Predicting Sucker-Rod Pumping Systems With Fourier Series

Summary The Fourier-series method (FSM) is used to solve the prediction problems of sucker-rod pumping systems. With the displacement and load at any point of the rod string, by means of FSM, the displacement and load at any other point of the rod string are obtained. With no need of pump models, FSM easily predicts various pumping conditions that are challenges to the conventional prediction methods. As for prediction, FSM is valuable to the design, selection, installation, and operation of sucker-rod pumping systems. As for diagnostics, the surface cards generated by FSM can be used as characteristic surface cards for diagnosis of the sucker-rod pumping systems in situations when only the surface cards are available. FSM is also a convenient method to generate surface cards for pump-diagnostic emulators in the laboratory environment.