Automatic sucker rod pump fault diagnostics by transfer learning using googlenet integrated machine learning classifiers

Abstract

Oil and gas extraction is vital for meeting the energy needs of a growing global population. Artificial lift (AL) systems play a crucial role in oilfields, especially when reservoir pressure is low. Among these systems, sucker rod pumps (SRPs) are extensively employed for onshore hydrocarbon recovery operations. However, SRPs are susceptible to mechanical failures and operational challenges arising from evolving reservoir conditions. This study proposes an approach for fault diagnosis in SRPs using real-time data from sensors and machine learning (ML) algorithms to detect anomalies and patterns associated with potential problems. The proposed method involves deep learning (DL) for automated feature extraction from dynamometer cards and error-correcting output codes (ECOC) model-based supervised machine learners for efficiently assessing the operational state of the SRP. By forecasting potential failures, preemptive measures can be taken to minimize downtime and reduce maintenance costs. The application of ML in the analysis of SRP provides a potential tool for diagnosing and predicting failures, improving productivity efficiency, and reducing downtime. Also, the accuracy of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) models was compared with that of CNN-ECOC model-based learners in this study, and the results demonstrated that integrating algorithms such as Support Vector Machine (SVM) and k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) with the network caused significant improvements in the accuracy; however, Decision Tree (DT) and Naive Bayes (NB) did not perform well in the pattern classification task. Specifically, the GoogLeNet model achieved improved accuracy of 96.40 % and 99.40 % when SVM and k-NN were integrated, respectively. Conversely, with DT and NB, the accuracies dropped to 66.30 % and 75.10 %, respectively.