Feasibility study, design, dynamic modelling, simulation, and control of a solar-powered sucker rod oil pump

Osaretin, Charles Aimiuwu (2025) Feasibility study, design, dynamic modelling, simulation, and control of a solar-powered sucker rod oil pump. Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (6MB)

Abstract

As conventional oil and gas facilities continue to age, stripper wells and marginal field operations are increasingly suspended, orphaned, and abandoned at an alarming rate. In remote and isolated facilities, the deployment of onsite renewable energy and low-cost, open-source communications systems is an increasingly promising trend for sustainable and reliable management of onsite operations. Throughout this research, a 100% renewable energy-powered microgrid is proposed for driving a remote oil well located in the city of Medicine Hat, southeastern Alberta, Canada. Two different oil and gas production system simulators: Quick Rod (QRod) and Production System Performance Analysis Software (PROSPER), are adopted to determine the optimal rating of the electric motor that can reliably drive the sucker rod pump. A parametric investigation is first performed in QRod, and the result is then integrated with the PROSPER workflow to minimize the iteration time and produce a more efficient electric motor sizing. The load applied by the pump on the rod string is determined in QRod by specifying the target production rate; and performing a parametric investigation to determine the impact of changing parameters (such as stroke rate, stroke length, and pump diameter), on the overall output torque on the polished rod and rod string loading, ultimately obtaining the minimum rating of squirrel cage electric motor required to serve as the prime mover for the remote oil well. The research then extends to the novel application of off-grid renewable energy systems for powering artificial lift in remote oil facilities. Considering the load profile of the producing oil well and Utilizing HOMER Pro software, the study evaluates various renewable energy architectures of solar PV, wind turbine, and battery storage systems for both intermittent and continuous pumping scenarios. The feasibility study for the optimal sizing, technical, and economic feasibility of a renewable energy system for a remote oil well is performed. Two viable alternatives are proposed, one based on cost minimization and the other based on minimization of unmet load. The most economical solution for repurposing idle wells at the selected remote location is identified as a system comprising solar PV and battery storage with intermittent pumping, offering a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to well abandonment and decommissioning. To enhance remote monitoring and control capabilities, a low-cost, open-source, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system based on Node-RED and Arduino microcontrollers was developed. This Internet of Things (IoT) based system comprises a main terminal unit, a remote terminal unit, and a local server, which is integrated with various sensors and transducers for comprehensive data collection, including accelerometer, temperature, flow rate, water level, voltage, current, and distance measurements. A web-based graphical user interface (GUI) is developed in Node-RED for data collection, logging, and visualization. To facilitate communication between the server and the client, Nginx is adopted as the proxy server between the local server and the router, to implement Hypertext Transfer Protocol, ensuring loadbalancing and basic access authentication. To gain deeper insights into the behavior of the overall system and predict the response to various environmental and operating conditions, design, dynamic Modelling, simulation and control is perfomed in Simscape. The load Modelling of the sucker rod pump which entails hydraulic, and mechanical domains is first developed, followed by solar-powered microgrid modelling and simulation. The outcome of the research is an end-to-end virtual representation of the microgrid which can be efficiently deployed to scale the system configurations, test different power supply and load scenarios, and fine-tune system performance. This lays a solid foundation for physical prototypes, saving time and fostering optimal resource allocation during implementation.

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