Heavy oil and bitumen wells were traditionally produced with beam pumping systems, However, in the early 1980's, the introduction of progressing cavity (PC) pumping systems presented an alternative to beam pumps that possessed attributes which were ideally suited for heavy oll applications,The functional design of PC pumps facilitates the handling of viscous and abrasive multi phase fluids, and the lower capital and operating costs of these pumping systems makes them attractive for marginally economic operations. Today, primary heavy oil and bitumen applications are almost exclusively produced with PC pumping systems, To realize the benefits of PC pumping systems for heavy oil production, several issues must be considered, These include flow losses, sand production, rod string and tubing wear, low bottomhole pressures, power transmission/control and pump selection, sizing and reuse. Based on the results from numerical assessments, laboratory testing and field case histories, this paper presents system design, installation and operation guidelines which address these issues,

When the Lindberg heavy-oil field in Alberta was being developed in the early 1980's, frequent wear-related workovers were experienced in wells directionally drilled from central pads. Four operating companies collaborated with the Centre for Frontier Engineering Research (CFER) in a field study organized to investigate these failures and determine techniques to extend production equipment life. The study included monitoring of rod and tubing wear and production parameters in more than 50 directional wells. Results showed that wellbore configuration had a strong and consistent effect on the wear rates of downhole equipment in directional wells. It also was demonstrated that local curvature variations, which led to wear-related failures in several wells; could be attributed to drilling and surveying practices. This paper offers guidelines on wellbore geometry design to optimize the performance of mechanical lift systems and presents field-based results on the effectiveness of wear-reducing equipment. It also makes recommendations regarding an operational program designed to minimize wear-related failures. The development and application of a model capable of predicting rod loads and tubing wear in directional or horizontal wells also are described.