Design Assistance
Auto-generate a rod taper string in RodSim. Outline a configuration of fiberglass, steel, and sinker sections, click Create to populate the rod table, then run to calculate the final load-balanced lengths.
Design Assistance streamlines the rod taper design process. You outline a design that can include fiberglass, steel rods, and sinkers in different configurations, then click Create to populate the rod table with that configuration. From there you can edit the stress calculation method, guiding, friction coefficients, and max guide loading.
The lengths in the table are the first iteration only. The final taper lengths are calculated during the simulation to achieve load balancing: once the configuration is satisfactory, click Static run and the taper lengths populate when the simulation completes.
Design Assistance lives in the Rod Data tab in RodSim.
Enable
Tick Design Assistance in the Rod Data section.
PSN Depth must be set first (in Tubing) - the tapers are sized to reach it. Design Assistance is unavailable on an installed simulation; edit at the well level or create a new simulation instead.
Main Section
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Taper Type | Branded (catalog rods) or Custom (your custom rods) |
| Rod Type | Continuous, Fiberglass, Sinker Bar, or Sucker Rod |
| Supplier / Grade | Manufacturer and grade (each selection filters the next) |
| Maximum / Minimum Diameter | The diameter range to taper across |
PetroBench creates one taper per available diameter from maximum (top) down to minimum (bottom), then distributes the section lengths to span the depth above the pump.
Fiberglass
When Rod Type is Fiberglass, you pick a single Diameter rather than a range. Fiberglass rods are lighter and more elastic than steel, so they're run in the upper string to cut peak polished-rod load. Tick Include Steel Below to add a steel section (Sucker Rod or Continuous) beneath the fiberglass for the weight needed lower down; the depth is split roughly two-thirds fiberglass, one-third steel.
Sinker Section
A sinker bar is heavy bar stock run at the bottom of the string, just above the pump. The added weight keeps the lower rods in tension on the downstroke and resists buckling, which matters most in deviated and horizontal wells.
Tick Include Sinker Section to add one:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rod Type | Sinker Bar or Sucker Rod |
| Supplier / Grade / Diameter | The sinker bar rod |
| Segment Length | Length of the sinker section (up to 50% of PSN depth) |
The sinker length is reserved first; the main tapers fill the remaining depth.
Create
Click Create to generate the string. This replaces the current rods with the generated tapers.
Design Assistance is a starting point. Review and adjust the generated tapers in the rod table - lengths, guides, and stress method are all editable - before running.
The Create button stays disabled until the required fields are filled and PSN Depth is set.