Subterranean pump with pump cleaning mode
View Patent ↗A method to dislodge debris from a pump system in which the pump system includes a down-hole pump coupled by a rod string to an above-ground pump actuator, which is coupled to a controller configured to operate the pump system, and where the actuator has an adjustable stroke length. The method also includes determining that the pump system should begin operating in a pump clean mode, implementing the pump clean mode configured in the controller, and cycling the pump actuator at a preset command speed using a preset starting stroke length, preset acceleration rate and a preset deceleration rate. The method also includes continuing to cycle the pump actuator while incrementally decreasing the stroke length by a preset stroke length increment resulting in increased pump cycling frequencies. Further, the method calls for determining that the pump clean mode is complete, and returning the pump system to a normal operation mode.
1. A method to dislodge debris from a pump system, the pump system including a down-hole pump coupled by a rod string to an above-ground pump actuator which is coupled to a controller configured to operate the pump system, wherein the pump actuator has an adjustable stroke length, the method comprising:
determining that the pump system should begin operating in a pump clean mode; and
implementing the pump clean mode configured in the controller wherein the pump clean mode comprises:
cycling the pump actuator at a preset command speed using a preset starting stroke length, preset acceleration rate and a preset deceleration rate;
continuing to cycle the pump actuator while incrementally decreasing the stroke length by a preset stroke length increment resulting in increased pump cycling frequencies;
determining that the pump clean mode is complete; and
returning the pump system to a normal operation mode.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pump clean mode further comprises impressing a preset vibration frequency during a portion of a pump stroke of a pump cycle.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preset vibration frequency is the pump system rod string resonant frequency.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preset command speed is a full speed for the pump system as a whole.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the pump system should begin operating in the pump clean mode comprises determining that a preset number of cycles of the pump system have been completed in the normal operation mode.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the pump system should begin operating in the pump clean mode comprises determining that a pump system output has decreased.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the pump clean mode is complete comprises determining that a preset number of cycles of the pump system have been completed in the pump clean mode.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the pump clean mode is complete comprises determining that the stroke length has become less than or equal to a preset minimum stroke length.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implementation of the pump clean mode is accomplished by a control arrangement configured with one of remote telemetry, key pad, automatically at preset time, and automatically upon detection of a malfunction of the pump.