The beam pump, also known as a nodding donkey or horse head pump, is a counterbalanced pump used in oil fields. It uses a prime mover to convert rotational energy into vertical pumping action. The technology is also used for pumping water, often powered by wind energy.
A beam pump is a type of pump typically found in oil fields and is often called by several different names. A nodding donkey, horse head pump, or sucker pump are all commonly used names for the beam pump. Also called a walking beam pump, the machine gets its name from the unique pumping motion produced by the exposed elements of the pump. The pump uses a drive motor called a prime mover to power the pump. The prime mover can be powered by natural gas or diesel, but the most common type of power is electricity.
The beam pump is a counterbalanced pump. It uses rotational energy from the prime mover, which is converted into vertical pumping action, to pump liquids up and out of the ground. Often called a drinking bird pump, the beam pump looks like a bird repeatedly dipping its head into water to drink.
When the heavy horsehead pump component is dropped, it pushes the sucker rod down into the liquid base of the well. The prime mover pushes the counterweight up and over an axis, where gravity takes over and pushes the heavy counterweights down. When the counterweights are pulled down, they push the pump rod up into the well casing, effectively pumping the liquid out of the well.
Early versions of the beam pump worked with horizontal rods extending from a central motor outward to several pumps. The motion and pumping efficiency became difficult to control with this system as all pumps operated with varying pressures. An operator was forced to sacrifice some of the pumping efficiency of a good producer to balance the poor production of a less productive well with this type of system. It was found that using individual prime movers on each well would result in better well production, ultimately being more profitable for the well owners.
Beam pump technology isn’t just used on oil wells. Different types of beam pumps are also used for pumping water. This type of pump is commonly preferred in remote areas due to lack of available power at the well location. Wind energy is often the most popular method of powering the water beam pump. This allows a handle to be attached to the pumping mechanism, so in times of no wind, the pump could be operated manually to produce water.
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