Next Event
The SPE San Joaquin Valley Section invites you to attend a general section meeting luncheon featuring Joe Ippolito of RJ Bellevue Corp on Thursday, February 19, 2026. Please note the new location and time below!
Rod Pump Plunger Lubrication:
Why It Matters—and How to Do It Better
Abstract:
Published SPE studies have consistently shown that lubrication at the plunger–barrel interface is a dominant factor in sucker-rod pump run life. Pumps operating in clean, oil-dominant wells routinely achieve the longest service life, while failures accelerate rapidly as lubrication conditions degrade with increasing water production.
The session also reviews published and field-documented results from a self-lubricated plunger concept that intentionally introduces lubrication to the plunger–barrel interface and has demonstrated meaningful run-life improvements relative to conventional plungers. Building on this foundation, the presentation introduces a new patented method that induces barrel lubrication using the well’s own crude oil while simultaneously improving sand handling and debris tolerance.
Speaker Bio:
Joe Ippolito is a petroleum engineer with more than 50 years of international and domestic experience in production engineering, artificial lift, and field operations. His career includes senior technical and management roles with Occidental Petroleum, independent operators, and consulting organizations, with assignments in California, Oman, Peru, Venezuela, and other producing regions.
Mr. Ippolito has extensive experience with rod pumping, ESPs, gas lift, waterfloods, steam floods, cyclic steam, gas injection, and horizontal wells. He has planned and implemented new waterflood projects in Peru, Oman, and California, with a career focus on failure mechanisms, pump run-life improvement, and system optimization in high water-cut, sandy, corrosive, and heavy-oil environments.
He holds three U.S. patents, earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA, completed postgraduate petroleum engineering coursework, and is an active SPE member and former Program Chairman for the SPE Oman Section.
Date & Time:
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Doors open at 11:30 AM for lunch and networking; program begins at 12:00 PM.
Location:
Sol y Luna Mexican Cuisine
11420 Ming Ave
Bakersfield, CA 93311
There will be a hot buffet lunch consisting of chile verde, cheese enchiladas, and chicken fajitas with rice and beans and iced tea to drink.
Event Registration:
There is different pricing for members versus non-members, so please use the appropriate link to register. Join SPE today!
SPE MEMBER REGISTRATION LINK
NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION LINK
Registration helps organize the event and will close 24 hours prior to the start time. However, you can also attend as a walk-in and pay at the event.
Members are encouraged to invite non-members to the event.