Stealth/Stealth Enhanced

Plunger Lift Controller Overview

1
 Agenda
• Overview
• Configurations
• Controller Operation

2
Overview

3
 Highlights
• Reliable Operation in Canada
– -40 ºC to +70 ºC Operating Temperature
– Rechargeable Battery provides 8+ months Standby
Power
• CSA Certified
– Class 1, Div 1, Groups C & D
• Features
– Modbus Communication Interface
– Time/Velocity Based Optimization
– Pressure Based Optimization

4
 Highlights
• Rugged Design
– Steel enclosure with locking door
– Easy to remove electronics module
• Easy to use Menu Based Interface
– Arrows and numbers
– Hot Keys
• Easy to Install
– Flexible connections
– Lots of space
– Universal Mounting Bracket

5
 Model Comparison

Stealth Stealth Enhanced

Battery 6V, 4.5 Ah 6V, 7.2 Ah
Standby Time 5+ months 8+ months
Valves 1–2 1–3
Input Devices PAS, LP PAS, LP, CP/DP
Timer Optimization Additional Included
Communications RS-485 Modbus 2 x RS-485 Modbus

6
 Mounting

• Universal Mounting Bracket

– Wall
– Vertical/Horizontal Stud
– Vertical/Horizontal Pipe

7
 Solenoids

• Gas Connections
– Supply gas side stamped IN
– Valve side stamped CYL
– Vent routed to the back
• Solenoid Service
– Unscrew vent
– Pull body up
– Allows access to piston/spring

8
 External Electrical

• Solar
– 2 wire connection
– Polarity matters
• Grounding
– Lug supports up to 4 AWG
• Plunger Arrival Sensor (PAS)
• Line Pressure
• Casing Pressure/Differential Pressure

9
 Plunger Arrival Sensor (PAS)
• Supported Sensors
– ETC PAS
• Low Power
• Rugged
• Teck Cabled
• Adjustable Sensitivity
– Most other 2/3 Wire sensors
• May be disabled if one not present

10
 Line Pressure (LP)
• 2 Wire (Murphy) Switch
– Tripped switch prevents controller
from opening the well
– Automatically forces well to close
• 3 Wire Transducer
– Shows numerical value for Line
Pressure
– Allows for custom trip/reset points
– Specific low power model from ETC
must be used.

11
 Casing Pressure (CP)
• 2 Wire (Murphy) Switch
– Tripped switch prevents controller from opening the
well until Casing Pressure is high enough
– Automatically forces well to close on low Casing
Pressure
• 3 Wire Transducer
– Shows numerical value for Casing Pressure
– Allows for custom trip/reset points
– Use with LP for Casing-Line Differential
– Enhanced optimization modes utilize the behaviour of
CP
– Specific low power model from ETC must be used.

12
 Differential Pressure (DP)
• 2 Wire (Murphy) Switch
– Automatically forces well to close on low Differential
Pressure
• 3 Wire Sensor
– Shows numerical value for Differential Pressure
– Allows for custom trip/reset points
– Use with LP and orifice plate settings to calculate flow
– When using flow, daily production totals are summed.
– Low Power 1151 or 3051CD from Rosemount must
be used if powered from plunger lift controller.

13
 Outputs
• Programmable
– Default Device Operation
– Mimic Valve Operation
– Alarm Call Out
• Connections
– Uses the PWR pin from LP or CP/DP
– Can only be used when connections not in
use by primary devices

14
 COM Ports
• RS485 2 Wire Differential
• COM1 acts as a Modbus Slave
• COM2 used as a Modbus Master or Pass Thru
• Integrate with existing SCADA
• Use web based access
– Zedi
– MRL
– Bentek
• IS Barrier required
• COM1 used to upgrade the controller

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User Interface

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 Screen Layout
State/Menu
– Left hand side screen shows the current controller
state.
– Scroll up or down to access other screens/menus
• Cycle Information
• Current Date/Time

• Status
– Right hand side screen scrolls through valve status
and device status automatically.

17
 Menu Navigation
• Navigation Keys
– Arrows are used to scroll up and down.
– Select confirms a value or enters a menu
– Cancel undoes an edit or moves backward
• Numeric Keys
– Enter in numerical settings directly

18
 Shortcut Keys
• Close
– Starts the close portion of the cycle
– Navigates back to the status screen
• Open
– Starts the open (rise) portion of the cycle
– Navigates back to the status screen
• Delete
– Remove the last entered number

19
 Shortcut Keys
• Install
– Takes the user to the install menu.
• History
– Rise Time Log shows the last 25 plunger arrival times
– Cycle Log shows a detailed log of the last 25 cycles
– Daily Log shows a summary of the last 14 days plus the
current day.
• Settings
– Brings up the settings menu
– A list of all timers and basic set points

20
 Install Menu
• One Level of Sub Menus
– Date/Time - Set current date/time
– System – Serial number, Firmware Version, and
Errors
– Security – Installer/Operator passwords
– Well Setup – Well information and velocities
– Inputs – Configure Inputs
– Outputs – Configure Outputs
– Alarms – Fast Trip, Non-Arrival
– Optimize – Optimization Mode, Input Behaviour
– Modbus – Communication Settings

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Configurations

22
 Configurations

• Sales Valve
– Factory default

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 Configurations

• No Arrival Sensor

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 Configurations

• Top Valve

25
 Configurations

• Flow Tee

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 Configurations
• Tank Valve

27
 Configurations
• Optimization: Pressure Switches

28
 Configurations
• Optimization:
Casing/Line
Differential Pressure

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 Configurations

• Optimization: Differential Pressure

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 Configurations
• Optimization: Flow Rate

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Controller Operation

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The Complete Cycle
N o n -A r r iv al
Cl o s e

N o n -A r r iv al

Cyc l e N o r mal A f t er f l o w
S t ar t ar r iv al D el ay

S t o pped

Po wer Ex t en d ed
up A f t er f l o w

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 The Complete Cycle
• Rise N o n -A r r iv al
Cl o s e

N o n -Ar r iv al

– Monitor arrival sensor Cyc l e

S t ar t
N o r mal
ar r iv al
A f t er f l o w
D el ay

– Sales Valve open.

– Declare fast-trip if plunger S t o pped

arrives early (fast-trip time).

– Declare non-arrival when rise Po wer Ex t en d ed
up Af t er f l o w

time expires.
– Switch to Tank Valve B when tank delay time expires.
– Will not be shown if the arrival sensor is disabled.

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The Complete Cycle

35
 The Complete Cycle

• Afterflow
– Only entered if Afterflow
time > 0
– Valves:
• Sales: open
• Valve B: configurable
– Exits when:
• Afterflow or Max Open Timers expire, or
• Line pressure “trips”

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 The Complete Cycle
• Extended Afterflow N o n -A r r iv al
Cl o s e

– Entered if there are “extended N o n -Ar r iv al

flow” devices enabled or timer Cy c l e

S t ar t
N o r mal
ar r iv al
Af t er f l o w
D el ay

optimization is enabled
– Same valve settings as S t o pped

afterflow.
– Exits when: Po wer
up
Ex t en d ed
A f t er f l o w

• Pressure or flow rate conditions change, or

• Max Open timer expires, or
• Line pressure “trips”, or
• Extended Afterflow Timer expires (Timer Optimization)

37
 The Complete Cycle
• Close
– Entered following flow states.
– Allows time for plunger to fall.
– All valves closed.
Auto-catcher released.
– Exits when:
• Min Close timer expires, AND
• Pressure conditions change
– Line pressure switch or sensor
– Casing Pressure switch or sensor
– Casing/line pressure differential

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 The Complete Cycle
• Non-Arrival Close
– Entered when a “non-arrival”
is declared.
– Allows extra time for pressure
to build in the well-bore.
– All valves closed.
Auto-catcher released.
– Exits when:
• Non-Arrival close timer expires, AND
• Pressure conditions change.

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 The Complete Cycle

• Stopped
N o n -A r r iv al
Cl o s e

N o n -Ar r iv al

– Entered when: Cyc l e

S t ar t
N o r mal
ar r iv al
Af t er f l o w
D el ay

• A number of consecutive
non-arrivals have occurred.
S t o pped
• A number of consecutive
fast-trips have occurred.
• Low battery. Po wer Ex t en d ed
up A f t er f l o w

– All Valves closed.

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 Timer/Velocity Optimization
• Optimization Modes include:
– Afterflow Optimization
– Close Optimization
– Close Then Afterflow Optimization

41
 Timer/Velocity Optimization
• Set times manually or set well depth and
desired velocities.
• Each plunger arrival is evaluated
compared to the Target Rise Time.
• Modifies the Close and/or Afterflow times
to get the plunger to arrive at the specified
target time/velocity.

42
 Target Rise Miss
• Early/Late Arrival
– Early window is Target
Rise Time
– Late window is Rise
Time – Target Rise
Time
– Plunger misses are
represented as a
percentage

43
 Afterflow Optimization
• Extended Afterflow Optimization
– Miss percentage multiplied by Scale Factor and
subtracted from Extended Afterflow Percentage.
– Actual time calculated from Extended Afterflow
Percentage and Remaining Flow Time

44
 Close Optimization
• Extended Close Optimization
– Miss percentage multiplied by Scale Factor and
added to Extended Close Percentage.
– Actual time calculated from Extended Close
Percentage and Remaining Flow Time.
Adjust Based On
Plunger Arrival

Rise Afterflow Close Extended Close

Max Close

45
 Close Then Afterflow
• Close Time is optimized first.
• When we run out of close time to optimize
(either min or max is reached), Afterflow
Time is then optimized.

46
 Pressure Optimization

• Casing Pressure
• Casing-Line Differential Pressure
• Differential Pressure
• Flow Rate

47
 Casing Pressure Optimization
• Close Optimization
– Stay in close until Casing Pressure is high enough
– Stay in close until Casing Line Differential is High Enough
• Extended Afterflow Optimization
– Exit Extended Afterflow when Casing pressure has bottomed out
and then risen a predetermined amount.
– Exit Extended Afterflow when the Rate of Change of Casing
Pressure slows Down and the Trip Delay timer expires.
– Exit Extended Afterflow when Casing pressure drops below
specified set point.

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 Casing/Line Pressure Optimization

• Uses Casing – Line Differential Pressure

Cl o s e
Cas in g Pr es s u r e Tr ip Po in t

A f t er f l o w
Tr ip Po in t

L in e Pr es s u r e
Min -Cl o s e Mo n it o r
Mo n it o r A c t iv e
Time A c t iv e

Ex t en d ed
Ris e Af t er f l o w Cl o s e
Af t er f l o w

49
Differential Pressure Optimization
• Extended Flow Optimization
– Low Differential Pressure

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 Differential Pressure Optimization

D if f Pr es s u r e

D P t r ip
po in t
0

Mo n it o r A c t iv e Min -Cl o s e Time

Ex t en d ed
Ris e A f t er f l o w Cl o s e
A f t er f l o w

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 Flow Rate Optimization

• Sensors
– Differential Pressure and Line Pressure
– Analog Flow Sensor
– Discrete Flow Sensor
– Virtual Flow Sensor
• Automatically sums daily production
values.

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 Flow Rate Calculations
• Fixed parameters
– Optimize Menu
• Gas temperature
• Specific gravity
• Meter run size
• Orifice size
• Max Differential Pressure (150 “WC by Default)
– Changes not applied until start of next cycle.
• Simplified gas flow calculations
– AGA 3 Table Based (Not EUB compliant)
– Process inaccuracies

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 Flow rate optimization cycle

Fl o w r at e
M ay g et v ar iat io n s as s l u g s
o f f l u id ar e d el iv er ed

L in e Pr es s u r e

Fl o w r at e
t r ip po in t
0

M o n it o r A c t iv e Min -Cl o s e Time

Ex t en d ed Ch ec k l in e
Ris e Af t er f l o w Cl o s e pr es s u r e
A f t er f l o w

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