초록 ▼

An arrangement which utilizes an inexpensive flap valve/flow transducer combination and a simple local supervisory control system to monitor and/or control the operation of a positive displacement pump used to extract petroleum from geologic strata. The local supervisory control system controls the

An arrangement which utilizes an inexpensive flap valve/flow transducer combination and a simple local supervisory control system to monitor and/or control the operation of a positive displacement pump used to extract petroleum from geologic strata. The local supervisory control system controls the operation of an electric motor which drives a reciprocating positive displacement pump so as to maximize the volume of petroleum extracted from the well per pump stroke while minimizing electricity usage and pump-off situations. By reducing the electrical demand and pump-off (i.e., "pounding" or "fluid pound") occurrences, operating and maintenance costs should be reduced sufficiently to allow petroleum recovery from marginally productive petroleum fields. The local supervisory control system includes one or more applications to at least collect flow signal data generated during operation of the positive displacement pump. No flow, low flow and flow duration are easily evaluated using the flap valve/flow transducer arrangement.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed: 1. A method for monitoring and optimizing fluid extraction from geological strata comprising: modification of a check valve, said check valve including a flap element, such that the modification further comprises the sequential steps of removing the check valve, locating the flap e

What is claimed: 1. A method for monitoring and optimizing fluid extraction from geological strata comprising: modification of a check valve, said check valve including a flap element, such that the modification further comprises the sequential steps of removing the check valve, locating the flap element, attaching a magnet to the flap element, and reinserting the check value, such that the magnetic field is detectable by a flow transducer; coupling the flow transducer to the check valve operatively coupled to a discharge conduit associated with a walking beam type pumping unit, wherein said flow transducer is adapted to generate flow signals by detecting movement of a sensing element associated with said check valve, electromagnetically coupling said flow transducer to a local processing system, monitoring said sensing element and said flow signals at least during operation of said walking beam type pumping unit, A/D conversion of said flow signals by a sensing element to create flow signal data; accumulating a portion of the flow signal data in a memory associated with said local processing system, and determining an optimum pumping cycle from said accumulated flow signal data, wherein said optimum pumping cycle eliminates fluid pound. 2. The method according to claim 1 further including; transferring a portion of said accumulated flow signal data from said local processing system to another processing system, and outputting said optimized pumping cycle in a format useful for optimizing fluid extraction from said geological strata using said walking beam type pumping unit pump. 3. The method according to claim 1 further including; electromagnetically coupling a motor controller associated with said pump to said local processing system, generating a control signal if a least a portion of said flow signal data that fall outside a predetermined range or predetermined set point, and sending said control signal to said motor controller; wherein said motor controller changes an operating state of said pump upon receipt of said control signal. 4. The method according to claim 2 further including storing a portion of said accumulated flow signal data in a data store associated at least with said another processing system. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said flow transducer generates said flow signal data based at least in part on one of, variable reluctance effects, Hall effects, magnetic inductance effects, binary switch states, potentiometer outputs or piezoelectric effects. 6. The method according to claim 2 wherein said transferring of said flow signal data is accomplished using an electronic transport medium, wherein said electronic transport medium comprises one of; a telecommunications link, a laptop computer, a personal data assistant, or a data logging device. 7. The method according to claim 3 wherein said operating state includes turning said walking beam type pumping unit, on or off. 8. The method according to claim 3 wherein said predetermined range includes low or loss of fluid flow. 9. The method according to claim 3 wherein said predetermined set point includes a flow duration in which said walking beam type pumping unit, has been operating or idle. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said position detectable element of said check valve includes means for stimulating said flow transducer to generate said flow signal data coincident with said movement. 11. A method for monitoring and optimizing fluid extraction from geological strata comprising: modification of an inline check valve, said check valve including a flap element, such that the modification further comprises the sequential steps of removing the check valve, locating the flap element, attaching a magnet to the flap element, and reinserting the check value, such that the magnetic field is detectable by a flow transducer; coupling the flow transducer to the inline check valve installed on a discharge conduit associated with a positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit, wherein said flow transducer is adapted to generate flow signals by detecting movement of a position detectable element of said check valve_and monitoring a sensing element, A/D conversion of the flow signals by a sensing element to create flow signal data; electromagnetically coupling said flow transducer to a local supervisory control system, monitoring said flow signal data generated at least during operation of said positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit, accumulating a portion of said flow signal data in a memory associated with said local supervisory control system, transferring a portion of said accumulated flow signal data from said local supervisory control system over a network to a centralized supervisory control system, determining an optimum pumping cycle from said accumulated_flow signal data, and outputting said optimized pumping cycle in a format useful for optimizing fluid extraction from said geological strata using said positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit, such that said optimize pumping cycle eliminates fluid pound. 12. A method for monitoring and optimizing fluid extraction from geological strata comprising: modifying a flap valve, said flap valve including a flap element, such that the modification further comprises the sequential steps of removing the flap valve, locating the flap element, attaching a magnet to the flap element, and reinserting the flap value, such that the magnetic field is detectable by a flow transducer; coupling the flow transducer to the flap valve operatively coupled to a discharge conduit associated with a positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit, wherein said flow transducer is adapted to generate flow signals by detecting movement of a position detectable sensing element internal to said flap valve, electromagnetically coupling said flow transducer to a local supervisory control system, monitoring said sensing element and said flow signals at least during operation of said positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit, A/D conversion said flow signals and monitoring said sensing element to create digital flow data; accumulating a portion of said flow signal data in a memory associated with said local supervisory control system, and determining an optimum pumping cycle from said accumulated flow signals, wherein said optimum pumping cycle eliminates fluid pound. 13. The method according to claim 12 further including; transferring a portion of said accumulated flow signal data from said local supervisory control system to a centralized supervisory control processing system, and outputting said optimum pumping cycle in a format useful for optimizing fluid extraction from said geological strata using said positive displacement walking beam type pumping unit.