PolySource, Overland Park, Kansas, a resin distributor known as “The Fixers” for its problem-solving reputation, has partnered with Falcon Engineering, Cary, North Carolina, to improve the design and production of sucker rods.
Crucial components in oil and gas production, sucker rods connect the surface pumping unit to the rod pump deep within the well bore. Historically, the industry has used materials like glass-reinforced PA66, PPA, PPS and Nylon 46 for oil production sucker rod guiding, which can cause wear on the production tubing and reduce well efficiency due to high drag and coefficient of friction. PolySource developed INTEGRA™ POK FALCON GEN 1, GEN 2 and GEN 3 compounds to address these challenges, including INTEGRA™ POK 9060 and INTEGRA POK wear and friction grades. Cliff Watkins, PolySource application development manager stated, “These compounds offer additional wear and COF performance, meeting application requirements for heat, chemical, and abrasion resistance, toughness, dimensional stability, and fatigue and creep resistance.”
Greg Trowbridge, president of Falcon Engineering, said, “INTEGRA™ POK GEN 1, GEN 2 and GEN 3 showed an improved production tubing lifetime performance and uptime of two to three times that of previous materials. These results reduced workovers, improved performance and provided significant cost savings for customers.”
PolySource and Falcon Engineering’s partnership exemplifies how companies can work together to solve industry challenges and drive innovation. As a result of their collaboration, Falcon Engineering became the first in the industry to use polyketone, installing the first POK sucker rod guides in the Permian basin in February 2017.
PolySource is committed to providing customized solutions that meet the specific needs of its customers, and the development of INTEGRA™ POK GEN 1, GEN 2 and GEN 3 is no exception.
For more information, visit www.polysource.net.