Sneak Peek #8 - Pumpjack

A pumpjack is the overground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. It's used in the oil-producing industry to drill wells up to 4,000 meters deep.
A typical installation may have a length of 7 m, and a width of about 2-2.5 m. The mass usually exceeds 10 tons. The general principle of the operation of the equipment is similar to the function of a syringe, which in this case is provided by sucker-rod pumps. Also, as an indispensable element, the pumpjack is equipped with columns of compression tubes. Through these channels the lifting and transmission of oil is realized.
The pumpjacks operate in a circular-based way, allowing the oil to concentrate around the well to ensure efficient pumping. In addition, this principle of maintenance minimises deterioration of the parts of a drive.
Operators control the lifting of oil, and technical staff also monitor the operating performance of the mechanisms in terms of maintaining their function within peak-load tolerances. The most common pumpjack in the pump-drive operations is designed for pile-supported mining. With the help of this unit, wells can be drilled in permafrost environments.