OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2010. A seminar with participation of professionals of Russian oil companies, as well as companies from Belarus and Kazakhstan on the subject "Effectiveness of chain drives application at OAO TATNEFT was held at the facilities of the Bugulma Mechanical Plant, reported the press-centre of TATNEFT.

The initiative of arranging the seminar belongs to OOO Tatneft Trade and Technology House, Bugulma Mechanical Plant and Oil and Gas Production Department of OAO TATNEFT. Oilmen from Bashkortostan, Udmurtia and Orenburg, as well as representatives of such well known companies as Rosneft, TNK-BP, GPO Belorusneft, AO NK KazMunaiGaz, etc., were invited to BMZ.

The seminar program included theoretical and practical familiarization with new oil equipment manufactured by BMZ; technologies of manufacturing anticorrosive performance pipes; and other energy saving technologies applied in OAO TATNEFT.

Reports at the seminar were presented by speakers from OAO TATNEFT, TatNIPIneft, OOO TMS Group Management Company, OOO TTD Tatneft.

The participants familiarized with the technological process chain of production, quality control and test stands of the chain drives PC-60 and PC-80.

The forum participants were demonstrated maintenance procedures of the chain drives at the facilities of NGDU Leninogorskneft.

A chain drive for downhole pumps is one of the up-to-date developments of the Company. The project has been designed by the scientific division of TatNIPIneft R&D Institute Joint Stock Company. In 2000, BMZ together with the scientists of the Institute made a prototype of PC-60 with a three-meter rods stroke. Mass production began three years later after obtaining a certificate of compliance and permits of Rostekhnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Ecological, Technical and Atomic Supervision). It was followed by a prototype of PC-80 with 6 meters stroke length, which serial production started in 2006.

Currently, the plant's range of products includes different models of the chain drive: PC-60 with the stroke length of 3 meters with closed and open sprocket-chain drive, PC-60 with the stroke length of 6 meters and with pumping speed from 0.25 to 1.25 per minute, intended to operate marginal wells. PC-80 with the stroke length of 6 meters and PC-120 with the stroke length of 7.3 meters have been designed for wells with high production rate.

Large scale application of chain drives for high production rate wells in OAO TATNEFT is primarily due to the proven technology and cost efficiency of their implementation in the wells, which operation is complicated by production of high viscosity crude oil and formation of water-oil emulsion, salt deposition on the downhole equipment working in the periodic pumping mode. Application of chain drives is also expedient for small diameter wells and in case of using additional production strings. Application of chain drives for this well stock makes it possible to reduce specific electricity costs to lift 1 ton of production and reduce operating costs in connection with a multiple decrease in the number of remedial repair of wells, which ultimately essentially reduces the cost of crude oil production.

Plans for 2010 provide for introduction of 217 chain drives, including 158 pieces of PC-60 units and 59 pieces of PC-80 units in the oil fields of OAO TATNEFT.

In addition to the facilities of TATNEFT chain drives have also being implemented at the sites of independent oil companies of the Republic of Tatarstan. As of today, there are about 180 chain drive units operated by the independent oil companies of the Republic.

At present chain drives are delivered to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the range of selling them to the Russian oil companies is expanding. The chain drives of BMZ production are operated in oil wells of such oil companies as ANK Bashneft, OAO Samaraneftegaz, OAO Saratovneftegas, OAO TNK-Nizhnevartovsk and OOO Buguruslanneft.