Plunger lift
Encyclopedia
A plunger lift is an artificial lift
method of deliquifying a natural gas well
. A plunger
is used to remove contaminants from productive natural gas
wells, such as water (in liquid, mist, or ice forms), sand, oil and wax.
The basics of the plunger is to open and close the well shutoff valve at the optimum times, to bring up the plunger and the contaminants and maximize natural gas production. A well without a deliquification technique will stop flowing or slow down and become a non-productive well, long before a properly deliquified well.
The plunger lift has low energy cost, low environmental impact, low capital investment
and low maintenance cost. Modern wellhead controllers offer a variety of criteria to control the plunger
. The original controllers were just timers, with fixed open and close cycles.
Measuring the various pressures in the system allows intelligent and reactive control. The pressures often measured are casing, tubing, line, and differential (DP). The other items measured are plunger arrival times, flow rates, temperature
s and status of various auxiliary equipment: oil tank level, compressor
status.
Artificial lift
Artificial lift refers to the use of artificial means to increase the flow of liquids, such as crude oil or water, from a production well. Generally this is achieved by the use of a mechanical device inside the well or by decreasing the weight of the hydrostatic column by injecting gas into the...
method of deliquifying a natural gas well
Gas well deliquification
Gas well deliqufication, also referred to as "gas well dewatering", is the general term for technologies used to remove water or condensates build-up from producing gas wells....
. A plunger
Plunger
A plunger is a common device that is used to release stoppages in plumbing. The tool consists of a rubber cup with an attached stick "shaft", usually made of wood or bronze. Before use, any objects such as hair in the plug grate should be removed and, if possible the overflow hole should be...
is used to remove contaminants from productive natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
wells, such as water (in liquid, mist, or ice forms), sand, oil and wax.
The basics of the plunger is to open and close the well shutoff valve at the optimum times, to bring up the plunger and the contaminants and maximize natural gas production. A well without a deliquification technique will stop flowing or slow down and become a non-productive well, long before a properly deliquified well.
The plunger lift has low energy cost, low environmental impact, low capital investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
and low maintenance cost. Modern wellhead controllers offer a variety of criteria to control the plunger
Plunger
A plunger is a common device that is used to release stoppages in plumbing. The tool consists of a rubber cup with an attached stick "shaft", usually made of wood or bronze. Before use, any objects such as hair in the plug grate should be removed and, if possible the overflow hole should be...
. The original controllers were just timers, with fixed open and close cycles.
Measuring the various pressures in the system allows intelligent and reactive control. The pressures often measured are casing, tubing, line, and differential (DP). The other items measured are plunger arrival times, flow rates, temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s and status of various auxiliary equipment: oil tank level, compressor
Gas compressor
A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume.Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas...
status.
Open Well Criteria
- Plunger Drop Timer - Minimum close time to allow the Plunger to reach the bottom.
- Tube - Line Pressure
- Casing - Line Pressure
- Casing - Tubing Pressure
- Load Ratio (Casing-Tubing) / (Casing - Line)
- Foss and Gaul Equation
- Tubing Pressure
- Casing Pressure
- Static Pressure
- External Variables
Close Well Criteria
- Flow Time
- After Flow Timer
- Turner/Coleman Flow Rate
- Load Ratio
- DP (Differential)
- Flow Rate
- Tubing - Line Pressure
- Casing - Tubing Pressure
- Casing Pressure
- Static Pressure
- Tubing Pressure
- Line Pressure
Patents
- Pat #1769637 10/20/1925
- Pat #1784096 07/23/1929
- Pat #1896232 11/21/1931
- Pat #2001012 03/21/1934
- [Patent SU 171351.Priority 14/11/1963. Bulletin No,16 05/05/1969]
- Pat #4150721 01/11/1978
- Pat #5957200 11/18/1997
- Pat #6209637 05/14/1999
- Pat #6467541 08/01/2000
- Pat #7270187 04/29/2003
- Patent RU 2214504. Flying valve, its detachable element and the method of wells operation. Priority 30.04.2002. Bulletin No. 29, 2003.
- FLYING VALVE FOR A FREE PISTON. Pub. No.: WO/2008/060188 International Application No.: PCT/RU2007/000622 Publication Date: 22.05.2008 International Filing Date: 14.11.2007 http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?WO=2008060188