A pumpjack, also known as a nodding donkey or beam pump, is a common artificial lift system used in onshore oilfields. It’s designed to mechanically lift fluids (typically oil, gas, water, or mixtures) from the wellbore to the surface when reservoir pressure is no longer strong enough to do this naturally.
Main components include:
-Walking Beam: The arm that moves up and down.
-Pitman Arm & Crank: Converts rotary motion from the motor into vertical motion.
-Horsehead: The curved front of the beam.
-Polished Rod & Sucker Rods: Extend downhole and connect to the pump at the bottom.
-Downhole Pump: Located in the production tubing, lifts fluid to surface.
-A fully operating surface pumping unit, moving at a regular stroke speed and length.
-The environment around the unit looks dry and lacks heavy oil-staining, this may indicate lower or cleaner production, possibly water.
-There’s no visible oil storage tank or produced fluid visible, which may suggest the production is minimal or mostly water.
Indicate About the Well:
Oil Decline Phase – Mature Well Behavior
-Over time, oil reservoirs deplete, and pressure drops.
-Water (either injected for pressure support or naturally present) starts to rise in the well.
-Eventually, the water cut increases — meaning the percentage of water in the produced fluids goes up (sometimes to 90–100%).
High Water Cut
-When a pumpjack is running but the fluid produced is mostly water, it’s called high water cut production.
-This may be formation water, or water that has entered from adjacent zones.
-Water production can increase operating costs significantly (e.g., water disposal, treatment).
Why Do Operators Still Run the Pumpjack?
-Monitoring phase: Operators often continue pumping for a while to confirm if oil will return (sometimes after stimulation or after a shut-in).
-Data collection: To observe production trends and determine next steps.
-Well testing: To evaluate if wellbore damage or water coning is reversible.
-Eventually, if production is uneconomical, the well will be shut in or abandoned.