Alternate ball sizes can be utilized to help in different applications.

Care must be taken to ensure the correct ball size, cage lift area, and seat size is utilized. If the wrong configuration is used, the ball can crack the carbide seats, damage and deform the ball.

Plugging/sticking in the ball and seat due to solids, or heavy oil is common when the wrong configuration is used.

The smallest alternate ball for the cage is highly recommended due to it being the largest clearance between the cage and the ball, which is best for moving high amounts of sand/solids.

Full open type cages should only be used. This style outperforms traditional API three hole cages by providing up to 2x better flow, and reducing impact against the ball due to it’s contact points.

Traditional API cages are prone to plugging and have restricted flow rates that hinder the fluid travel through the cage.

The full open cage provides excellent valve action in sandy, heavy oil, scale, steam, and gas applications.

Black Gold's pump cages also have a better fluid velocity profile, reducing ball rattling and fluid wash.

Double valving had proven to  increase the life of the pump and also provide an insurance against premature valve failures.

It is more durable in tough well-bore conditions and ensures good valve action.

This set up is highly recommended to run in wells with high solids.

The machine plunger was designed for horizontal, deviated, and fluid pound conditions. Over the years, we have seen thousands of the top-open cages on the plunger assembly shear due to the flex of the cage while pumping. This causes the threads to break off, resulting in a failure. 

In a regular plunger assembly, threads are exposed, which allows yielding of the pin. In a horizontal, deviated, or fluid pounding well condition, the regular top-open cage may part. With Black Gold Pump & Supply's machine plunger, your cage will never shear in the hole again. 

We machine down the threads on both the plunger and the top-open cage, which allows the plunger to be faced in the OD with the cage creating perfect tension, and making it impossible for the pin to yield, bend, and part in the hole. We recommend this plunger in all deep, horizontal, and deviated well conditions.

Black Gold Pump & Supply designs and manufactures grooved plungers used throughout the oil industry. Oil is held in the grooves, which allows it to stay lubricated; increasing life of the plunger, barrel, and efficiency of the pump.

The grooves in the plunger also help move sand, heavy crude oil, scale, and trash. When sand wears between the barrel and plunger, it will only travel and collect until it reaches the groove. Once the groove is packed, the sand will move to the next groove etc.. With a non-grooved plunger, the sand particles will have to go all the way through the plunger.

Traditional style barrel connectors had a welded bar that ran across the flow area. This resulted in pressure drops, flow restrictions and failures on the bar. 

Black Gold's barrel connectors have a full open area for maximum flow rate. It also reduce corossion rate and increase flow for heavy crude oil.