American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022 - 84

PCS Ferguson, a business unit of ChampionX
Artificial Lift, has developed a lubricator
that is 100% forged. According to
PCS Ferguson, this approach eliminates
the weak points associated with welds by
producing a consistent metallurgical grain
structure that improves the lubricators'
strength, ductility and impact resistance.
continues. " We run X-rays and other tools
to verify the welds on our lubricators, but
over several years, stress can fracture the
welds. The forged lubricator takes that
concern away, " he explains.
He points out that the forged lubricators
are rated to 5,000 psi. " Many companies
now use 5,000 psi lubricators by default, "
he says. " Whether the lubricators are
forged or welded, the higher rating offers
peace of mind they will be able to withstand
the resulting pressures if a nearby
fracture communicates with the well. "
PCS Ferguson's lubricators include a
patented poly spring that can withstand
speeds as high as 3,000 feet a minute,
well beyond what it should encounter
during actual well operations, Cope says.
" Over time, springs can weaken and compress, "
he reports. " With the spring no
longer as effective at cushioning impacts,
the plunger contacts the metal at higher
speeds and can be damaged. The poly
spring helps prevent that.
" We have also gone from dome-style
lubricator caps to inspectable caps, " he
continues. " With the older style, all the
lubricator's internal components were inside
the cap, which meant technicians
had to dismantle the cap completely if
they wanted to check or work on the
spring and anvil. With the new caps,
everything is in discrete pieces. Once the
cap is off, the technician can see the
spring and anvils and easily pop them
out of the lubricator if they need work. "
The redesign has lightened the cap,
Cope adds. He points out that this
reduces the risk of injury when technicians
are removing the cap from the lubricator
and setting it down, or lifting it
to put it back on.
To help operators minimize gas emissions,
Cope mentions that PCS Ferguson
is partnering with an electronic company
to develop a more affordable electronic
actuator for auto catchers. " A traditional
electronic valve would be too expensive
to deploy in an auto catcher, " he says.
" Getting rid of unnecessary capabilities
and doing some clever engineering makes
the cost more competitive. "
Cope predicts that the electronic valve
will be available within six months. " We
already have electronic valves on the
plunger lift system's sale side, so once the
auto catcher valves are introduced, the system
will be almost emission free, " he says.
Boosting Gas Production
Liquid loading can significantly reduce
wells' profitability, notes Herman Artinian,
president and chief executive officer of
Upwing Energy. " When liquid accumulates
in the well, it creates blockages and
backpressure that reduce gas velocity,
which decreases production and may lead
to premature abandonment, " he says.
To address liquid loading, Upwing
has developed a subsurface compression
system that raises gas velocities enough
for the gas to carry the liquids to surface.
In field trials and simulations, this technology
has increased gas production at
least 20% and as much as 200%, Artinian
reports. He adds that it increases condensate
production.
Getting a compressor to survive down
hole takes ingenuity, Artinian acknowledges.
" For durability, the compressor
is hermetically sealed, " he describes.
" It is driven by a permanent magnetic
motor that transfers energy to the compressor
through a shaftless magnetic
coupling. Since torque travels to the
compressor with no mechanical shaft
or seals, there is no need to isolate the
motor from downhole fluids using a
motor protector. "
Motor protectors are one of the most
common points of failure for conventional
ESPs, so eliminating them should extend
the system's run life, Artinian says.
Like ESPs, the subsurface compression
system can be deployed by hanging it
from production tubing. " We designed it
to support alternative deployment methods
as well, " Artinian comments. " For offshore
84 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022

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