SPOC Hires Brian McBride as Mid-Continent Sales & Service Engineer

SPOC Automation is pleased to announce its recent hire of Brian McBride, who will join the SPOC team as the Sales & Service Engineer for the Mid-Continent area. McBride’s proven background managing industrial projects, building success towards customer’s needs, and overall level of experience will help ensure SPOC continues to provide unmatched service support, allowing the company to further its leadership position within the artificial lift control markets.

8 Benefits of Using Variable Frequency Drives

Have you thought about using automation technology in your oil and gas production area? If so, we have listed a few benefits that help explain the use of variable frequency drives in the field.

1. Control Over the Drive

   Our fifth generation of drives allows you to vary motor speed within each stroke, making the motor run faster when it needs to be faster, and slower when it needs to be slower, eliminating motor regeneration.

2. More control over the well

   What if you want to have a slower up stroke for better gas separation or a faster stroke? The SPOC drive gives you flexibility you never had before. Speed can be adjusted within the stroke to allow better control and optimize pump performance. Additionally, this reduces the mechanical stress on the system, decreasing downtime while extending the life of the equipment.  Find out more here.

3. Control over the data

   Our drives communicate via protocols such as Modubs RTU, Ethernet, and others – allowing interface with most major instrumentation manufacturers. Instead of complicated pump cards, operators will now get information in text form – both locally or remotely to your SCADA system.

4. Increased production

   SPOC pump off software varies the strokes per minute to match or compensate for well productivity. Even in heavy oil, strokes are automatically altered to reduce rod float, increase or decrease strokes, reduce false pump offs, reduce your well’s downtime and maximize production.

5. Lower energy consumption

   Unlike traditional pump-off controllers, SPOC software varies the speed within each stroke reducing mechanical stress and cutting electrical consumption on average by 10%-20%; and by 30%-40% over wells without pump off controllers. SPOC software also helps reduce peak demand charges, as it has the ability to vary its stroke-per-minute to match production – reducing the drive’s overall speed and eliminating the need to shut down.  See more here.

6. Lower capital costs

   SPOC pump-off controller can be installed in less that 25% of the time of traditional pump-off controllers and requires no external sensors, which fail over time. You will obtain an increase of efficiency by using smaller, less expensive motors, transformers and wires. Finally, because SPOC software resides inside the drive – you will no longer require load cells, position indicators, pump cards or the traditional pump off controller enclosure.

7. Fewer mechanical failures

   SPOC software is designed to decrease pump speed during peak mechanical loads by as much as 50%, resulting in less wear and fatigue over time. The software is also programmable, so operators can either shut down at pump-off, or allow the drive to slow to minimum speed which will help prevent materials, such as sand and iron sulfide, from falling back onto the plunger.

8. Advantages over traditional pump-off controllers

   In addition to reducing your energy usage – and costs – by up to 40%, many customers report significant increases in production. Some reports have shown increase of production by 10% a day from each well. View the customer testimonial here.

Our solutions give you an affordable, cost-effective way to maximize every pump’s efficiency and protect it from damage. We can reduce your site’s energy consumption and increase its output, while helping your operators be more efficient.

For more information, please contact SPOC Automation at 205-661-3642, email SPOC Automation – pumpsmarter@spocautomation.com or visit the SPOC website at www.spocautomation.com.

SPOC Automation builds world-class variable frequency drives (VFD) for the oil and gas industry. We engineer and package artificial lift controls and automation technology that increase oil and gas production, lower lifting costs and save energy. The largest independent artificial lift controls manufacturer in North America, we apply decades of automation experience to your equipment or process to make products that help you produce more and spend less.