena, California, May 18-22,1920 0 'l'he Application of Electricity to the Production of crude Oil. . .................... W.G.Lane The Oil Age, Jan.,1920