Abstract: A method of operating a reciprocating system including a rod pump for pumping liquids from a wellbore. The method includes determining rod position of the rod pump using a wave-based technology detector, the rod pump comprising a rod string carrying a down hole pump and a drive system including a drive motor coupled to the rod string through a transmission unit; communicating rod position to a data acquisition system receiving one or more other measurements of rod pump operation to determine rod pump performance; and adjusting at least one operating parameter to enhance rod pump performance. A method of determining operating parameters and optimizing performance of an oil or gas production rod pump, and a system for determining rod position of an oil or gas production rod pump are also provided.

Abstract: A lock mandrel is described herein. The lock mandrel includes an upper connector and a lower connector. The upper connector includes locking keys configured to attach the lock mandrel to a landing nipple on a tubing within a hydrocarbon well. The upper connector also includes a spring-loaded locking collar configured to prevent the locking keys from disengaging from the landing nipple by pressing radially against the locking keys from the inside when in a seated position, and allow the locking keys to disengage from the landing nipple by retracting away from the locking keys when in an unseated position. The lower connector includes a tool adaptor configured to attach a downhole tool to the lock mandrel.

Abstract: Downhole plugs including a sensor, hydrocarbon wells including the downhole plugs, and methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells. The downhole plugs include a sealing structure, an actuation mechanism, and the sensor. The actuation mechanism is configured to selectively transition the sealing structure between a disengaged state, in which the downhole plug is free to move within a tubular conduit of a downhole tubular of the hydrocarbon well, and an engaged state, in which the sealing structure operatively engages with the downhole tubular, forms a fluid seal with the downhole tubular, and resists motion of the downhole plug within the tubular conduit. The sensor is configured to detect a sensed parameter within the tubular conduit and to generate a sensor signal indicative of the sensed parameter.

Abstract: In some examples, an electric submersible pump includes a pump, an electric motor to drive the pump, and a controller. The controller can monitor at one or more terminals of the electric motor a value relating to total harmonic distortion. The controller can also determine whether to de-rate the electric motor in response to the monitoring at the one or more terminals of the electric motor of the value relating to the total harmonic distortion.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon wells including gas lift valves and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore extending within a subsurface region and a downhole tubular extending within the wellbore. The downhole tubular defines a tubular conduit, and the wellbore and the downhole tubular define an annular space therebetween. The hydrocarbon wells also include a lift gas supply system configured to provide a lift gas stream to the annular space and a closure material supply system configured to provide a closure material stream to the annular space. The hydrocarbon wells further includes a gas lift valve operatively attached to the downhole tubular. The gas lift valve includes a lift gas injection conduit and an actuation mechanism. The actuation mechanism selectively transitions to a closed state responsive to contact with the closure material. The methods include methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon wells and associated methods that utilize radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and flowable interrogators to interrogate the hydrocarbon wells are provided. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore, a downhole tubular that defines a tubular conduit and extends within the wellbore, and a plurality of RFID tags. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole interrogator storage structure that includes a plurality of flowable interrogators and a well-side communication device. Methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells are also provided.

Abstract: Pump-through standing valves, wells including the pump-through standing valves, and methods of utilizing a pump-through standing valve to deploy a downhole device are disclosed herein. The pump-through standing valves include a valve body, a standing valve at least partially formed within the valve body, and a flow-through valve at least partially formed within the valve body. The standing valve includes a standing valve fluid conduit and a standing valve flow control device. The flow-through valve includes a flow-through valve fluid conduit and a flow-through valve flow control device. The wells include a wellbore, which extends within a subterranean formation, a wellbore tubular, which extends within the wellbore, and the pump-through standing valve, which is operatively attached to the wellbore tubular.

Abstract: Methods include positioning a downhole completion assembly in a tubular conduit of a downhole tubular of a hydrocarbon well. The downhole completion assembly includes a downhole sub-assembly and an uphole sub-assembly. The methods also include forming a fluid seal within the tubular conduit with the downhole sub-assembly, decoupling the uphole sub-assembly from the downhole sub-assembly, translating the uphole sub-assembly in an uphole direction, perforating the downhole tubular with the uphole sub-assembly, translating the uphole sub-assembly in a downhole direction, coupling the uphole sub-assembly to the downhole sub-assembly, ceasing the fluid seal, and translating the downhole completion assembly in the uphole direction.

Abstract: Wellbore plugs that include an interrogation device, hydrocarbon wells that include the wellbore plugs, and methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells are disclosed herein. The wellbore plugs include a plug body, an interrogation device, and a sealing structure. The interrogation device is contained within the plug body and includes a sensor configured to detect at least one parameter of the hydrocarbon well. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore, a downhole tubular, the plug, and a communication device configured to receive communication data from the interrogation device. The methods include releasing an interrogation device from a plug, detecting at least one parameter within the hydrocarbon well with the interrogation device, transmitting communication data from the interrogation device, and receiving the communication data with a communication device.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon wells and methods of interrogating fluid flow within hydrocarbon wells. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore and downhole tubing that defines a tubing conduit and extends within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include an interrogation device. The interrogation device is configured to indicate at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon wells. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole location at which the interrogation device is released into the tubing conduit and a detection structure configured to query the interrogation device to determine the at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon wells. The methods include releasing an interrogation device at a downhole location within a hydrocarbon well and flowing the interrogation device from the downhole location to a surface region. The methods also include querying the interrogation device to determine at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon well.

Abstract: An electric submersible pump (ESP) monitoring system is described herein. The ESP monitoring system includes a base monitoring unit and a discharge monitoring unit that are communicably coupled via a ground path. The discharge monitoring unit is hydraulically coupled to the pump discharge and is configured to measure a discharge parameter relating to the pump discharge and transmit data corresponding to the discharge parameter to the base monitoring unit via the ground path. The base monitoring unit is electrically connected to the motor of the ESP system and is configured to measure a base parameter relating to the motor and/or the pump intake, receive the transmitted data corresponding to the discharge parameter from the discharge monitoring unit, combine the data corresponding to the discharge parameter and the data corresponding to the base parameter, and transmit the combined data to an ESP surface unit via an ESP power cable.

Abstract: A lock mandrel is described herein. The lock mandrel includes an upper connector and a lower connector. The upper connector includes locking keys configured to attach the lock mandrel to a landing nipple on a tubing within a hydrocarbon well. The upper connector also includes a spring-loaded locking collar configured to prevent the locking keys from disengaging from the landing nipple by pressing radially against the locking keys from the inside when in a seated position, and allow the locking keys to disengage from the landing nipple by retracting away from the locking keys when in an unseated position. The lower connector includes a tool adaptor configured to attach a downhole tool to the lock mandrel.

Abstract: A self-destructible frac ball is described herein. The self-destructible frac ball is configured to seal a hydraulic flow path through a fluid conduit of a frac plug when engaged on a ball seat of the frac plug. The self-destructible frac ball includes an activation mechanism configured to activate a destructive medium in response to the satisfaction of at least one predetermined condition. The self-destructible frac ball also includes the destructive medium, which is configured to destroy the self-destructible frac ball and a corresponding destructible ball retainer when activated by the activation mechanism. The destruction of the self-destructible frac ball and the corresponding destructible ball retainer reestablishes the hydraulic flow path through the fluid conduit of the frac plug.

Abstract: Systems and a method for braking an object are provided. An example method, includes determining the expected speed of the object, monitoring the expected speed of the object, and determining if the actual speed of the object is within a preset tolerance of the expected speed. If the speed is not within the preset tolerance of the expected speed, a magnetorheological brake is activated to slow the object.

Abstract: A method of identifying and diagnosing open gas lift valves in a gas lift production well, the gas lift production well including a production tubular having a plurality of mechanical gas lift valves, and a casing surrounding a portion of the tubular to form an annulus. The method includes reducing injection pressure below the minimum design opening pressure of each of the plurality of mechanical gas lift valves to close each of the plurality of mechanical gas lift valves; incrementally increasing injection pressure to operating or designed injection pressure to sequentially open one or more of the plurality of mechanical gas lift valves; measuring pressure, amplitude, frequency and/or wave patterns produced by the sequential opening of the one or more mechanical gas lift valves; and determining the location of the one or more mechanical gas lift valve locations.

Abstract: Downhole completion assemblies and methods for completing a hydrocarbon well are provided. The downhole completion assemblies include an uphole sub-assembly having a perforation device, a downhole sub-assembly having a sealing structure, and a coupler configured to repeatedly couple and decouple the downhole sub-assembly and the uphole sub-assembly to one another. The methods include positioning a downhole completion assembly in a tubular conduit of a downhole tubular of a hydrocarbon well. The downhole completion assembly includes a downhole sub-assembly and an uphole sub-assembly.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon wells including electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and downhole tubing that extends within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include a lift gas supply system configured to provide a lift gas stream to a lift gas supply conduit of the wellbore, a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies, a valve power supply system, and a controller. The methods include measuring a respective pressure differential between a lift gas supply conduit and a production conduit of the hydrocarbon well at each electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly in a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies of the hydrocarbon well. The methods also include selectively opening a selected electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly based on the respective pressure differential.

Abstract: Hydrocarbon wells and associated methods that utilize radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and flowable interrogators to interrogate the hydrocarbon wells are provided. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore, a downhole tubular that defines a tubular conduit and extends within the wellbore, and a plurality of RFID tags. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole interrogator storage structure that includes a plurality of flowable interrogators and a well-side communication device. Methods of operating the hydrocarbon wells are also provided.

Abstract: A self-adjusting gas lift system and corresponding self-adjusting gas lift valve (GLV) are described herein. The self-adjusting gas lift system includes a number of self-adjusting GLVs that fluidically couple an annulus of a well to an interior of a production tubing of the well. Each of the self-adjusting GLVs is configured to open to allow a compressed gas to flow from the annulus to the interior of the production tubing when a pressure differential between an injection pressure of the compressed gas within the annulus and a production pressure of fluids within the production tubing is within an engineered range. Each of the self-adjusting GLVs is also configured to close when the pressure differential is outside the to engineered range.

Abstract: Methods of completing a hydrocarbon well. The methods include establishing a first fluid seal with an isolation device, forming a first perforation with a perforation device, and fracturing a first zone of a subsurface region with a pressurizing fluid stream. The methods also include moving the isolation device and the perforation device in an uphole direction within a tubular conduit of a downhole tubular that extends within a wellbore of the hydrocarbon well. Subsequent to the moving, the methods further include repeating the establishing to establish a second fluid seal, repeating the forming to form a second perforation with the perforation device, and repeating the fracturing to fracture a second zone of the subsurface region.