Improved Ant Colony Optimization for Interval Pumping of Pumping Unit

In order to benefit oil filed production and reduce electricity cost, an interval pumping algorithm is proposed for pumping unit by using improved ant colony optimization. The algorithm divides update process of submergence depth into two phases by comparing pumping-factor and pumping-threshold based on the down hole fluid volume, and then it chooses the appropriate update rule of submergence depth at each phase. Such algorithm determines the interval pumping time by improving the node selection rule of ant colony optimization, which takes into consideration the influence of pumping time and different prices at different time on electricity cost. The experiment results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce the overall electricity cost of oilfield and increase production benefit.