[Jeroen]

I am not sure how many of you will be familiar with the term "Nodding Donkey".

But you might well be familiar with the sight of these things:



Nodding Donkeys are officially known as Pumpjacks. Not sure which official came up with that name, but Wikipedia says so. These contraptions are known under different names as well, such as: beam pump, walking beam pump, horsehead pump, nodding donkey pump (donkey pumper), rocking horse pump, grasshopper pump, sucker rod pump, dinosaur pump, Big Texan pump, thirsty bird pump, hobby horse, or just pumping unit.

And that is in the English language only. I am sure many countries have local names for these things. In the Netherlands, we call them "Ja-Knikkers". Which means as much as Yes-nodding.

I find these things fascinating. Very simple devices, come in quite a number of different varieties.

Just a basic diagram of how these devices work. Pretty simple as you can see. Not much explanation is required.



Nodding Donkeys have a bit of special meaning to me. Or rather bring special memories. My wife grew up in Barbados. A tiny island in the Caribbean. As you can imagine we have visited the island many times over the last 45 years or so. Also with our children (and these days grandchildren) On the island, they have some oil wells. Especially in the southern part of the island there used to be dozens and dozens of these nodding donkeys. Most of them are gone or out of commission these days.

But when our kids were little there were plenty around. And they were fascinated! They could not get enough of them. Whenever we got in the car to go somewhere they would get all excited. They would play, spot the first nodding donkey, who sees the most nodding donkeys and so on. My father-in-law, i.e. their granddad, used to take them around the valley where my inlaws lived, just to see the nodding donkeys!

Seeing a lonely nodding donkey somewhere out in the field, going up and down, slowly, but relentlessly, is somehow a bit of a hypnotic sight. These lonely mechanical devices bring up oil, 24/7 without any oversight!

When we lived in Kansas City I recall driving some 6-7 hours out onto the prairies to an oil museum. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere. As expected many different kinds of nodding donkeys!

So when I came across a "real working model of a Nodding Donkey" I had to have it immediately! Let us not discuss cost, because when you deal in important matters such as these cost is no issue. "Take my money" is the only appropriate amount.

It arrived the next day by courier.

It comes in this nice box, with some nice images on it. A lot of Chinese on the box too.





Things get even better when you open the box. Parts are all beautifully laid out, with numbers and a very thick assembly instruction book!



Me being an engineer and a terrible nerd, first thing is to read the complete manual front to back, of course!



The box is full of parts, hundreds of parts.











Also a box with all the small bits. Bolts, nuts, washers, O-rings etc. Hundreds and hundreds!



Putting the nodding donkey together is a fairly easy process. I will show you some of the steps. I have also made a video, posted towards the end, in which you can see it actually pumping!!

The piston rod comes with its own little check valve. The drill well on this model is only a few centimetres deep, essentially the thickness of the base as you will see. On the real donkey, this bit would be sitting towards the bottom of the well. So the oil is not sucked up to the surface but pushed (or pumped) up from the well. (Sucking won't work as you would not be able to go deeper than approximately 8-9 meters at best.



The base plate with the Filter Box and the stuffing box. Inside the stuffing box is another check valve.



This is a composite part made up of an L-shaped faucet and a small piece of silicone tube. Very tight fit, I put some Vaseline on the faucet to get the tube over it.



They call this cylindrical part over the piston rod the wellbore cover. Notice the spring. Real nodding donkeys don't have springs. The piston will move downwards because of its own weight and gravity. In the model weight and gravity needs a bit of assistance. Hence the spring!



All fitted together



The kit comes with some simple tools. A screwdriver, some small Allen keys and one large open-ended spanner. The other tools I used are some tweezers, a flathead screwdriver and some pliers.



The tweezers are really necessary to pick out the parts from the little box with bolts, nuts and so on. I only took out the parts I needed for each instruction as per the manual.

The little electric engine comes together with a small gearbox. You bolt it onto a large flange. (Large being a relative term here, obviously!)

[Jeroen]

Lots of tiny bits! Some of these bolts/screws are M2, M3 size. Perhaps ok for the average Chinese hands, but European hands, certainly mine, tend to be on the large size for this kind of work.



The little e-motor with its little gearbox gets inserted in this Mockup E-motor housing. Two end flanges get bolted onto it and of course a small pulley assembly. The hex bolt in the previous image holds the pulley in place.



The complete E-motor gets mounted on the base assembly. It sits on top of, what the manual calls, a damping block. Basically a square rubber piece with a steel plate on top of it. To absorb vibrations.

Next, the base plate is bolted down on the base assembly. In between a thick silicone gasket.





Underneath the base assembly, a small PCB is inserted. The PCB controls the on/off switch of the e-motor and allows for the charging of the battery via a USB connection.



Onto the frame:



It gets mounted onto the base assembly too:



Look at these tiny bearings!.



They are used on the two shafts of the main gearbox.





The kit comes with a bit of lubrication oil and the instructions show that you need to oil these gears. In reality, this gearbox would have plenty of oil in it. Enough so that the large gear would run through it and splash oil all over both gears, bearings and so on.

I found that the oil was very thick, almost like grease. I have quite a bit of experience oiling tiny gears. I used to be a miniature railroad enthusiast. I still have this medical syringe I used to oil my engines! In those days after a vaccination or so, the nurse would let you have the syringe. Especially when I explained I needed it for my model trains. These days they are likely to lock you up for asking to bring the syringe home with you.



I am not too concerned with the oil/grease on this model. It won't run much. So I just applied some of this oil/grease with the tip of a small screwdriver on all the teeth of the main gear.



The instruction manual showed you needed to bolt the top half of the gearbox onto the bottom half and then apply the flanges. I found that was impossible. The axles and bearing would move about as I tried. So I half-mounted the flanges which kept the bearings and shafts in place, mounted the top half of the gearbox and then bolted everything down.



It is beginning to look like something you would find on an oil field. But it still missing the all-important walking beam.



The walking beam consists of several parts all bolted together. The bean itself pivots on a small shaft, which is also greased.



Next, the connecting rods are installed. These connecting rods also have one of these small bearings fitted.



One Nodding Donkey!!











I made a small YouTube video. Towards the end of the video you will see it pump. It is not oil, just water!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8vW0vOIAYE

If anything, the Chinese did skimp on quality and provided plenty of parts. Lots of bolts, washer and so on left over.



It took me about 4-5 hours to assemble this model. As I mentioned it is not a very difficult model to assemble. Great project for a dad (or mum) with your son/daughter.

The model fits together very well and the instructions are very clear. It is well thought out. i found it very relaxing to assemble it

The make of this kit is Techin. A Chinese company that makes wonderful kits. They have a huge range of engine kits as well. If you are a bit like me and go nuts when they show you model engines, don't click on this link, or at least have your spouse look after your credit card!

https://www.techingedu.com

A small word of caution; I have come across many of Techin models all over the Internet. You can find them everywhere, but if the price is low, it is a scam. these models are expensive!

I will own up; this model cost me Euro 145 (INR 13000). Which, you will agree, is a lot of money to spend on a relatively simple model. But then again, you only live once, can't take it with you as they say.

It has given me much pleasure to put together and it is a nice reminder of our trips to Barbados. I will be showing it to my kids and grand children soon when they come and visit.



For now it sits with my other models in my garage.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[deathwalkr]

That really does look cool. Love the finish on the set.

"Know how to assemble before dismantling"?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

"Know how to assemble before dismantling"?

My life’s motto.
I used to drive my mum potty when I was a little boy. I used to take everything apart. Vacuum cleaner, washing machine, radio and so on. But in those days had no idea how to put things back together.

I am doing a bit better these days!

Br Jeroen

[OffRoadFun]

Nice!
I have always been fascinated by these pumpjacks, especially while passing through Kern County in CA on I-5 where you can find many of those. In fact, I did some research sometime back on their cost and economics and also on what is the likelihood (daydreams) one can stumble upon oil in backyard as finding oil otherwise is capital intensive affair. (Chances are extremely low BTW, and Zero in southern peninsula in India BTW).


Coming back to the point, I think I will order one for my son who loves Lego. Lately, he has finished all types (car, cranes, bikes, tractor, 18 wheeler etc ) but I think this will be a novelty he will love!

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I am not sure how many of you will be familiar with the term "Nodding Donkey".


Attachment 2624427

Interesting, the first picture I saw, I thought you have reviewed about the pumpjacks. I wished the actual ones looked so clean.

These are one of the most durable and reliable machines ever conceived for crude extraction and can work for ages without much maintenance and human intervention. A slow extraction process though.

However, now a days we primarily use reservoir pressure for crude oil production — no pumpjacks sit atop. Natural underground pressure can decrease over time after prolonged extraction. If a reservoir’s pressure needs a helping hand, we may inject desalinated seawater, CO2 (CCS which is sourced from other processes) or use other various approaches, around the edges of the reservoir, under the oil or in the void to give it an upward push up toward the wells, termed as enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

In addition, horizontal drilling is also carried out, this allows for the maximum exposure of the wellbore to the reservoir, increasing the production potential of the well.

[ads11]

Love this Jeroen! Nodding donkeys are such an enduring image of the hydrocarbon sector. But as NomadSK correctly points out, they're not that prevalent anymore. The way one of my old profs used to put it, all the easy oils been had at, them old nodding donkeys won't manage in the kind of tight reservoirs we have today. Mostly these tend to be emblematic of the mom and pop operations in the US continental basins.
If anything there's probably plenty for reservoir development teams to get out using EOR from some of the reservoirs that have only been tapped using nodding donkeys.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by NomadSK

However, now a days we primarily use reservoir pressure for crude oil production — no pumpjacks sit atop. Natural underground pressure can decrease over time after prolonged extraction. If a reservoir’s pressure needs a helping hand, we may inject desalinated seawater, CO2 (CCS which is sourced from other processes) or use other various approaches, around the edges of the reservoir, under the oil or in the void to give it an upward push up toward the wells, termed as enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Originally Posted by ads11

Mostly these tend to be emblematic of the mom and pop operations in the US continental basins.
If anything there's probably plenty for reservoir development teams to get out using EOR from some of the reservoirs that have only been tapped using nodding donkeys.

I used to work in the gas and oil industry a long time ago. Drilling techniques have come a long way since. Well, just about all technology in up and down stream operations has come a long way I dare say.

I recall seeing images of hundreds of pump jacks used in offshore applications in the Gulf. Similar in Venezuela. But that was probably quite some time ago.

When I was reading up on the pump jack and googling for some images I came upon some interesting website. They suggested pump jacks are still extensively used on many fields. Also used to extract water in gas fields. They are still being produced and being improved. I have seen some new electronic controller that can help you recover electrical energy from the downward stroke.

In the olden days pump jacks were everywhere. My impression, but I might be totally wrong, they are also used on smaller fields, close to the surface. E.g. like the ones in Barbados. I don’t know how the economics of field pressurisation works compared to pump jacks. At what size, depth, volume and so on would it be more economical. I assume the pump jack is extremely simple from a well head point of view, maintenance and so on.

Do you have any insights?

I have seen many of these pump jacks in the USA and Barbados also pumping the oil in a large tank. A tanker would come every now and then to empty out the tank. Suggesting it is a very small oil field and probably these pump jacks are the most economical and simplest way of getting the oil out.

Thanks

Jeroen

[Blow Horn Ok]

I have seen these pumps very close. Got a chance to work on ongc sites and building railings and belt guards for these behemoth pumps.

The distance between the counter weight and gear pulley was very less and sometimes even after numerous efforts, the counter weight crushed the belt guards like a paper. There were huge ponds made for storing the water which came out.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

Nice!
Coming back to the point, I think I will order one for my son who loves Lego. Lately, he has finished all types (car, cranes, bikes, tractor, 18 wheeler etc ) but I think this will be a novelty he will love!

Great! As I mentioned, be careful of websites that offer them at a low price.

Teching has two different models. The one I built and this one:



I preferred this model. It has some more details, including a generator and working electrical lamp post! I like the sort of Brown/reddish colour. However, I could only find one company in the Netherlands that stocked these and they only had the blue/yellow one. Getting it from a website abroad would have meant waiting and paying more.

The price is about the same

Share some images of the finished nodding donkey and your son building it. Should be good fun for dad and son! Enjoy!

Jeroen

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I used to work in the gas and oil industry a long time ago. Drilling techniques have come a long way since. Well, just about all technology in up and down stream operations has come a long way I dare say.

Indeed, the technology is changing at a very fast pace, specially these days when environment regulations are most important and even flaring is being monitored at the highest level.

I recall seeing images of hundreds of pump jacks used in offshore applications in the Gulf. Similar in Venezuela. But that was probably quite some time ago.

In the olden days pump jacks were everywhere. My impression, but I might be totally wrong, they are also used on smaller fields, close to the surface. E.g. like the ones in Barbados. I don’t know how the economics of field pressurisation works compared to pump jacks. At what size, depth, volume and so on would it be more economical. I assume the pump jack is extremely simple from a well head point of view, maintenance and so on.

Agreed, they are still there somewhere in the horizon, but really hard to find. For decades and decades, the pumpjack has served as the purpose of crude oil extraction and was always considered as a sign of prosperity, even now at certain places of the globe. The landscape across the world is beginning to change as fewer are needed to do the work they once did. Enhanced oil recovery at one location is enough rather than installing few dozen pumpjacks.

Also, the whole O&G industry is very capital intensive, probably you will see more of these pump jacks in countries which are not changing with the technology advancement. These are not going to get extinct sooner, but just as technology changed many things, innovation is altering the number, size and placement of pumpjacks.

Do you have any insights?

I have seen many of these pump jacks in the USA and Barbados also pumping the oil in a large tank. A tanker would come every now and then to empty out the tank. Suggesting it is a very small oil field and probably these pump jacks are the most economical and simplest way of getting the oil out.

I don't have a complete insight as its a vast field as much as one can dive in. However here are my 2 cents;

Till few decades back, oil wells were similar to drilling a water well — they were vertical. That changed in the mid-80s or early 90s when companies discovered how to turn the drill bit and produce directional wells or multilateral wells or as recently as hydraulic fracturing techniques.

With the advent of technology, the wells are getting deeper and deeper with an average depth of around 3.5Km’s, the longest being around 10kms. We're drilling less these days but the wells are far more complex. They're longer, deeper and significantly more productive than the wells of yesteryears. The number of new wells drilled has declined for several years now because of innovation in the sector. Hence pumpjacks are currently disappearing at a faster rate than new ones are created. Probably people can see a clean landscape now.

Here's one interesting piece of article you can have a look in, for unbalanced drilling, they have done a bit of cost analysis.

[srini1785]

When I saw the thread subject line, I thought you got yourself one of those bobbing head donkeys or horses that you stick on the dashboard. I never knew that the oil pumps were called nodding donkeys. Anyways nice write up.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by srini1785

When I saw the thread subject line, I thought you got yourself one of those bobbing head donkeys or horses that you stick on the dashboard.

I do have a nodding doggie in my classic W123!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...ml#post4613428 (My Car Hobby: Jaguar XJR, Mercedes W123, Alfa Romeo Spider, Jeep Cherokee & Mini One)

Jeroen

[TheSMG]

Awesome working model of rod pumping unit. These pumping units are known by many slang names at different places. I have wooden non-working model of rod pumping unit as well as land rig which I got from an exhibition in Kuwait.