A plunger lift is an artificial list method of deliquifying a natural gas well. A plunger is used to remove contaminants from productive natural gas wells, such as water, 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 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 systems allows intelligent and reactive control. The pressures often measures are casing, tubing, line, and differential. The other times measured are plunger arrive times, flow rates, temperatures and status of various auxiliary equipment: oil tank level, compressor status.
Why use a plunger lift?
- Marginal flow characteristics result from the liquid fallback
- Clears liquid from well bore
- Returns well to full production
How does a plunger lift work?
- during high flow rates, the plunger rests at the top of the well
- as production decreases liquids accumulate at the bottom of the tubing; the well begins to “load”
- once loading occurs the pressure decreases closing the valve
- the plunger drops from its starting position falling through the tubing
- with the well shut-in, pressure builds inside the annulus
- the valve opens lifting the plunger along with the fluids to the top of the well
- the fluid is then allowing the well to free flow
CROFT just recently partnered with IMPACT Lift Optimization to help simplify the process for our clients to work with plunger lift operations and installation or the parts for plunger lift systems and other quality materials. So if you need a quote for consultation or implementation of a plunger lift system Need a plunger lift request for quote. If you have a plunger lift system and you want to update your parts and materials for your system click Need Plunger Lift Parts.
Read more on IMPACT and Croft Supply’s partnership. Purchase plunger lifts.
