Skillman Bottom Discharge Valve
This is a
unique tool as it helps with multiple rod pump problems. It is placed
on the rod pump between the standing valve and the pump barrel.
The Skillman bottom discharge valve is different from all other manufacturers in that it is one piece.
The other manufacturers make bottom discharge valves that have at least three parts, they are very long, and discharge fluid about 18 to 24 inches above the standing valve. The Skillman bottom discharge valve discharges fluid less than 3 inches above the standing valve. Other designs also restrict the pump intake and are rod stretchers. The Skillman bottom discharge valve stands apart from our competitors as it doesn’t restrict the intake flow or pump fillage. In fact, it exceeds the flow area of the standing valve, so it cannot increase rod stretch. This will lower peak load on the sucker rods, pumping unit, and gear box, and give more net travel to the pump plunger on the up stroke.
Except for rod-against-tubing wear in crooked holes, most holes in tubing happen in the bottom joint. The reason for this is the area between the pump barrel and tubing is filled with stagnant and corrosive fluid. Being out of the dynamic flow of fluid in the tubing no chemical corrosion inhibitor can treat this area.
The solution for this problem is a bottom discharge valve.
With a bottom discharge valve, a percentage of all produced fluid -- including corrosion inhibitor -- is produced at the bottom of the pump. This makes the once stagnant fluid area between the pump and tubing, dynamic fluid, always moving with each stroke of the pump.
Stuck rod pumps (pumps that cannot be pulled from the seating nipple) are a problem when frac sand, formation sand, iron sulfide, and other fines, settle out of the produced fluid in the tubing, and gather between the tubing and rod pump. The pump barrel "breathes" as the pump barrel expands on the down stroke and contracts on the up stroke. This pulsating action packs the solids around the pump preventing operators from pulling the pump when needed.
Here again, the bottom discharge valve produces fluid at the bottom of the pump barrel. This in turn keeps the fluid between the tubing and the pump dynamic, not allowing solids to settle in this area.
This is where the superior design of the Skillman bottom discharge valve over our competitors really makes a big difference.
Our bottom discharge valve produces fluid at least five times closer to the seating nipple than our competitors, making it over five times more likely operators will be able to pull the pump. With the environmental climate of today, the risk of pulling a wet string can be costly. So shooting a hole in the tubing and stripping the pump is what most operators chose. The extra rig time, safety concerns, and associated monetary cost can be very high.
Another great benefit of the bottom discharge valve is the fact that it is a second traveling valve. This increases the exit factor of the pump. In other words, the flow area from the pump chamber to the tubing is increased. This is an obvious benefit in heavier oil, but still has great benefits producing light oil.
A 1-1/4" bore pump has a traveling valve that has .225 square inches of flow area. The bottom discharge valve for 2-3/8" tubing has a flow area of .145 square inches. This changes the exit factor of the pump from .225 square inches to .370 square inches.
That is a 64.4 percent increase of flow area for the traveling valve on the down stroke!
That can mean more plunger travel down hole, or more production for the same work being done on the surface. There is also less or no rod buckling--great insurance for fiberglass rods. Why pay 10 to 20 times the cost of our bottom discharge valve to repair any one of the problems listed above? And that doesn't include lost production.
The Skillman bottom discharge valve is different from all other manufacturers in that it is one piece.
The other manufacturers make bottom discharge valves that have at least three parts, they are very long, and discharge fluid about 18 to 24 inches above the standing valve. The Skillman bottom discharge valve discharges fluid less than 3 inches above the standing valve. Other designs also restrict the pump intake and are rod stretchers. The Skillman bottom discharge valve stands apart from our competitors as it doesn’t restrict the intake flow or pump fillage. In fact, it exceeds the flow area of the standing valve, so it cannot increase rod stretch. This will lower peak load on the sucker rods, pumping unit, and gear box, and give more net travel to the pump plunger on the up stroke.
Except for rod-against-tubing wear in crooked holes, most holes in tubing happen in the bottom joint. The reason for this is the area between the pump barrel and tubing is filled with stagnant and corrosive fluid. Being out of the dynamic flow of fluid in the tubing no chemical corrosion inhibitor can treat this area.
The solution for this problem is a bottom discharge valve.
With a bottom discharge valve, a percentage of all produced fluid -- including corrosion inhibitor -- is produced at the bottom of the pump. This makes the once stagnant fluid area between the pump and tubing, dynamic fluid, always moving with each stroke of the pump.
Stuck rod pumps (pumps that cannot be pulled from the seating nipple) are a problem when frac sand, formation sand, iron sulfide, and other fines, settle out of the produced fluid in the tubing, and gather between the tubing and rod pump. The pump barrel "breathes" as the pump barrel expands on the down stroke and contracts on the up stroke. This pulsating action packs the solids around the pump preventing operators from pulling the pump when needed.
Here again, the bottom discharge valve produces fluid at the bottom of the pump barrel. This in turn keeps the fluid between the tubing and the pump dynamic, not allowing solids to settle in this area.
This is where the superior design of the Skillman bottom discharge valve over our competitors really makes a big difference.
Our bottom discharge valve produces fluid at least five times closer to the seating nipple than our competitors, making it over five times more likely operators will be able to pull the pump. With the environmental climate of today, the risk of pulling a wet string can be costly. So shooting a hole in the tubing and stripping the pump is what most operators chose. The extra rig time, safety concerns, and associated monetary cost can be very high.
Another great benefit of the bottom discharge valve is the fact that it is a second traveling valve. This increases the exit factor of the pump. In other words, the flow area from the pump chamber to the tubing is increased. This is an obvious benefit in heavier oil, but still has great benefits producing light oil.
A 1-1/4" bore pump has a traveling valve that has .225 square inches of flow area. The bottom discharge valve for 2-3/8" tubing has a flow area of .145 square inches. This changes the exit factor of the pump from .225 square inches to .370 square inches.
That is a 64.4 percent increase of flow area for the traveling valve on the down stroke!
That can mean more plunger travel down hole, or more production for the same work being done on the surface. There is also less or no rod buckling--great insurance for fiberglass rods. Why pay 10 to 20 times the cost of our bottom discharge valve to repair any one of the problems listed above? And that doesn't include lost production.