Use of Electricity in the Mid-Continent Field

Abstract

Only general treatment of a subject of such scope can be given in a shortpaper, therefore, except in a few instances, statistics and descriptions ofspecific installations are omitted. The earlier applications of electricity to the production of petroleum inthe Mid-Continent field were widely separated chronologically, each holding aspecial interest, and each contributing greatly to the present development. Electric Pumping One of the first installations of electric pumping was on a lease nearJenks, Okla., in the Arkansas River bed, where a difficult problem was solvedby the use of motors. The Arkansas River had frequent flood periods whichinterfered seriously with the use of jacks and pull rods. Small piers werebuilt with old casing used as piling, and upon these were set small jacksdriven by 3-hp. squirrel-cage motors. The starting switches were located on abank and the power was furnished by a small generator, which was driven by anoil country gas engine. This installation was made in 1913 and is, I believe, still in satisfactory operation. In 1914, the Cushing field came in and the Hill Oil &Gas Co.electrified its Shamrock property, using eight-pole Star Delta motors, rated at10 to 30 hp. and belted through countershafts to the band wheel. Power wasfurnished by a small generating plant consisting of two 135-kw. machines, gas-engine driven. Considerable difficulty was experienced in the earlyoperation of this station because of low voltage. It is characteristic of smallalternating-current generators that voltage regulation will be poor with widelyfluctuating loads. This field had three producing sands, and a number of wellswere redrilled with the motors, and this, together with a great deal ofswabbing, was responsible for the bad load conditions.