Plunger Lift Manual

TOTAL ASSET MONITORING
TAM
Plunger Lift Software
Help Manual
Copyright 2018
All Rights Reserved
ECHOMETER COMPANY
5001 Ditto Lane
Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
Phone: (940) 767-4334 FAX: (940) 723-7507
E-Mail: info@echometer.com www.echometer.com
DCN: QAD 5000-47 PN: MS-1876

TAM Plunger Lift Software Help
SAFETY ........................................................................................................................................... 5
LICENSE AND USE AGREEMENT FOR ECHOMETER TAM SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT . 5
OBJECTIVES OF THE TAM SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 6
TAM APPLICATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 6
ACOUSTIC WELL SURVEYS ........................................................................................................ 6
PLUNGER LIFT APPLICATIONS................................................................................................... 7
Plunger Lift Operation Cycle ........................................................................................................ 7

1-The Shut-in Period .................................................................................................................... 7
2-The Unloading period ............................................................................................................... 7
3-The Afterflow period .................................................................................................................. 8
Creating Plunger Lift Well Data File ............................................................................................ 9

Plunger Lift Well – Quick View of Data Fields ........................................................................... 10
Plunger Lift Well – Detailed View of Data Fields ....................................................................... 11
Well Conditions Tab ................................................................................................................... 11
Well Production Data: .................................................................................................. 11
Fluid Properties: .......................................................................................................... 11
Temperatures Data:..................................................................................................... 12
Standard Conditions .................................................................................................... 12
Mechanical Wellbore Tab .......................................................................................................... 13
Tubing and Casing Descriptions ................................................................................. 13
Hardware ..................................................................................................................... 14
Lift System Tab .......................................................................................................................... 15
Plunger Controller Settings ......................................................................................... 15
Plunger Cycle Times ................................................................................................... 15
Surface Producing Pressures ...................................................................................... 15
Plunger Velocity ........................................................................................................... 15
Plunger Data ................................................................................................................ 15
Wellbore Survey Tab ................................................................................................................. 16
Producing Intervals Tab ............................................................................................................. 17
Producing Intervals ...................................................................................................... 17
Depth for BHP Calc ..................................................................................................... 17
Tubular Markers Tab .................................................................................................................. 18
Well Description Tab .................................................................................................................. 19
PLUNGER LIFT DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE ................................................................... 20
Hardware Configuration .............................................................................................................. 20
Wireless Acquisition System ..................................................................................................... 21

Field Installation ......................................................................................................................... 22
Data Quality Control ............................................................................................................... 23
Acquisition of Data ................................................................................................................. 24
Annotations............................................................................................................................. 25
Ending Acquisition .................................................................................................................. 26
Wired Acquisition with Well Analyzer System ......................................................................... 27
ECHOMETER Co. 2 4/26/2018

Hardware Setup ......................................................................................................................... 27

Field Installation ......................................................................................................................... 29
Acquiring Plunger Data .............................................................................................................. 30
Preview Data .......................................................................................................................... 31
Starting Acquisition ................................................................................................................. 32
Viewing Individual Channel Data ................................................................................. 33
Annotating Data ........................................................................................................... 34
Special Tools for Viewing Data .............................................................................................. 35
Scanning a Data Section ............................................................................................. 37
Procedure for Annotating the Data during and after Acquisition ............................................ 37
Annotations Options .................................................................................................... 40
Editing Annotations ...................................................................................................... 47
Ending Acquisition .................................................................................................................. 49
Reviewing Data After Acquisition .............................................................................................. 50
Plunger Data shown in History Tab ........................................................................................ 50
Exporting data ........................................................................................................................ 50
Exporting TAM Data Set......................................................................................................... 54
ANALYSIS OF PLUNGER ACOUSTIC DATA ............................................................................. 56

Monitoring Plunger Operation with High Resolution Pressure & Acoustic Data ........................ 56
Analysis of Plunger Data Set ...................................................................................................... 57

Field View ................................................................................................................................... 57
Cycle View ................................................................................................................................. 60
Define Cycle Tab .................................................................................................................... 61
Additional Annotations ................................................................................................. 67
Cycle Limits Tab......................................................................................................................... 69
Highlighting the Acoustic and Pressure Signals – Plot Settings ................................. 72
Plunger Fall Tab ......................................................................................................................... 74
Plunger Fall Analysis Procedure ............................................................................................ 75
Software Training ................................................................................................................... 77
Velocity and Depth Graph ...................................................................................................... 78
Auto Select Collars ................................................................................................................. 80
Plunger Fall Utilities ................................................................................................................ 81
Print ................................................................................................................................. 81
Data Export ..................................................................................................................... 81
Exporting Plunger Fall Analysis ................................................................................... 82
Importing Plunger Fall Data to a Spreadsheet ............................................................ 82
Gas Properties Tab .................................................................................................................... 84
Enter Gas Specific Gravity, Compositional Analysis, or Acoustic Velocity ............................ 85
Retrieve Gas Gravity from Previous Acoustic Test ................................................................ 86
Determine Gas Specific Gravity by Selecting Echo Repeats ................................................. 87
Cycle Analysis Tab .................................................................................................................... 90
Playback Tools ....................................................................................................................... 92
Viewing the Plunger Cycle ..................................................................................................... 92
Shut-in ......................................................................................................................... 92
Unloading .................................................................................................................... 95
After Flow .................................................................................................................... 96
Making a Movie of the Plunger Cycle ........................................................................................ 97
Analysis Plots ............................................................................................................................. 99
Vertical Scale Option .............................................................................................................. 99
Exporting Plot Data .............................................................................................................. 101
Predicted Plunger Fall Tab ...................................................................................................... 103
Plunger Tracking Reports ........................................................................................................ 105
Additional Comments ................................................................................................ 106

Special Examples ...................................................................................................................... 109

Example 1 Multiple Cycles for Troubleshooting Plunger Operation ........................................ 109
Hardware Setup for Long Term Acquisition ............................................................................. 109
Plunger Tracking for 20 Hours ............................................................................................. 111
Analysis of Cycle 1 – Valve Open ........................................................................................ 112
1) Define cycle ........................................................................................................... 112
2) The Cycle limits are selected ................................................................................ 114
3) Plunger Fall Velocity determination....................................................................... 117
4) Determination of Gas Properties ........................................................................... 119
Analyze Tab ............................................................................................................... 121
Analysis Plots ............................................................................................................ 121
Predicted Plunger Fall ............................................................................................... 122
Reports for Cycle 1 .................................................................................................... 123
Analysis of Cycle 2 ............................................................................................................... 124
Define Cycle Tab ....................................................................................................... 124
Cycle Limits Tab ........................................................................................................ 125
Plunger Fall Tab ........................................................................................................ 125
Velocity and Depth Graph ......................................................................................... 126
Gas Properties Tab ................................................................................................... 126
Cycle 2 Analysis Tab ................................................................................................. 127
Comparison of Plunger Performance in 2 cycles. ................................................................ 127
Example 2 - Plunger Well with Tubing Check Valve – Dual Pad Plunger ............................... 129
Field Data ............................................................................................................................. 129
Cycle TAB............................................................................................................................. 129
Shut-in Period ............................................................................................................ 130
Flow through SV affects Plunger Fall Velocity .......................................................... 130

SAFETY
Please observe all safety rules in operating this equipment. The pressure ratings of
the Echometer gas gun and all fittings, hoses, etc. should always exceed actual well
pressure. Because the casing pressure normally increases during a build-up test,
caution should be exercised that the well pressure does not exceed equipment pressure
ratings.
Do not use worn or corroded parts. A used or corroded fitting may not withstand
original pressure rating.
Not all safety precautions can be given herein. Please refer to all applicable safety
manuals, bulletins, etc. Relating to pressure, metal characteristics, temperature effects,
corrosion, wear, electrical properties, gas properties, etc. before operating this
equipment.
The tests should not be undertaken if the operator, the test equipment and the well
are not in conditions to operate safely. This equipment should not be used if the operator
is tired, ill or under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication.
LICENSE AND USE AGREEMENT FOR ECHOMETER TAM SOFTWARE AND

EQUIPMENT
1. This Agreement, including the terms on the opening screen, is a legal contract between you
and Echometer Company. This Agreement applies to the TAM software, including media, printed
material and on-line documentation and to the Well Analyzer equipment.
2. The operator agrees to the terms on the opening screen and the terms in this Agreement by
clicking on the Accept icon on the opening screen.
3. Following acceptance of this Agreement, the operator is entitled to use the software program
designated as TAM.EXE to acquire and analyze data. However, this program and any related
programs can be used only to acquire data by use of Echometer data acquisition systems. The
analysis portion of these programs can be used on any computer to analyze data, but only data,
which have been obtained using Echometer data acquisition systems.
4. THIS SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED AS IS, AND ECHOMETER

MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY
PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION OR
EQUIPMENT WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS,
TRADEMARKS OR OTHER RIGHTS.
5. Operator agrees that it is the responsibility of the operator to insure that the operator is
working at a well pressure that is less than the rated operating pressure of the equipment
involved. This includes the fittings on the well as well as valves and all Echometer equipment.
The operator acknowledges that the safe operating pressure for equipment is less when the
equipment is used, corroded or shows signs of abuse and wear, than when the equipment is new.
6. Operator agrees, on behalf of the operator, his/her heirs and related parties, to release and
hold Echometer Company, including its employees, officers, agents and related parties, harmless
from any and all liability to the operator and all related parties, for any and all loss or damage to

property and injury or death to any person which results from or in any way relates to the use of
Echometer software or Well Analyzer equipment.
7. The operator agrees that the terms on the opening screen and in this Agreement which are
applicable to the operator are binding on the operator's company, employer, company employees
and agents, provided, and to the extent, that the operator has authority to commit any one or
more of these entities to these obligations.
OBJECTIVES OF THE TAM SYSTEM

The principal objective of the TAM SYSTEM is to provide to the operator all the data
necessary to analyze the performance of an oil or gas well. This objective is accomplished by
using combinations of hardware and computer software which are specific to the particular
measurement to be undertaken.
TAM APPLICATIONS
The reader is referred to the TAM Help documents that describe in detail the operation of
the TAM software used in conjunction with Wired and Wireless Echometer sensors as shown in
the following figure.
The following discussion focuses specifically on the application of the system and software to
analysis of Plunger Lift wells and assumes that the user is familiar with the basic features of the
TAM software.
ACOUSTIC WELL SURVEYS
The principal objectives for making acoustic well surveys are: measurement of the depth
to the liquid level, determination of bottom hole pressure, annular pressure distribution and
estimation of the inflow performance of the well.
Acoustic measurements are the foundation for measurements in Plunger Lift wells. It is important
that the user become familiar with acoustic measurements by referring to the LIQUID LEVEL
FEATURES in the TAM Help.

PLUNGER LIFT APPLICATIONS

The TAM Acoustic Fluid Level and Plunger Lift modules are used to determine the position of the
plunger, the plunger fall speed and to analyze the performance of the well. These very powerful
tools can be used to trouble shoot and optimized the operation of wells producing by plunger lift.
Several articles have been published on the subject and reprints may be downloaded from
http://echometer.com/TechnicalPapers/.
Following are the paper’s titles: “Plunger Lift Analysis, Troubleshooting and Optimization”,
“Plunger Lift Rise Velocity Prediction Model”, “Portable System Takes Guesswork Out of Plunger
Lift Analysis and Troubleshooting” and “Determining How Different Plunger Manufacture Features
Affect Plunger Fall Velocity”
A plunger lift survey answers the following well performance questions:
• Where is the plunger? On bottom? In or above liquid? Surface?

• What is the depth to the top of the liquid in the tubing?
• What are the producing and static BHP’s?
• Is liquid in the casing annulus above the tubing intake?
• What are the casing and tubing pressures during the plunger operational
cycle?
• Does tubing gas/liquid pressure push liquid out of tubing?
• What is the maximum production rate available from the well?
• What is the gas flow rate? From Formation? Annulus? Flowline?
• What is the gas gravity?
• Are there restrictions to plunger fall in the tubing
Plunger Lift Operation Cycle

The plunger lift cycle can be divided into three distinct parts:
1-The Shut-in Period

Begins when the flowline motor valve closes, the flow is shut-in and the plunger falls down the
tubing. The plunger falls through gas until it
hits the accumulated liquid at the bottom of
the tubing. The plunger then falls through at
least some of the accumulated liquid at the
bottom of the tubing. Ideally the plunger
should fall to the bottom of the tubing and rest
on a plunger catcher or bumper spring
before being brought to the surface again.
During shut-in, the casing pressure should
build high enough to lift the accumulated fluids
and the plunger to the surface during the next
period.
2-The Unloading period

begins after a predetermined amount of time
has elapsed from the start of the shut-in
period. Some type of valve controller opens
the motor valve between the tubing and the
flowline. The pressure from the reservoir and
the pressure from the gas stored in the casing
annulus are used to lift the accumulated liquid
and plunger to the surface. During the

unloading period the surface tubing pressure drops to a value close to the line pressure and the
differential pressure across the plunger lifts to the surface the plunger and the liquid slug above
the plunger.
3-The Afterflow period

Begins after the plunger arrives at the surface. The flow valves are open, the plunger is held at
surface within the lubricator by differential pressure caused by the flow of gas up the tubing. The
well is producing gas up the tubing to the sales line. If the gas velocity in the tubing is high
enough to lift liquid to the surface, then some additional liquid will also be produced with the gas.
During the afterflow period, as the gas rate decreases, liquid is no longer carried to surface
because the gas velocity becomes too low and the liquid tends to fall back and accumulate at the
bottom of the tubing. If the afterflow period is too long, the liquid accumulation at the bottom of
the tubing will cause the pressure at the bottom of the well to build-up and further reduce the flow
from the formation. In some cases, the bottom hole pressure may increase to the static reservoir
pressure and stop the flow from the formation. After a predetermined time, the motor valve is
closed, repeading the plunger cycle again at the Shut-in period
Data acquisition can be initiated at any time during the cycle, but to do a complete analysis of
the system the user must acquire at least ONE COMPLETE CYCLE including one valve opening
plus one valve closing or one valve closing plus one valve opening. If the user is only interested
in determining the plunger fall velocity, then acquisition must start just before the Shut-in period
and continue until the beginning of the Unloading period. The analysis of wells that perform
erratically may require acquisition of data over several cycles in order to correctly analyze the
operation.
An existing Well File must be selected or be created by entering data for a new well before
acquisition of plunger data can begin as illustrated in the following section where an example
Bench Test Well file is created. In addition to showing the steps to be followed to create a well
file the bench test file is very useful for checking that the equipment and software are operating
correctly. It is recommended that prior to going to a well to undertake a plunger tracking test, the
equipment to be used should be connected at the office and a bench test performed to verify that
all is working properly. This practice will save a lot of time in the long run by ensuring that
everything will be in working order at the wellsite.

Creating Plunger Lift Well Data File

Data for the fictitious example well “Plunger Well Bench Test” will be used to illustrate the
various tabs used to enter the well data. The “Create” button in the “Pick Well” tab is used to
initiate the process to create a plunger well file.
Type the well name and enter or select the

group where the well data will be stored.
After clicking Create, the well configuration tab is displayed:
and the Basic Plunger Lift template is selected.

Plunger Lift Well – Quick View of Data Fields

This opens a blank Quick View well data entry form where the most important data for the well
can be entered directly as shown in the following figure:
The basic information about the well are entered directly in this form. When done the Save button
is clicked which will cause the following screen to be displayed:

This will allow proceeding to the Setup Hardware for selection and calibration of the sensors to
be used in the test as illustrated later in this help document.
The following section discusses all the tabs in the Detailed View where the complete set of well
information is displayed.
Plunger Lift Well – Detailed View of Data Fields

Clicking on the Detailed View button opens the tabs were more detailed descriptions of the
wellbore and completion are entered.
Well Conditions Tab
Well Production Data:

* DATE Enter the date corresponding to the well test information
OIL PRODUCTIONB Bbl/d, Oil or condensate production from the most recent
well test in stock tank barrels/day. This number is used for calculating the
maximum available oil production.
* WATER PRODUCTION Bbl/d Water production from the well test in barrels/day.
It is used to calculate liquid gradients and maximum water production rates.
* GAS PRODUCTION Enter the total gas flow rate in MSCF/day from the well test.
Fluid Properties:
* OIL: The API gravity of the produced oil or condensate is needed for liquid
gradient calculations.
* WATER: The water gravity should be entered as a specific gravity. Enter 1.05 if
unknown.
* FLUID VISCOSITY: The viscosity of the fluid in the tubing.

* GAS GR: The gas specific gravity relative to air
%CO2, %N2, %H2S : percentage of non-hydrocarbon gases that are present in

the produced gas.
Checking the box at the bottom left, will force the program to use these gas properties
when computing pressures in the wellbore.
* COMPUTE GAS GRAVITY: This button opens a form for input of the composition
of the gas in the wellbore for computing the gas gravity. Generally this
composition is different from the composition of the gas sampled at the sale line
or at the separator.
Temperatures Data:
* SURFACE TEMPERATURE (F) The surface temperature of the wellhead gas is
used to calculate gas gradients. Typically this value is between 60 70 oF. NOTE: this is
not the thermistor or air temperature; it is the ground temperature a few feet below the
surface.
* BOTTOMHOLE TEMPERATURE (F) Used in conjunction with the surface
temperature to correct fluid gradients for down hole conditions. Obtained from well logs or
calculated from local geothermal gradient (average 1.5 oF/1000 feet). See figure below
from Regional Heat Flow Data Base and Temperature Gradient Maps SMU University:
http://www.smu.edu/geothermal/heatflow/ThermalGradientmap.gif
Standard Conditions
The pressure and temperature normally used to calculate standard gas volumes.

Mechanical Wellbore Tab

Enter an accurate description of the well completion as possible.
Tubing and Casing Descriptions
Note that both tapered tubing and casing are allowed.
TUBING top and bottom measured depths, OD and weight.

CASING top and bottom measured depths ,OD and Weight
These entries are selected from the pull down menus.
AVE. JOINT LENGTH, average entered or computed from a current tubing tally.
A value of 31.7 is used by default if none is entered.
Separate sections of the Tubing String can be input where each section has its own average joint
length.

For Example:
Detailed description of the average tubing joint length is important for accurate determination of
the plunger fall velocity based on the acoustic signals generated at the tubing couplings.
Hardware
Use check boxes to indicate that the specific hardware is present and enter the corresponding
measured depth:
KB OFFSET, the elevation of the kelly bushing of the completion rig used, feet
PACKER, measured depth to packer if present, feet. Leave blank if no packer is present.
TUBING ANCHOR, measured depth to the tubing anchor, feet. Leave blank if no anchor
is present.
BUMPER SPRING, measured depth to the bumper spring, feet.
STANDING VALVE, measured depth to the standing valve, feet.
SN DEPTH, measured depth in feet to the seating nipple.
PLUGBACK, measured depth to bottom of wellbore,

Lift System Tab

Lift System Type
The lift system type should be “Plunger Lift”. If not then it should be changed by clicking
on the “Change Template” button at the bottom left of the tab.
The surface equipment data is entered in the following tab:
Plunger Controller Settings

• MANUFACTURER, name of controller manufacturer
• TYPE, description of controller type
Plunger Cycle Times
• UNLOADING, duration in minutes of the unloading period
• AFTERFLOW, duration in minutes of the afterflow period
• SHUT IN, duration in minutes of the shut-in period
Surface Producing Pressures
• TUBING, maximum and minimum values of pressure, psig
• CASING, maximum and minimum values of pressure, psig
Plunger Velocity
• UNLOADING, velocity of plunger rising to the surface, ft/min
Plunger Data
• MANUFACTURER, name of plunger manufacturer
• INSTALLATION DATE, data when plunger was installed in well
• TYPE, description of type of plunger
• PLUNGER OD, outside diameter of plunger, inch
• WEIGHT, weight of plunger in pounds

Wellbore Survey Tab
In the table enter pairs of values of Measured Depth and True Vertical Depth from the
directional survey report that normally is presented as a spreadsheet. Numeric values
can be copied and pasted directly into the corresponding columns. NOTE: in some
directional survey report spreadsheets the values are listed as TEXT format and must be
converted to NUMBER format before they are pasted in this tab.

Producing Intervals Tab

Enter the top and bottom depth of each perforated or open hole interval that is open to
production.
Producing Intervals
Enter top and bottom depth of producing zone(s).
* STATIC BHP Enter the corresponding static reservoir pressure (SBHP).
* STATIC BHP SOURCE Denotes the method used to obtain the static reservoir
pressure such as gauge, estimated, etc. selected from the pull down menu
* STATIC BHP DATE The date when SBHP was obtained.
Depth for BHP Calc
In a vertical well with a single producing zone the BOTTOM of the producing interval is
generally entered unless the operator desires otherwise.
In a horizontal well the measured depth to the heel of the deviated section is generally
entered.

Tubular Markers Tab

The information in this tab is generated automatically by the program based on the
description of the tubulars and hardware present in the well completion.
The tables list all changes in cross sectional area found in the tubing and the annulus
where acoustic echoes can be generated. The information is useful for interpretation and
analysis of fluid level records. Please refer to the TAM Help module “Liquid Level
Features” for further details.

Well Description Tab
* WELL NAME: Enter the well name here. The name entered will be shown on
data files and analysis screens.
DO NOT USE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS:
|\,. ?/:;"[]*+=
o WELL ID: Enter other well identification.

o COMPANY NAME: Enter the company name.
o OPERATOR NAME: Enter the name of the person conducting the test.
o LEASE NAME: Enter the lease name.
o COMMENTS: This field is used to enter important information regarding the
equipment or the well completion.
o GROUP: Name of the group that this well has been assigned.
o SUB GROUP: Name of the sub group assigned to this well.
o GPS: The GPS coordinates of the well location.

PLUNGER LIFT DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE

Plunger lift is a low cost method for lifting liquids (water, condensate and/or oil) from gas and oil
wells. Tracking the plunger, falling down or rising through the tubing, can be used to optimize the
operation of plunger lifted wells. In these wells, acoustic fluid level instruments can be used to
record the acoustic signal produced as the plunger falls down the tubing and/or to acquire a
series of plunger level soundings and to monitor the variation of pressures during the plunger
cycles.
The objective of the Plunger Lift Module of the TAM program is to acquire acoustic and
pressure data and to process the information to determine the 1) depth to the plunger 2) fall
velocity of the plunger 3) time for the plunger to fall to the liquid 4) time for the plunger to fall to
the bottom of the tubing 5) the volume and rate of gas flowing into the well 6) the appropriate
cycle times for optimum operation.
The following sections describe the procedure used to set up the equipment and to acquire the
data for plunger lift analysis.
Hardware Configuration
The TAM plunger lift application can be used either with all wireless sensors or in conjunction
with the wired Well Analyzer and all wired sensors. The Setup Hardware tab is used to indicate
which system will be used.
The most common data acquisition hardware for plunger lift includes an acoustic gas gun with
pressure transducer connected to the tubing through a fully opening valve connection on the
lubricator and a second pressure transducer connected to the casing head through a special
pressure transducer fitting. Alternately, two wireless acoustic gas guns (one on tubing and one on
casing) plus an optional pressure can be used.

Wireless Acquisition System

The following tab shows the setup screen to select the sensor to be used for wireless plunger
tracking.
Following is an example where two wireless remote fired guns are used for plunger tracking, one
connected to the tubing and one connected to the casing and corresponding details about the
sensors. At any time during plunger lift tracking the Fire button on the wireless gas gun can be
pressed to create a shot. Firing a shot can be used to push on a plunger stuck downhole.
It is recommended that prior to going to the field the user should check that the batteries of all
wireless sensors are fully charged and that communication with the base station is clear and
reliable. The latest release version of the TAM software should be loaded on the laptop. A bench
test should also be performed as discussed in more detail later in this document.

Field Installation
Wireless sensors are connected to the wellhead and communicate with the wireless base station
that is plugged into the USB port of the laptop computer that is running TAM version 1.7 or
higher. The following figure shows a possible configuration using two wireless remote fired gas
guns.
The location of the base station should be such that a clear line of sight connection with the
sensors is established so that 4-5 bars are displayed in the sensor check icons.

As required by the program verify the zero offset of all pressure sensors:
Data Quality Control

Use the Preview function to check that data from all channels are being monitored and that the
corresponding values correspond to what is expected fort the particular well.
Data is being displayed only and is not being saved.
Clicking the “Stop Previewing” button returns the display to the setup tab and the “Start
Acquisition” button becomes active.

Acquisition of Data
As discussed in more detail later, the plunger test can be initiated at any time during a plunger
cycle and acquisition is continued until at least one complete cycle has been recorded.
However it is more convenient for subsequent analysis and evaluation of the test that acquisition
of the data be started about one minute before the Motor Valve is CLOSED or one minute before
the Motor Valve is OPENED.
Data for each channel can be viewed in detail by clicking on the Expand buttons at the right
margin of each channel in the tab. This opens the corresponding tab displaying the incoming data
as shown in the following figure:

Annotations
Click the Annotate button to identify key events during acquisition of the plunger cycle. The
following figure is an example of annotations based on the times when variations of tubing
pressure were observed:
More details about annotations are discussed later in this document.

Ending Acquisition
At the conclusion of the test acquisition is terminated by clicking the Stop button.
Plunger Lift Data is saved Every 5 Minutes to the hard disk. A maximum of 5 minutes of data
could be lost in the event of interruption of communication with the sensors or if TAM terminates
execution prematurely.
Once a test has been stopped if additional plunger lift data is desired it will be stored as a
separate test file.

Wired Acquisition with Well Analyzer System

The following illustrates using the TAM application with the Wired Well Analyzer. The plunger
tracking setup is selected clicking on the PLift Sensor button.
A special “Y” cable is used to connect the pressure transducers to the Well Analyzer making sure
that the connectors labeled “casing” and “tubing” are attached to the corresponding transducers.
The Compact Gas Gun is preferred for plunger tracking, because it can be cocked manually so
that well fluids will not enter the volume chamber and contaminate the firing mechanism. If a
Remote-fire Gas Gun is used, then the gas gun chamber should be charged with N2 gas to a
pressure greater than the maximum expected well pressure in order to keep the internal sliding
valve closed throughout the test and protect the internal mechanism from the well fluids.
Appropriate thread adaptors are supplied with the Plunger Lift option of the Well Analyzer system
to connect the gun and transducer to the most commonly used wellhead fittings. Note that if a
needle valve is present on the well at the point of gun connection, it should be replaced with a full
opening ball valve, before connecting the gas gun, in order to record the best quality acoustic
signals.
Hardware Setup
Clicking the Plift Sensor button opens the following screen so that the user can select the pulse
generator and the pressure sensors that will be used for the test.

The example screen below, shows that a remote-fired gas gun and two pressure sensors will be
used. The gun and one pressure sensor will be installed on the tubing while the second sensor
will be installed on the casing.
If the sensors have been selected previously with the TAM program and laptop that are currently
being used for the test then their serial numbers and calibration coefficients they already will be in
the pull down lists and can be selected.
Otherwise they must be entered by clicking on the Create New button as shown below:
The sensor’s calibration coefficients are entered exactly as they are displayed on the transducer’s
label
After selecting and connecting the sensors it is necessary to record the zero offset of the
pressure transducers by selecting the corresponding Setup PT tab which opens the following
screens.
First click on the Get New Offset button and then click on the Use Shown Value button.
If the indicated zero offset exceeds 10% of the transducer range it is generally an indication of a
bad cable or connection to the transducer, or incorrect selection of the serial number, or
erroneous coefficients. The user should check these possibilities and repeat the offset
measurement. If the error persists then this is an indication of a faulty cable or transducer and
Echometer Company should be contacted for additional help in troubleshooting.
The gun’s microphone is connected to the well analyzer via the coaxial cable and is used to
monitor the acoustic noise generated by the plunger, by the flowing gas and by the flowing liquid
during the operation of the plunger system.
The acoustic gas gun may be also used to fire pulses to detect the depth to the liquid level or the
position of the plunger if necessary. Other hardware installation options include connecting only

the pressure sensors, or connecting an acoustic gun to the casing head to determine the depth to
the liquid in the annulus.
Field Installation
The following figure shows a schematic of a possible arrangement of the hardware installed on a
plunger lift well and showing details about the sensors being used.
The schematic shows where the sensors are located on the well. Test Info tab shows which
sensors are used. Clicking on Details buttons opens each sensor information tab. Use Preview
mode to confirm that the tubing pressure sensor is connected to the tubing and the casing
pressure sensor is connected to the casing.

Acquiring Plunger Data

The following screens were acquired by setting up a Bench Test at the office to illustrate the
sequence of operations to be followed when initiating a plunger tracking test. The next chapter
will discuss the analysis of plunger tracking data using an example data set from an actual field
test.
After completing the installation and calibration of the sensors as discussed in the previous
section and selecting and verifying the well data, the following screen is displayed.
At the left the location of the sensors, their serial numbers and the battery voltage of the well
analyzer are displayed with the well schematic.
The Sample Rate is indicated as 30 Hz (30 samples per second) that is the normal rate for
plunger tracking. It can be modified using the pull down menu at the upper right corner.
The user has the option of selecting different sampling rates (from 30 to 1000 samples per
second) depending on the type of plunger used and the expected fall velocity of the plunger.
Normally a sample rate of 30 per second will result in an accurate record that is easily analyzed.
This is the default setting. For fast falling plungers, such as 2-piece or by-pass plungers, faster
sampling rates of 480 samples per second or higher may need to be used. (Note: 480 or 1000
samples per second may require a laptop with a fast processor and extra memory)
When the user considers that the sample rate must be changed it is recommended to return to
the Set Up screen and repeat the zero offset check of both transducers insuring that the pressure
at the transducer is atmospheric by opening the bleed valve on the gun and bleeding the
pressure at the casing sensor.
The Time Range ( 60 sec) corresponds to the width of the windows where the Tubing Acoustic ,
Tubing Pressure and Casing Pressure data will be displayed. It can be modified by typing a value
in the box.

Preview Data
Clicking the Preview button initiates data acquisition and display with the purpose of verifying that
the software and sensors are operating correctly. Data is displayed only and is NOT saved.
The signals that are illustrated in the following figure were generated manually for quality control
of the sensors.
Clicking the Stop Preview button terminates acquisition and displays the following screen:

As discussed earlier, the plunger lift operation cycle can be divided into three parts:
• Shut-in: Surface valve closed, flow shut-in, plunger falls down the tubing.
• Unloading: Surface valve open and gas stored in the casing expands to displace the
accumulated liquid and plunger to the surface.
• After-flow: Surface valve open, plunger held at surface by differential pressure from flow
of gas up the tubing. Well is producing gas. Most liquid produced from the formation
tends to fall back, accumulating at the bottom of the tubing.
Data acquisition can be initiated at any time during the cycle, but to do a complete analysis of
the system the user must acquire at least ONE COMPLETE CYCLE consisting of one valve
opening plus one valve closing or one valve closing plus one valve opening. If the user is only
interested in determining the plunger fall velocity, then acquisition must start just before the Shut-
in period and continue until the beginning of the Unloading period. The analysis of wells that
perform erratically may require acquisition of data over several cycles in order to correctly
analyze the operation.
Starting Acquisition
Clicking the Start Acquisition (F10) button, will display the incoming data in the corresponding
windows. Display will be refreshed and rescaled automatically once the time range (60 seconds)
expires so that the most current incoming data is always displayed.
Recording of the incoming data begins after the user clicks on the Start Acquisition button.
Recording continues until the Stop button is clicked.

Viewing Individual Channel Data

Incoming and past data for each of the channels can be viewed at any time by clicking the
Expand button at the upper right corner of each channel window:
such as the Tubing Acoustic data. This opens an overlay tab as shown in the following figure:
The bottom right-hand window in the Tubing Acoustic overlay tab displays the incoming data in
real time up to the time interval selected previously in the Time Range box (60 seconds in this
case). When this time has elapsed, this segment of data is transferred to the lower left-hand
window that displays the data for the immediately preceding time interval.
The upper plot, Duration window, displays the time axis label based on the user selected time
axis at the start of acquisition. All the data acquired from the beginning of the test up to the end of
the plot window on the lower left is shown in the Duration window.
Clicking the X button returns to the test in progress window so that the user can display each
additional individual incoming channel in detail by clicking the corresponding Expand button.

Annotating Data
At ANY TIME during acquisition the user may view all the data that has been recorded from the
beginning of the test by selecting the Annotations/Raw button.
This opens the Annotation Options overlay tab shown below:
TAM sets the Annotations horizontal axis scale by editing the Time label on the Filed View tab.
Valid Selection time range values are sample, sec, min, and hr.
This window also allows the user to select and mark on the record features (signals) that
correspond to specific events that occurred at the time where a marker is located. These
Annotations are very important for the subsequent analysis of the plunger operation.

Special Tools for Viewing Data
In addition to the usual full screen and close buttons at the upper right corner, the
following special tools are available at the top of the Annotations Options overlay tab:
Plot Settings Button

The user selects which data (Tubing Pressure, Casing Pressure, and Acoustic) are plotted on the
graph and whether annotation markers are included.
The check boxes Show and Line are used to select which data
are plotted and the colors to be used to display the data and the Annotations markers.
Expand Button: adjusts the display time scale to view the full recorded data.
Select Button for zooming-in

After clicking on this button, moving the pointer to any region on the traces allows selecting the
area to expand.
Click and hold the left button then drag the mouse to draw the rectangle on the area of interest for
zooming in as shown in the following figure.

The signal enclosed in the rectangle in the previous figure now occupies the whole tab.
Zoom Out Button or Zoom In Button to adjust the time interval
Clicking these buttons allow expanding or reducing in finite steps the time interval displayed in
the figure as shown above.

Scanning a Data Section
At the bottom of the Annotations Options Tab the sliding control (shown below) can be used to
scan through the data. The width of the time window is adjusted by clicking and dragging the
handles at the left and right ends of the control. The left and right arrows are used for step
movement.
Procedure for Annotating the Data during and after Acquisition
One of the principal objectives of the Annotations display is to mark and annotate the acquired
data set with comments regarding specific events that take place during the plunger lift cycle,
such as the exact time when the control valve opens or closes; the plunger starts to fall or gets
stuck in the tubing, etc.
These annotations will be very useful in analyzing the data once the test is completed. Analysis of
the data is facilitated by identifying specific events that occur during the plunger cycle. The best
time to annotate a plunger lift data set is while the data is being acquired and the key events have
just occurred and are easy to identify and select on the Tubing, Casing or Acoustic trace. Usually
annotation is done while acquiring the data but can be also done after the fact as shown in the
following sequence of figures.
Clicking the Annotations button opens the following tab that displays the data that has been
acquired corresponding to the elapsed Time Range. The vertical dashed marker is located
arbitrarily by the software.
The following is the procedure to enter annotations:
1. Drag the marker to a feature of the data that corresponds to the event to be marked.
2. Zoom in to the feature and adjust marker position as needed
3. Click on the Add button

4. Zoom in further as necessary to align marker with signal on interest

5. Use Left/Right arrows to position the marker with fine control
6. Select the appropriate annotation from the pull down Description list.
7. If the specific event is not listed, then select Custom and type in your remark.
8. Click Done button, to terminate this entry
9. Click the Expand button to view the complete record and to select the next feature to be
commented if so desired repeating from step 1.
Following is an example of entering various annotations
1. Drag the marker to a feature of the data that corresponds to the event to be marked.
The marker is aligned approximately with the increase in amplitude of the acoustic noise at about
9:47 AM

2- Zoom-in to the feature
Use the zoom tool to select the section of data to be viewed in detail
Marker is adjusted on the acoustic trace to the correct time position.
Zoom-in further as necessary to align marker with signal of interest

3 - Click on the Add button
Use Left/Right arrows to position the marker with fine control.
Annotations Options
Preset annotations are listed in the Description pull down menu. The user can enter specific
additional annotations by selecting the Custom annotation.

4 - Select the appropriate annotation from the pull down Description list.
If the specific event is not listed, then select Custom and type in your remark.
In this example the time is indicated as 1.883 minutes from the start of the test is the time where
the plunger begins the fall. The corresponding annotation is selected from the pull down menu
after zooming in for a more precise time selection:
5 - Click Done

The annotation is recorded in the Defined Annotations window.
6 - Zoom out
7 - Move marker to next feature to be annotated and then zoom in. (In this example it is the point
where the acoustic signal amplitude decreases because the plunger gets stuck and stops falling)

The marker position needs to be adjusted to the correct time where collar signals disappear.
8 - Adjust marker position and select custom annotation
9 - Type in comment

The comment indicates that the operator noticed the plunger stopping during the test at that time.
10 - Click Done

The annotation is recorded with the custom comment entered by the user.
11 - Zoom out to see all the data and the annotations that have been made so far that are labeled
A1 and A2.
Follow same procedure for additional annotations as needed.

User indicates that after some time later the plunger continued falling by entering A3
All the annotations are displayed by vertical markers in the window at the left and listed in the
window at the right.

Editing Annotations
At any time the edit button located at the upper right corner of each annotation definition window
is used to edit the selection time and annotation text.
Clicking this buttons opens the corresponding Description window for EDITING the annotation:
The left/right arrows are used to modify the time position of the marker. The description can be
modified using the pull down menu or by entering a custom comment. The annotation can be
deleted.

Closing the annotations tab displays the Field view with all the data and all the annotations
indicated by vertical dashed lines. Moving the pointer to any one of the annotation dashed marker
lines displays a thumb nail with the description of the annotation as shown in the following figure.
It is recommended that annotations be entered during acquisition to facilitate the detailed analysis
of the plunger operation.

Ending Acquisition
After acquiring plunger tracking data for the required number of cycles, the acquisition is stopped
by clicking on the Stop button. A message is displayed to verify the user’s intent.
After clicking YES, the acquired data is displayed in the Field view Tab as shown below:

Reviewing Data After Acquisition

The Field view tab presents the complete record that was acquired during the test and it is added
to the data sets previously recorded in the particular well.
Plunger Data shown in History Tab
Opening the History Tab ( F11) the data set is indicated by the dot in the PLIFT row and the
corresponding date of acquisition.
Exporting data
There are several options to export the data for saving or processing in other applications.
At the bottom left of the Field view tab clicking the Export button opens the following overlay
dialog:

Up to six of the data streams that were acquired during the plunger lift tests can be selected for
export to a file by checking the corresponding boxes. When using the [Export] button, the
exported data is over the entire time period the data was acquired.
Clicking OK opens the following dialog to enter the file name and select the folder where the file
will be saved:
By default the file type is CSV (comma separated values)
After clicking Save, the export is confirmed.

The following figure shows the result of opening the exported Bench Test.csv file data in Excel
Data can also be exported from any TAM graphical display by RIGHT clicking on the figure.
When RIGHT clicking on the figure to export data, the exported data is over the time period
displayed on the figure. This action opens the options menu as shown in the following figure:
Selecting Export Data to File opens the following dialog for the user to select where the data will
be saved. Note that the default format is a Tab delimited TEXT file:

The following figure shows the format of the exported text file:
The menu box on the graph also shows the option of Copy Image to Clipboard. Doing this
allows pasting the image into other documents such as for example into a spreadsheet as shown
in the following figure.
In the above example the data at the left was pasted into the spreadsheet by first selecting the
Copy Data to Clipboard in the options menu and then pasting it in the spreadsheet starting at
column B. Then the image was copied to clipboard and the pasted in the sheet.

Exporting TAM Data Set

Plunger data set for any well can be exported from the Utilities tab by clicking on the Export
TAM Data button:
Normally the default options are accepted to export all the data for the well (including any fluid
level records that might have been acquired)
Clicking the Export button opens the following dialog showing the name of the exported file
This file contains all the data and all the processing and analysis done by the user. It can be
transferred to and loaded into any computer running TAM Version 1.7 or higher.

This displays confirmation of the TAM export

process.
After completing the export functions described above the folder that contains the various files will
show the following:
Note that the size of the files will increase as the duration of the acquisition increases and can be
quite large especially when the sampling rate is greater than the default value of 30 Hz. When
acquiring a plunger lift data set with a sampling speed of 30Hz, then large amounts of data can
be collected; for example 92.480 minutes of data will result in 499,392 data points of tubing,
casing, and acoustic data.

ANALYSIS OF PLUNGER ACOUSTIC DATA

The following section describes in detail the procedure and tools that are used to analyze Plunger
Tracking data sets that have been acquired and saved as TAM data files. Several example data
sets are used for illustration purposes. When the TAM program is installed a data set called
Plunger_Normal Cycle is included in the Examples group and will be used to discuss the
analysis procedure. The user should open this data set and follow the procedure outlined herein.
Monitoring Plunger Operation with High Resolution Pressure & Acoustic Data
When using a digital fluid level instrument the sensitivity of the system is such that the Gas Gun
Microphone can be used to detect plunger location during the plunger fall by monitoring and
digitally recording the noise inside the tubing as a function of time. During all the field tests
recorded to date, it has been observed that an acoustic pulse is generated when the plunger falls
past a tubing collar recess. A difference in pressure exists across the plunger as it falls,
depending upon the weight and area of the plunger and other factors. This difference in pressure
above and below the plunger might be from 2 to 10 psi. The reason the plunger generates a
pressure wave is because a portion of the plunger weight is carried by the tubing collar recess as
the plunger falls through the collar. When the weight of the plunger is temporally held by the
tubing, then the pressure rapidly increases. This acoustic pulse, which is generated at the tubing
collar recess, travels through the gas to the surface and is detected by the microphone and also
by the tubing pressure transducer. These acoustic pulses are normally obtained when a plunger
falls down the tubing in a well that produces a limited amount of liquid so that the tubing interior is
relatively dry. These tubing recess pulses are monitored at the surface so that the plunger travel
is followed on a continuous basis. Therefore it is not required to periodically fire of the gas gun to
determine the position of the plunger by echo ranging and thus this method has been defined as
“passive” monitoring of the plunger position during the fall.
When the plunger enters the liquid, these acoustic pulses are generally not transmitted through
the liquid, so the acoustic noise level drops indicating that the plunger is submerged in the liquid.
In some wells it may be possible to notice acoustic pulses as the plunger falls through the liquid
(see the black trace between points [3] and [4] in the figure below). When the plunger finally rests
on bottom on the bumper spring the noise level drops again and the time when the plunger
reached bottom may be determined with certainty.
A detailed discussion of the various methods that may be used for monitoring the plunger position
during the shut-in and flow periods is found in the paper: SPE 80891,”Determining How Different
Plunger Manufacture Features Affect Plunger Fall Velocity” that may be downloaded from:
http://www.echometer.com/papers/index.html

Tubing and casing pressure are monitored simultaneously with the acoustic signals in order to be
able to identify precisely the various key events during the operation of the plunger and to
undertake calculation of the pressure distribution, as a function of time, in the tubing and
wellbore. The variation of pressure during the cycle is then used to calculate volumetric flow of
gas from the reservoir into the well and from the well to the flow line. The objective of these
calculations is to present an analysis of the performance of the plunger system in terms of gas
and liquid production per cycle in order to optimize the operation of the system.
Analysis of Plunger Data Set

The analysis procedure, illustrated in the following section, may be undertaken in the field while
additional data is being recorded but in general it requires that at least one plunger cycle be
completed.
For illustration purposed the data set Plunger_Normal Cycle that is included in the Examples
group of the TAM program will be used to discuss the analysis procedure. An additional data set
that includes multiple plunger cycles will be discussed at the end of this help document.
Field View
After opening the data set file the following Field view screen displays the information regarding
the Date and Time when the data set was created, The Begin Time and End Time of the
plunger test, the Duration of the test, the test Comments (if the user entered notes at the time
of acquisition) and the data Sampling Rate are displayed above the graph.

The graph displays all the data that was acquired during the test. The time units of the horizontal
axis (clock time by default) can be changed by clicking on the units field to display the menu with
other options as shown in the following figure:
The values of Tubing and Casing Pressure and Tubing Acoustic data for the position of the
vertical dashed marker are displayed in the corresponding fields below the graph.
The graph can be expanded to full screen size by clicking on the expand button.

The Selection time interval for data to display is controlled by using the handles in the mini strip
above the graph or alternately using the selection field to type in a time interval value. The vertical
time marker was located manually at the point (1.1546 hours elapsed) where the tubing pressure
starts to decrease after opening the valve to the flowline.

Cycle View
Clicking on the Cycles button opens the following screen that allows accessing the tabs used to
perform a detailed analysis of the plunger cycle.
Whether the user is recalling a data set or is analyzing a data set while it is still being acquired,
clicking Cycles the screen displays the series of buttons used for analysis and displays the data
in the graph at the bottom of the screen. The analysis buttons are:
• Define Cycle – Is used to select a complete plunger cycle from the data set
• Cycle Limits – Is used to mark key events during the cycle
• Plunger Fall – Is used to analyze the data in terms of plunger position and velocity vs.
time
• Gas Properties – Allows computing or entering the gas gravity
• Analysis – Gives a complete analysis of the plunger cycle
• Plots – Allows selection and display of various graphs that characterize the performance
of the Plunger Lift system
• Predicted Plunger Fall -
Normally the user will step in sequence through the tabs, from left to right, to complete the
analysis of the data and prepare a report.
The table above the buttons is used to select and display the method used for analysis of the
plunger data. Clicking the Add Cycle button fills in the first row with default values for Cycle 1

These time values for A, B, C, and Duration, will be updated by clicking the Define Cycle button
that opens the Define tab
Define Cycle Tab

The purpose of this tab is to select the key times for one complete cycle from the total
data sequence that was recorded. The cycle may start at the beginning of shut-in or at
the start of the flow period and continue until the following cycle, that is, from valve-
opens to valve-opens or from valve-closes to valve -closes.
For this data set the first recorded event corresponds to the closing of the motor valve. So the
“Cycle start with” option must be reset by clicking the Valve Close (Shut-in Begins) button.

The warning message overlay alerts the user that previous cycle selections will be deleted. This
is OK now since no selections have been made at this stage of the analysis. Clicking YES
displays the following figure.
The markers A, B and C are located arbitrarily in the figure and should be relocated by the user
to the correct times for the corresponding events. The marker is relocated initially in the vicinity of
the feature and then the zoom tool is used to refine the location.
The closing of the motor valve causes the tubing pressure to start increasing above the flowline
pressure of 140 psi so the marker is located in the vicinity of that point on the tubing pressure
trace.

The figure above shows the record after zooming in. For more precise location the Plot Settings
tool can be used to select to plot only the pressure trace using the full scale of the graph
This allows full magnification of the image as shown in the following figure. Note the increase in
tubing pressure, starting at 2.243 minutes, when the valve closes.

The next visible feature on the pressure trace is a sharp drop of about 8 psi that corresponds to
the plunger falling out of the lubricator and beginning its descent to the tubing bottom.
This is a point that normally is annotated by opening the Annotations tab and locating the A1
marker tat that point and entering a custom annotation as shown below.

After clicking Done the following figure is displayed:
The annotations marker is displayed in the Define tab after the A marker.
Similar procedures are followed to locate the B marker at the point where unloading begins. This
corresponds to the start of a drop in tubing pressure when the valve opens and outflow to the
flowline begins.

The B marker is located in the zoomed window showing the tubing pressure.
The next event to be selected is the time when the cycle terminates. In this case the time when
the flowline valve closes.
Unfortunately, in this example acquisition of the data was stopped before the valve closed. In this
case the C marker may be located at the end of the record. As recommended earlier the best
results will be obtained by acquiring data during a complete cycle from valve close to valve close
or from valve open to valve open.

The C marker was located at the end of the record.
Additional Annotations
At any time during the analysis it is possible to add new or revise existing annotations are shown
below.
The arrival of the liquid during the unloading is indicated by a sharp increase in tubing pressure.
The annotation is selected from the pull-down list.

Two annotations have been entered.
During the shut in period the plunger fall to the bottom creating echoes from the tubing collars at
a relatively constant rate. These echoes stop and a significant amplitude signal is generated
when the plunger reaches the top of the gaseous liquid column that is present above the bumper
spring as shown below:
The point is indicated as annotation A2 and is listed in the table in the correct time sequence
relative to the previously entered annotations.

Cycle Limits Tab

The purpose of this tab is to identify within the plunger cycle the times when the following four key
events take place:
During the Shut-in Period

• Plunger hits Liquid
• Plunger on Bottom
During the Unloading and Afterflow Period

• Liquid Arrives to surface
• Plunger arrives to surface
Selecting the Cycle Limits tab displays the following screen:
The intervals A to B and B to C correspond to the intervals that were previously identified in the
Define Cycle tab. Therefore it is important to verify that these cycles were identified correctly.
Note that at this point the marker [1] is located arbitrarily by the software. The next section
describes the procedure to follow in order to associate the markers with the times that correspond
to the four key events.

Since some of the key events were previously annotated, the first step is to display the annotated
times onto the signal traces by pulling down the annotations menu as shown in the following
figure.
If these events had not been annotated then the cursor would be used to point and click on the
specific events on the traces as it will be described later.
Using the pull down menu, the annotation that corresponds to marker [1] is selected and applied
to the marker. After clicking on the Apply to Marker button, the [1] marker is located at the
correct time.

Selecting the Marker [2] that indicates the time when the plunger is on bottom, which is one of
the previously annotated times, so again we can apply the annotation to the marker as done
previously by clicking the Apply to Marker button and the Marker [2] is relocated to the
corresponding time:

Highlighting the Acoustic and Pressure Signals – Plot Settings
The selection of the times for the [1] and [2] markers is based on the amplitude of the
acoustic signal. If these events have not been annotated previously, it may be more
convenient to highlight the acoustic signal and use the zoom feature in order to verify
that the events are marked correctly.
The Plot Settings button is used to display only the acoustic and the tubing pressure
signals to view the recorded data in greater detail.

Key events during the Unloading and Afterflow period include the arrival of the liquid to the
surface and the arrival of the plunger. These events are generally apparent both on the pressure
and the acoustic signal and are characterized by rapid changes in amplitude and slope of the
traces.
Since these events were annotated previously they are selected in the annotations pull down
menu and applied to the markers. Using the select tool and the zoom handles, the signal is
amplified so that the correct position of the marker is accurately positioned at the time when the
liquid arrives [3] and the plunger arrives [4] at the surface.
This liquid arrival is characterized by an increase of the tubing pressure and the detection of
significant noise amplitude on the acoustic signal. The left and right arrows near the Apply to
Marker button at the bottom right of the screen, are used for refining the position of the marker
and to read the precise values of the signals.
The last key event to be identified is the arrival of the plunger at the surface. If there is liquid in
the tubing above the plunger, then the time when the plunger arrives in the lubricator occurs at
the point of peak tubing pressure while the motor valve is open. If liquid is above the plunger, the
pressure spike always occurs and once the plunger arrives in the lubricator the tubing pressure
rapidly drops as only gas is released into the surface flow line. If there is no liquid above the
plunger, there may be a short duration slight increase in tubing pressure and a sharp noise on the
acoustic data. This completes the definition of the Cycle Limits with the markers 1, 2, 3 and 4
located on the records.

The next step is to analyze the signal to define the plunger fall velocity by selecting the Plunger
Fall tab.
Plunger Fall Tab

The function of this tab is to analyze how fast the plunger falls to the bottom (or determine if it
does not fall to the bottom) during the shut-in period and obtain the speed and depth of the
plunger as a function of time. When the acoustic signals generated by the plunger as it falls past
the tubing couplings are clearly visible on the record, then the software is used to identify and
record the time of occurrence of each acoustic pulse and count all the tubing joints that the
plunger has traversed. Using this information the software computes the plunger fall velocity and
generates a graph of the position of the plunger and plunger velocity vs. time.
Selecting the Plunger Fall tab displays the acoustic signal beginning at the previously selected
marker that corresponds to the time when the control valve closes (Shut-in Begins) and draws a
cursor located near the center of the graph.
The first signal in trace corresponds to the time (2.667 sec.) when the plunger is released from
the wellhead and begins its fall inside the tubing.

The user is required to scan the totality of the signal and identify all the pulses that correspond to
the plunger falling past the tubing collars. This selection process is facilitated by the software and
may be undertaken manually or automatically after the software has been “trained” to properly
identify these signals. The traces displayed on the Plunger Fall tab can be selected by the user
with the Plot Settings button as discussed earlier.
Plunger Fall Analysis Procedure

The first signal is identified as the start of the plunger fall, by moving the pointer to the beginning
of the vertical rise and left-clicking. This action relocates the marker to that point:
Clicking the Add Collar button enters this record in the plunger fall table at the lower left of the
screen as seen in the figure below and moves the marker to the next signal:
This process is repeated by clicking on the second echo signal that corresponds to the plunger
falling past the next tubing collar:

and clicking on the Add Collar button, to enter the data in the plunger fall table:

At this point, as displayed in the table at the lower left, the user has identified the time when the
plunger started falling ( labeled C0 at 9:13:00) and the time when the plunger reached the first
tubing collar ( labeled C1 at 9:13:08 AM). Using the average joint length of 32.2 feet/joint, that
was entered in the well file; the software computes that the initial velocity of the plunger was
(-238.52) ft/min at a depth of 32.2 feet. (Negative sign indicates falling).
The next collar signal is then identified by clicking on the trace, recording its time with the Add
button labels the collar C2, plus updates its corresponding velocity and depth to the table.
Software Training
The tubing collar identification process is repeated again, but now that the first two collars have
been identified, the software has been TRAINED to look for the next large amplitude signal within
a time interval that corresponds to 1.5 times the interval between the two previous collar signals.
In this instance, after clicking the Add button the marker jumps automatically to the location of the
next collar signal. Generally the user does not have to reposition or adjust the marker and simply
continues to click on the Add button to identify the subsequent collars.
Four collars have been identified and the marker has jumped to the fifth signal but does not seem
to be properly aligned with the stat of the signal:
Whenever the automatic flagging of the collar signal does not seem to be quite right, the position
of the marker can be fine-tuned using the left/right arrows at the bottom left of the graph.

This manual mode of collar selection may be continued until the end of the plunger fall interval
but collar identification may also be completed automatically as described later.
The following figure shows the result of the process after 100 collars have been identified. Note
that in the lower left table only the last two points in the data section being displayed are listed.
The slider with up/down arrows on the right allows reviewing all the points in the table.
In the lower right corner, the graph displays the position and plunger velocity vs time that
correspond to the movement of the plunger past the collars previously identified:
The graph is expanded to full size by clicking on the expand button.
Velocity and Depth Graph
This graph may be used for quality control of the analysis process since it represents the position
of the plunger and its instantaneous velocity up to the point of analysis.
The plunger depth should increase smoothly as a function of time. Although there seems to be
significant noise on the plunger velocity trace, note that the left vertical scale is amplified and that
the general trend of the velocity is to consistently decrease as time (plunger depth) increases.
Significant deviations from these trends would be an indication that the identification of the collar
signals should be reviewed and verified.

For example
The horizontal dashed line shows the depth to the “Bottom of Tubing – 7773 Ft.” and shows the
depth of the plunger when “Plunger Hits Liquid – 7302 ft”. The Invert Velocity Axis button allows
inverting the Plunger Fall Velocity axis.
Plunger fall velocities that seem to deviate from the general trend are easily identified on the trace
and the corresponding collar reflections can be examined in more detail on the acoustic trace by
clicking the point of interest on the velocity graph. The marker on the Plunger Fall tab
switches to the specific collar signal in the center of the plunger fall tab:
To make adjustments, the zoom tool can be used to expand the graph and verify or adjust the
position of the marker:

Auto Select Collars
Any time after the first several collars have been identified and the software has been trained so
that the user notices that it consistently picks the next collar signal when clicking the Add button,
then the process may be completed by clicking the Auto Select button. This forces the software
to automatically complete the collar echo selection until the time that has been marked [1] as
Plunger Hits Liquid:
The figure above shows that the automatic process has been completed and a total of 226 collars
have been counted when the plunger hit the liquid. This time also corresponds to a depth of 7277
feet, based on the average tubing joint length entered in the well data file.
At the lower left of the figure is a summary table that gives the average plunger fall velocities in
the gas and in the liquid.

The inset graph at the bottom right is expanded by clicking on the expand button.
Plunger Fall Utilities
Since the position of the plunger during the cycle is an important aspect of plunger lift
optimization, the program provides the following utilities for reporting this information.
Print
Right Clicking on the graph opens the menu to send the graph of Plunger Velocity and
Plunger Depth vs. Time, to the current default printer. The image can also be copied to
the clipboard or the data exported to a file.
Data Export
Clicking on the Data Export button at the bottom right of the display, opens the following
dialog to select the spreadsheet data format and the directory where the data will be
exported.

Exporting Plunger Fall Analysis
The data displayed in the plunger fall tab can be exported for additional processing and analysis.
The folder where the file is saved is selected by clicking on the browse button and selecting or
creating the appropriate folder as shown in the next figure:
Enter the name of the file where the fall data will be saved:
Clicking Save displays the message:
Importing Plunger Fall Data to a Spreadsheet
The corresponding file in text format is selected from the folder where it was saved and an
appropriate application Is used to display the data.

The user should verify that the data is properly subdivided into columns.
Finally the user may create his own graphical representation of the plunger fall velocity and
plunger depth as shown above.
The collar signal selection process may be terminated and re-initialized from the beginning by
clicking on the Remove All button at the middle center of the screen.
This completes the Plunger Fall interpretation and data verification. Generally the user continues
to the Gas Properties Tab.

Gas Properties Tab

The purpose of this tab, displayed in the following figure, is to define the specific gravity of the
gas that is being produced in order to accurately calculate the pressure distribution in the tubing
and casing and to undertake calculations of volumetric rates of gas influx from the reservoir
during the plunger cycle.
At a certain pressure and temperature the acoustic velocity in a gas is directly related to its
specific gravity. The software uses this relationship to determine the gas gravity when the
acoustic velocity in the gas has been computed. A direct estimate of acoustic velocity may be
made by shooting the liquid level in the tubing during the shut-in period. The corresponding value
of the gas gravity is computed and recorded by the TAM program and may be recalled by the
plunger lift application. However, very often this is not necessary since acoustic velocity in the
tubing gas can also be computed by analyzing in more detail the signals generated by the
plunger as it falls past the tubing collars.
In the Plunger Tracking application the gas gravity may be determined in various ways:
• A value computed from the acoustic signals recorded during the plunger fall.
This is the default option already selected by the check box “Determine Gas Specific Gravity by
Selecting Echo Repeats” in the figure above.
• A measured value determined from testing a gas sample taken at the wellhead
• A computed value based on composition of a gas sample taken at the wellhead
The user should be aware that the properties of gas sampled at the sales line or even at the
separator, generally are not representative of the properties of the gas within the annulus or the
tubing. Therefore the best estimate of the gas gravity will be obtained from measurements within
the well or from a sample taken at the wellhead.
• A value previously determined from acoustic measurements in the well
Each option is discussed in detail in the following pages.

Enter Gas Specific Gravity, Compositional Analysis, or Acoustic Velocity
Entering the Gas Properties tab display the following screen with the option of entering the
Acoustic Velocity already selected as the default option:
The average gas gravity is determined by TAM as 0.75 from the acoustic velocity entered by the
user.
For the calculation of the gas gravity, the program uses an equation of state that relates these
gas properties as a function of pressure and temperature.
The user enters a known value of the gas specific gravity such as 0.88 and a value of the
average pressure 262.2 psi and TAM displays the corresponding acoustic velocity of 1135 ft/sec
The program will use the entered gas gravity of 0.88 in all subsequent calculations of wellbore
pressure and gas volumes. If known concentrations of non-hydrocarbon gases are present they
should be entered in the corresponding fields.

An additional choice is to enter the composition of the gas determined from a representative gas
sample taken at the wellhead:
The program computes the gas gravity from the gas composition. When Done is clicked the
program displays the computed gravity and acoustic velocity for the specified pressure and
temperature.
Retrieve Gas Gravity from Previous Acoustic Test

In some cases, due to the noise level in the wellbore or other plunger characteristics, it may not
be possible to identify collar echoes or the multiple reflection signals in the plunger fall tab. The
user then should retrieve the gas gravity that was computed from the acoustic velocity when a
conventional fluid level survey was done in the tubing during the shut-in period.
In wells where acoustic fluid level records have been previously acquired, either in the annulus or
the tubing, the gas gravity has been estimated based on those measurements and can be
selected to be used in the plunger calculations.
Clicking the option “Retrieve Gas Gravity from Previous Acoustic Test” opens the liquid level
history record for selecting the particular record to be used by double clicking on the record. The
gas gravity corresponding to that measurement is displayed:

If an acoustic test was not taken in conjunction with the plunger data, then an earlier test done on
the same well or a similar well in the same field and producing from the same formations may be
selected from the Acoustic History tab.
Determine Gas Specific Gravity by Selecting Echo Repeats
The acoustic pulse that is generated when the plunger falls past a collar propagates, via the gas
in the tubing above the plunger, to the wellhead (where it is detected by the microphone) and
then is reflected back down through the gas until it reaches the top of the plunger and is reflected
back to the surface where the microphone detects it as a first echo. Since the acoustic velocity in
the gas is of the order of 900 to 1400 feet/second and the plunger velocity is much slower, of the
order of 200-1000 feet/minute (3.3 to 16 feet/second), the plunger has not fallen an additional
significant distance by the time the acoustic pulse catches up and is reflected again back to the
microphone. This multiple reflection process is repeated several times before the plunger reaches
the next collar.
This effect is clearly seen in the following figure where the signal generated by the plunger as it
passes by the 31st and 32nd collars is displayed in detail:
A series of five echoes are recorded that correspond to the multiple reflections of the acoustic
signal traveling from the plunger to the wellhead and back to the plunger. Since the program has
calculated that the plunger is just past the 31st collar, the distance between the wellhead and the
plunger is known and the acoustic velocity is computed from the two-way interval time and the
distance to the plunger.

This is the default calculation that is automatically selected when first opening the Gas
Properties tab:
By scanning through the acoustic signal using the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the
graph until finding collar signals where it is possible to identify multiple echoes from the top of the
plunger. Notice that the vertical scale is adjusted automatically to present the signal with sufficient
resolution to be able to identify the echoes.
For example above, the signals for collars C27 and C31 show clearly the multiple reflections. Any
one of these signals could be selected for the velocity calculation.
In this example the first echo after C27 is selected by locating the pointer on that signal and left-
clicking:
After selecting the echo, the point is entered in the data table by clicking on the Add button:
and the acoustic velocity (1265 ft/second) and the gas gravity (0.74757) are computed and
displayed at the bottom of the tab.

The process may be repeated several times using different portions of the signal (for example the
echo from collar C96), in order to estimate the gas gravity at various depths in the wellbore. Each
value will be entered in the pull-down list as shown below:
Note that for subsequent plunger lift calculations, the program will use the average of computed
values of the gas gravity.

Cycle Analysis Tab

This tab provides a complete analysis of the plunger cycle and a detailed summary of the
pressures and volumes flowing into and out of the well as a function of the plunger position.
As the display of the position of the plunger changes when the user steps through the cycle using
the Slider control or the Auto Step button, the computed values of parameters that are
dependent on elapsed time are automatically updated.
At the top is a slider control that is used to step through the complete plunger cycle.
In the center is a schematic diagram of the wellbore indicating the instantaneous Operational
Cycle and the results of flow and pressure calculations at various stages of the cycle.
On the right are several blocks containing data about the well's performance, fluid data and
reservoir parameters.
The wellbore schematic shows the position of the plunger as well as the position of the tubing
intake in relation to the formation depth.
As the display of the position of the plunger changes when the user steps through the cycle using
the slider or the Auto Step button, the computed values of parameters that are dependent on
elapsed time are automatically updated.
The following parameters are displayed around the wellbore diagram and are labeled as
follows:
Operational Cycle: This indicates the section of the plunger lift cycle that is being displayed
depending on the previous analysis. The possible values are:
• Shut-in
• Unloading
• Afterflow
depending on the position of the slider as controlled by user.

Surface Pressure
Tubing: This is the tubing head pressure measured automatically by the Well Analyzer during the
cycle.
Casing: This is the casing head pressure measured automatically by the Well Analyzer during
the cycle.
Tubing Pressure Buildup:
psi/min: This is the rate of change in tubing head pressure as a function of time when the
motor valve is closed, expressed in psi per minute.
%Liquid: Is the computed percentage liquid in the gaseous liquid column at the bottom of
the tubing.
Gaseous Liquid Level: is the depth to the top of the gaseous liquid column at the bottom
of the tubing.
Liquid at Bottom of Tubing ( Gas Free):
Is the measured height (ft) to the top of an equivalent gas-free column of liquid at the bottom of
the tubing and is also expressed as volume of liquid in Bbl.
Liquid Production:
Volume of Liquid produced per cycle, Bbl/cycle
Equivalent daily production, Bbl/day
On the right side of the wellbore are listed:
Gas Flow
Displays the instantaneous flow rates of gas in Mscf/D, or cumulative volumes, calculated
from various material balances in the annulus and the tubing at the time corresponding to
the displayed plunger position.
Formation: gas rate of flow from the formation

Casing: gas rate of flow from the casing
Tubing Effect: gas rate of flow from the tubing
Flow Line: gas rate of flow from the well into the flowline
Wellbore
Plunger Depth: depth of the plunger corresponding to position of the slider

Plunger Velocity: velocity of the plunger corresponding to position of the slider
Tubing Intake MD: is the measured depth to the bottom of the tubing.
Formation MD: This is the measured depth, as entered in the well data screen, at which the
program will calculate the PBHP pressure.
PBHP: Instantaneous producing BHP

Tubing Intake Press.: Instantaneous pressure at the tubing intake.

Playback Tools
The necessary controls for replaying the plunger cycle
The timeline shows the sequence of operational steps (color coded), the time (hh:mm:ss) when
the plunger cycle started and when it ended as well as the start time of each operation. The
duration (mm:ss) of each operational step is also displayed.
The slider bar allows the operator to move through the plunger cycle to display the position of the
plunger and view the variation of the flow and pressure variables. The slider may be controlled in
three ways:
1. clicking on the right and left arrows at each end of the slider
2. pointing and dragging the slider control
3. clicking on the Playback control
The Step Increment is defaulted to 60 seconds/step and may be changed by the user to a more
convenient value by entering a different step in seconds. The smallest increment is limited to 1
second which, for the default sampling rate of 30/sec, is the average of 30 samples for each
variable being displayed. Echometer recommends that initially the user look at the data at a step
increment of 60 seconds. If a more detailed investigation is required an increment of 5 seconds is
usually the best time step for display of the plunger lift data.
Viewing the Plunger Cycle
The slider control is used to step through the plunger cycle in order to analyze in detail
the position of the plunger and determine the overall performance of the well.
Shut-in
The analysis begins either at the beginning of the Shut-in period (motor valve closes) or
at the start of the Unloading period (motor valve opens). The time corresponding to the
start of the analysis is set by the user in the Select Cycle tab, as discussed in section
13.233.

The figure above shows the conditions during the Shut-in cycle when the plunger has fallen
about three quarters of the way to the bottom of the tubing.
Note that the Flow Line gas flow is zero and both casing and tubing pressure are increasing. The
plunger is at depth of 5390 feet and is falling at 143 ft/min.
The following figure shows the conditions during the Shut-in cycle when the plunger has fallen to
the top of the liquid accumulated at the bottom of the tubing:
The plunger is at a depth of 7399 ft and has slowed down to a speed of -100 ft/min. Casing and
tubing pressures are still increasing. Gas is flowing into the well from the formation at a rate of
112.23 MSCF/D.

The following figure shows the conditions during the Shut-in cycle when the plunger has fallen to
the bottom of the tubing:
The plunger is at a depth of 7773 ft and its velocity is zero.

Unloading
The following figure shows the conditions during the Unloading cycle when the plunger is rising
in the tubing and displaces the liquid that had accumulated at the bottom.
The plunger is at 5108 feet and is rising at an average speed of 677 ft/min and is pushing liquid to
the surface. Gas is flowing to the flow line at a rate of 640 MSCF/D.
The following figure shows the conditions during the start of the After-Flow cycle when the
plunger is at the top of the tubing , the liquid that was above the plunger has been displaced into
the flow line and gas and some liquid start to flow past the plunger that is held in the lubricator.
After the initial liquid slug is produced, small amounts of liquid may continue to be produced for
some time during the afterflow period if the gas flow is sufficient to equal or exceed the Critical
Gas Flow Rate ( from Turner or other criterion) that is required to transport the liquid to the
surface. Otherwise the liquid in the tubing falls back to the bottom and only gas will flow through
the open motor valve.

The plunger is at zero depth and its velocity is zero.
After Flow
The following figure shows the conditions at the end of the After Flow cycle before the motor
valve closes:
Gas is still flowing to the flow line.

Making a Movie of the Plunger Cycle

The playback of the plunger cycle can be exported as a movie file of format mp4 that can be e-
mailed to interested people that do not have the TAM software to be able to review the results of
the plunger test. The movie file can be replayed using video software available for most
computers.
The make video button at the top left of the Cycle Analysis tab is clicked to initiate the movie
making process:
The following tab is displayed for the user to select which portion of the cycle should be used to
make the movie. Drag the slider controls to the specific time interval to be included or select the
whole test.
Clicking the Make Movie button displays a dialog to select where the movie file will be saved
The default file name will consist of the name of the well and the date when the plunger tracking
test was performed but the user can modify the name if desired.

When the movie file generation is completed the following tab is displayed:
Selecting the option “Show Movie in Folder” opens the following screen:

Analysis Plots
Occasionally it is necessary to study in more detail the plunger performance to identify problems
that may not be apparent from the usual analysis of the plunger cycle. The TAM program
provides the user with the possibility to plot a large number of diagnostic graphs that may be
helpful in further analysis. This is the purpose of the Analysis Plots Tab
Two variables may each be plotted as a function of time on two separate graphs. The numeric
values of the two variables are displayed in the boxes at the lower right, for the time
corresponding to the position of the vertical indicator which is moved by the user with the Left
and Right buttons or directly positioned by dragging with the mouse.
The variables to be plotted on the two vertical axes are selected from the pull down menus that
are opened by clicking on the buttons at the right and left of each graph vertical axes.
Vertical Scale Option
When plotting two variables of the same type, such as pressures, the user has the option of using
independent vertical scales as shown in the lower graph, or a common scale as shown in the
upper graph. The common vertical scale is selected using the check box labeled “ Base Right
Axis Data off Left Axis”.

Plots can be viewed in great detail for all the recorded data and computed values, using the Time
Range feature to enter the width of the time window..
The plot’s Step Size variable for the time horizontal axis is set by entering the desired value in
the corresponding field. This value controls the number of points that are used in generating the
graph. In the example above the plot interval has been set to 10 second.

The smallest increment is limited to 1 second which, for the default sampling rate of 30/sec, is the
average of 30 samples for each variable being displayed. Echometer recommends that initially
the user look at the data at a step increment of 60 seconds. If a more detailed investigation is
required an increment of 5 seconds is usually the best time step for display of the plunger lift
data.
Analysis plots can be printed as part of the Plunger Report.
Exporting Plot Data
The Export Button allows saving a text file containing whatever data is of interest for further
processing in a spreadsheet program. Clicking on this button displays a menu for selection of the
variables to be exported:

The Select All and Clear All buttons are used for global selection. Individual variables are
generally chosen by clicking on the corresponding check boxes.
Clicking OK opens a dialog to select the folder where the file will be saved and requires entering
the name and selecting type of the file from the pull down menu:
After the export is completed the following message is displayed:
Opening the folder where the data was exported lists the corresponding file:

The comma separated file is opened with any spreadsheet application
Predicted Plunger Fall Tab

This tab allows determination of the plunger fall velocity as a function of the density of the gas in
the tubing. Published fall velocity for a plunger type are NOT accurate, because fall velocity is
significantly impacted by gas density as shown by the following relation:
Where V is the plunger fall velocity in ft/min

and ρ is the gas density in lb/cu. Ft.
C is the Echometer Plunger Fall Coefficient that is applicable to the specific well and plunger
combination. Once the coefficient C has been established then the gas density corresponding to
different operating pressure and temperature is used to predict the plunger fall velocity through
the gas as a function of depth in the tubing
Changing the Plunger Cycle parameters impacts operating pressure and the model calculates the
new velocity to determine the change in time required for the plunger to fall to bottom during shut-
in.
Predicting an accurate fall velocity will ensure the plunger will reach bottom by the end of the
Shut-in Period.

The red curve can be fitted to the data points by selecting a particular section of the wellbore as
indicated by the collar number. Clicking on a specific data point in the figure automatically
recomputes the coefficient C and displays the overlay curve on the graph.
When there is a mismatch between the predicted plunger fall velocity and the measured fall
velocity it is possible that this is caused by a varying gas velocity during the plunger fall. This
possibility is verified by checking the box labeled “Adjust Predicted Plunger Fall by Gas Velocity”.
As shown in the following figure.
The adjusted velocity is fairly constant about 160 ft/min indicating that the measured variation in
fall speed is primarily caused by fluctuation of the gas flow.

Plunger Tracking Reports

As in other TAM applications the reports can be customized and annotated by the user.
Printing, e-mailing, saving as pdf files and resizing are selected by clicking the buttons at
the top left of the screen.
Personalization via the Settings button includes adding a logo and the user’s addresses
and the option of including special notes.

Additional Comments
In each report page the user can add comments in the window at the bottom right of the
page by clicking on the Modify link to open the following tab where typing is allowed:
After closing the tab the comment is displayed in the report page and can be edited as
necessary reusing the Modify link:

Following are typical sections of the plunger analysis report when all the tabs are to be
included:

When multiple analysis plots are to be

included in the report they must be generated separately.
The comments at the bottom left window of the Analysis Plots reports are edited in the
Test Info window as shown above..

Special Examples
Following are brief discussions of some plunger tracking data that illustrate special features of the
TAM software.
Example 1 Multiple Cycles for Troubleshooting Plunger Operation

When troubleshooting a well looking for a problem or to acquire detailed performance
information to optimize operations it is necessary to acquire plunger operation over
multiple cycles. The TAM software has the ability to continuously acquire Plunger Lift
data for 3 days or longer. By continuously collecting plunger lift data during a long term
test, then we expect to capture a cycle exhibiting the problem. An application for this
would be to set the Echometer Plunger Tracking system on a problem well and acquire
data over the weekend.
Comparing 2 or more cycles should provide the same results as long as all is operating
normally. If one cycle begins with Valve Open and the same shut-in potion of the cycle is
included in Valve Closed analysis, then the calculated results should be almost identical.
Hardware Setup for Long Term Acquisition

The TAM program acquired data continuously overnight. The Lithium Batteries in the
Wireless Pressure Transducer and Wireless Remote fire gas gun allow the user to
continuously acquire data for 12-13 hours. The Lead Acid battery (normally used in the
Echometer model D fluid level recorder) adds 24 hours to the acquisition time. A deep
cycle marine 12V battery appears to allow a sensor to acquire data continuously for 7+
days.
Normally sensors should be enclosed in a plastic bag closed with duct tape to protect
from weather. The Laptop, battery, USB laptop fan Cooler, and base station are
enclosed inside a weather proof box and locked to the well.
If TAM software were to crash the Plunger lift data is being saved every 5 minutes, so
even during a long term test the user should not lose more that the last 5 minutes of data
acquisition prior to the system shutting off or crashing.
An external battery is required to power the laptop as shown in the following figures. The
sensor’s batteries allow continuous operation for up to 12 hours without external
additional power.

Field installation of the sensors and recording equipment for long term data acquisition.

Plunger Tracking for 20 Hours
The following Field View tab shows that in this well the individual plunger cycles were repeated
with minor differences during the duration of the test:
Two cycles are selected arbitrarily for detailed analysis, the first selected below starts with the
opening of the motor valve through the end of the shut in period and is labeled Cycle 1:

The second cycle starts with the closing of the motor valve and continues until the end of the flow
period and is labeled Cycle 2:
Analysis of Cycle 1 – Valve Open

Following are the screens that illustrate the steps followed to analyze the first cycle
1) Define cycle
Approximate location of A, B and C points

Use the zoom tool to refine position of points A, B and C
Final location of A, B and C points.

2) The Cycle limits are selected
The increase in acoustic signal during unloading corresponds to the arrival of the liquid
(1) followed by a decrease in amplitude after the plunger arrives (2) and the gas afterflow
begins. This is followed by a gradual decrease of the tubing pressure as the gas flow rate
declines.
Use the Plot settings tool to display the Acoustic signals to refine the selection of the
plunger falling to the liquid and reaching bottom.

In this data set, acoustic signals were recorded both in the tubing and in the casing.
Zooming in to the approximate location and selecting the point of interest.
The time when the plunger reaches the liquid (3) is marked by an increase in the acoustic
noise followed by quieting down as the plunger falls through the liquid column.
Amplifying and zooming in on the acoustic record indicates that the arrival of the plunger
at the bottom of the tubing (4) can be observed as a sharp pulse both on the tubing and
casing acoustic record as shown in the following figure.

The pulse caused by the plunger reaching the bumper spring is seen clearly in the tubing
record (gray trace) and the casing acoustic record (red trace) and marker 4 can be
relocated with precision.
This completes the procedure for accurately setting the cycle limits.

3) Plunger Fall Velocity determination
Opening the Plunger Fall Tab the vertical marker is displayed arbitrarily in the middle of
the screen and must be relocated at the start of the plunger fall
Marker located at start of plunger fall when the motor valve closes.
Click Add Collar then click on signal from first tubing coupling and click Add Collar
Repeat for several collar echoes and then click on Auto Select to have the program pick the
remaining collar echoes to the time when the plunger reaches the bumper spring.

All collar echoes have been identified to the time when the plunger hits the liquid at the bottom of
the tubing. Expanding the graph displays the following figure:
The plunger fall velocity that is displayed as -242.62 ft/min corresponds to the last recorded point.
The marker can be placed on any one of the points in the graph and the corresponding value will
be displayed as shown in the following figure:

The corresponding collar echo is highlighted in the upper figure and in the table where the
velocity at that time in the fall is computed as 193.28 ft/min. At the bottom left the average value
of the plunger velocity in the gas is displayed as 196.74 ft/min and in liquid as 131.29 ft/min.
4) Determination of Gas Properties
Opening the Gas Properties tab the default method for determination of the acoustic velocity and
gas gravity is selected and the acoustic trace is displayed. Using the right scanning control ->>
the window is displaced to a point where the multiple echoes from the collar pulses are clearly
visible.
In the window above one could select collar C32 or collar C34 or collar C35 by pointing and
clicking. Using C34 and clicking Done displays and acoustic velocity of 1033 ft/sec and a
corresponding gas gravity of 0.91.
Values will vary depending on the particular collar echoes selected so that a representative
average should be determined by looking at repeat echoes in various sections of the plunger fall
record as shown in the following figure.

The computed values are displayed in the pull down menu and their corresponding average is
shown at the bottom of the figure as 1253.9 ft/sec and 0.72375 sg.
This completes the sequence of steps involved in the analysis of the selected cycle. Upon closing
this tab the Cycles tab is displayed so that a different cycle may be analyzed or the analysis of
the current cycle is displayed by clicking on the Analysis button.

Analyze Tab
As discussed earlier this tab allows replaying the plunger cycle and investigating the performance
of the system.
Analysis Plots
Casing Pressure, Tubing Pressure, Plunger Position and Plunger Velocity vs. time are displayed
in this example. Other plots can be generated as needed.

Predicted Plunger Fall
The predicted plunger fall coefficient average C is computed as 194.3

Reports for Cycle 1

Analysis of Cycle 2
For illustration purposes a second cycle was selected arbitrarily using an interval from the
Closing of the motor Valve through the end of the after flow period.
Define Cycle Tab

Cycle Limits Tab
Plunger Fall Tab

Velocity and Depth Graph
Gas Properties Tab

Cycle 2 Analysis Tab
Cycle begins with valve shut-in and plunger fall and terminates at the end of the After
Flow period.
Comparison of Plunger Performance in 2 cycles.
In this well the plunger performance seems very repeatable from cycle to cycle. For
example the duration of Cycle 1 was 1:05:13 while Cycle 2 lasted 1:05:30.
One possible question could be whether the plunger fall velocity was significantly
different. By exporting the plunger fall data to a spreadsheet a direct comparison can be
done by plotting the velocity of the plunger as a function of depth as shown in the
following figure.

Minor random differences are noticed but some of the features are repeatable perhaps indicating
some rough spots in the tubing.
As discussed earlier many variables may be exported and additional comparison graphs may be
created
Plunger position vs. time Tubing and Casing Pressures

Example 2 - Plunger Well with Tubing Check Valve – Dual Pad Plunger
The following data was acquired with a wired Well Analyzer and later imported to TAM for
analysis
Field Data
Cycle TAB
One complete cycle is selected from the closing of the motor valve through the end of the after
flow period.

Shut-in Period
Several interesting features on the pressure and fall velocity curves should be noted in this well
during the Shut-in cycle that are related to the type of fluid entering the tubing through the check
valve located at the bottom of the tubing string.
Zooming in to the plunger fall and viewing the tubing pressure and the plunger fall velocity shows
that the plunger velocity and tubing pressure behavior changes significantly over the time of the
fall.
Flow through SV affects Plunger Fall Velocity
Considering the presence of the check valve the fall trajectory can be divided in sections where
the flow of fluids through the valve controls the plunger behavior as shown in the following figure.

While the plunger is falling through gas its downward velocity is related to whether only gas is
entering the tubing so that the check valve is continually open or a mixture of gas and liquid that
causes the check valve to alternately open and close.
Zooming in to the section where both gas and liquid flow through the check valve shows how the
plunger fall velocity decreases when the ball is off-seat and gas flows up the tubing and the
velocity decreases when the ball is on seat.
When tubing pressure vs. time is flat then the SV is on seat and gas does not enter the tubing.
then the plunger velocity increases by ~ 68 ft/min. When the SV opens and gas and liquid enter
the tubing the plunger velocity decreases by about the same value.

The following figure is an overlay of the computed tubing gas flow rate (brown) and the plunger
fall velocity (green) as a function of time that verifies the correlation between the two variables.
This last example illustrates the power of the TAM software in terms of detailed analysis of the
performance of plunger wells.

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TOTAL ASSET MONITORING

DCN: QAD 5000-47 PN: MS-1876

OBJECTIVES OF THE TAM SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 6

TAM APPLICATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 6

ACOUSTIC WELL SURVEYS ........................................................................................................ 6

PLUNGER LIFT APPLICATIONS................................................................................................... 7

Plunger Lift Operation Cycle ........................................................................................................ 7

Creating Plunger Lift Well Data File ............................................................................................ 9

PLUNGER LIFT DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE ................................................................... 20

Hardware Configuration .............................................................................................................. 20

Wireless Acquisition System ..................................................................................................... 21

Wired Acquisition with Well Analyzer System ......................................................................... 27

ECHOMETER Co. 2 4/26/2018

Hardware Setup ......................................................................................................................... 27

ANALYSIS OF PLUNGER ACOUSTIC DATA ............................................................................. 56

Analysis of Plunger Data Set ...................................................................................................... 57

ECHOMETER Co. 3 4/26/2018

Special Examples ...................................................................................................................... 109

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LICENSE AND USE AGREEMENT FOR ECHOMETER TAM SOFTWARE AND

4. THIS SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED AS IS, AND ECHOMETER

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OBJECTIVES OF THE TAM SYSTEM

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PLUNGER LIFT APPLICATIONS

A plunger lift survey answers the following well performance questions:

• Where is the plunger? On bottom? In or above liquid? Surface?

Plunger Lift Operation Cycle

1-The Shut-in Period

2-The Unloading period

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3-The Afterflow period

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Creating Plunger Lift Well Data File

Type the well name and enter or select the

After clicking Create, the well configuration tab is displayed:

and the Basic Plunger Lift template is selected.

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Plunger Lift Well – Quick View of Data Fields

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Plunger Lift Well – Detailed View of Data Fields

Well Conditions Tab

Well Production Data:

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* GAS GR: The gas specific gravity relative to air

%CO2, %N2, %H2S : percentage of non-hydrocarbon gases that are present in

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Mechanical Wellbore Tab

Tubing and Casing Descriptions

Note that both tapered tubing and casing are allowed.

TUBING top and bottom measured depths, OD and weight.

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Lift System Tab

The surface equipment data is entered in the following tab:

Plunger Controller Settings

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Wellbore Survey Tab

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Producing Intervals Tab

* STATIC BHP Enter the corresponding static reservoir pressure (SBHP).

* STATIC BHP DATE The date when SBHP was obtained.

Depth for BHP Calc

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