What is Plunger Lift?

Plunger Lift is an artificial lift method that uses the wells own energy (gas and/or pressure) to lift accumulated fluids from the tubing and annulus. The system operates through a series of shut-in periods and flow periods, intermitting the well. Intermitting alone is very inefficient due to the fluid fall back during the flow cycle. The rule of thumb for intermitting is approximately 10% of the fluid slug is lost for every 1,000 ft of lift. A plunger utilizes an interface seal between a fluid in the tubing and stored gas in the annulus. The head gas is blown down creating differential pressure across the plunger, which brings both the plunger and accumulated fluid to the surface. Seal efficiency is critical for effective plunger operation. The amount of fluid and gas being produced must be taken into account when selecting the plunger type. The more fluid being produced the better the seal efficiency must be.

The Benefits of Plunger Lift are:

Low capital cost. No rig required to install. No fuel cost. Low maintenance. Stabilized well production. Minimal well downtime. Can be moved to other wells.

To meet a variety of needs, we offer a complete selection of conventional, bypass, and staged systems that cover a wide range of applications efficiently and productively:

Conventional Plungers (brush, padded, bar stock) Bypass Plungers (fast drop and bypass styles) Staged Plunger Systems Controllers and Automation Systems Complete System Design and Training (classroom and field)

Candidate Wells
Plunger Lift is appropriate for wells exhibiting the following conditions:

Wells with unstable production (liquid loading). Wells being intermitted, swabbed or vented. Gas locked pumping wells.

Wells with large differential between the casing and tubing flowing pressure. Wells with liquid to gas ratios (LGR) less than 150 bbl/mmcfd. Typical Maximum 21,000 ft TVD* 200 BPD 500F 35 degrees Conventional 70 degrees Bypass Excellent Excellent Poor to Fair 2-3/8" = 400 SCF / BBL /1,000 ft Lift

Operating Depth Operating Volume Operating Temperature Wellbore Deviation Corrosion Handling Gas Handling Solids Handling

8,000 ft TVD* 1-5 BPD 120F N/A

GLR Required 2-7/8" = 600 SCF / BBL / 1,000 ft Lift Service Prime Mover Type
*TVD - True Vertical Depth BPD - Barrels per Day

Wellhead Catcher or Wireline Wells Natural Energy

SCF - Standard Cubic Feet BBL - Barrels

Mechanical considerations that may lead to problems:

Well

Sand Scale Temperature

Tubing

Continuous ID (packers, anchors, crimps, rod cut, scale, soap buildup)

Packer or tubingless completions End of Tubing (EOT)

Wellhead

Continuous ID (valves, tees, landing threads, hanger, wrong wellhead size) Unnecessary valves or tees Piping not plumb Not using flanged master valves for safety

Surface Equipment

Tank and separator capacities Bottle necks, chokes Flow line limitations (pressure increases when plunger is flowing/arriving) Orifice plate sizing

Compression

Centralized or single wellhead compression Suction pressure control Wells fight for line space correct compressor size, synchronization High line pressure delays By-pass valve configuration

Bypass or Freecycle Plunger Lift Systems

Bypass plungers are meant for good wells. This plunger type is dependent on gas rate instead of build pressure. Since the advantage to running these plungers is greatly reduced shut in times, the well does not build enough pressure to cycle the plunger. The rule of thumb for successful operation is that the well MUST produce a minimum of 70% of the surface critical rate. There are two types of Bypass plungers: Continuous Flow and Quick Falling. Continuous Falling plungers are designed to fall against flow. These are wells that have just started showing signs of liquid loading and by sweeping the tubing walls of accumulating fluid the well will continue to flow naturally. Quick Falling plungers are designed for good wells that are operating at the minimum gas requirement (70% of surface critical rate). These wells require a very short shut in time to overcome low gas velocities due to liquid loading. Where a Conventional plunger may require a minimum of 45 minutes of shut in time to fall and build pressure, these wells may only require 10 20 minutes. Therefore, the Quick Falling plunger has been designed to fall at a much faster rate to get to the bottom hole spring. These plungers will typically fall at rates of approximately 700 900 ft/min. The most important operating parameter for these plungers is After Flow. Similar to a Conventional plunger lift, once the plunger has lifted the fluid to the surface the well must be given some time to accumulate fluid for the next cycle. Note: Due to the bypass areas of these plungers, it is highly recommended that an auto-catch assembly be run. This will ensure that the plunger is held in the lubricator until the controller signals the plunger to fall. Failure to run the auto-catch may result in reduced gas rates, due to the plunger restricting flow, and possible dry cycling of the plunger.