What is a plunger lift system?

Plunger lift uses a free piston that travels up and down in the well’s tubing string. As with other artificial lift methods, the purpose of plunger lift is to remove liquids from the wellbore so that the well can be produced at the lowest bottomhole pressures.

Why is plunger lift considered one of the simplest form of artificial lifts?

Production engineers consider plunger lift to be one of the simplest forms of artificial lift because it uses the well’s own energy to remove accumulated liquids and sustain gas production.

How does a gas lift valve open?

The valve can be opened by increasing the injection-gas pressure with a constant flowing-production pressure, increasing both the injection-gas and flowing-production pressures simultaneously, and increasing the flowing-production pressure with a constant injection-gas pressure.

What is the function of pilot valve?

A pilot valve is a small valve that controls a limited-flow control feed. This valve is usually used to control a high pressure or high flow feed. When desludging is needed inside a purifier, the valve slides to relieve the pressure in the pressure chamber.

How does a plunger pump work?

The functional principle of the plunger pump A retracting plunger creates a suction effect in the liquid end and opens the suction valve. The medium flows into the liquid end. The plunger displaces the available volume through its own volume and increases the pressure of the fluid to be pumped.

How does gas lift work?

Gas lift is a method of artificial lift that uses an external source of high-pressure gas for supplementing formation gas to lift the well fluids. The principle of gas lift is that gas injected into the tubing reduces the density of the fluids in the tubing, and the bubbles have a “scrubbing” action on the liquids.

What is artificial lift in the oilfield?

Artificial lift is a method used to lower the producing bottomhole pressure (BHP) on the formation to obtain a higher production rate from the well. This can be done with a positive-displacement downhole pump, such as a beam pump or a progressive cavity pump (PCP), to lower the flowing pressure at the pump intake.

Why are Pumpjacks chosen over other types of artificial lift?

It’s one of the most dominant forms of artificial lift. Although costs can be higher for rod lift than other forms of artificial lift, there are multiple benefits. A well on rod lift will likely be able to achieve the lowest bottom hole pressure possible, which should help the well to produce at its maximum potential.

Why is it called a pilot valve?

In order to control the system that has high flows, pilot operated DCV is used because the system would require a large force to shift the spool. So the pilot valves are installed on the top of the main valve. So the pilot valve would hydraulically shift the main valve.

What is a double pilot valve?

The double pilot valve is actuated by applying pneumatic signals alternately to ports 14 and 12. It remains in its last switched position until a counter signal is received. The internal structure of this valve allows flowing of com- pressed air in both directions.

What are the components of a plunger lift system?

Figure 1. The main components of a plunger lift system on an onshore gas well. Subsurface components include a plunger (including a bypass valve), a bottomhole bumper spring, and a standing valve, which prevents fluids from flowing out of the bottom of the tubing.

Why do you need a plunger lift in a well?

Moreover, it must be repeated as liquids reaccumulate in the well. Plunger lift is an artificial lift method that offers an economical and established technique for removing liquids from aging gas wells while minimizing gas losses and methane emissions.

Can a plunger be used in an oil well?

Whether the system is used in a gas well or an oil well, the mechanics of a plunger lift system are the same. A plunger or piston incorporating a bypass valve travels through the production tubing to the bottom of the well where it lands on a bottomhole bumper spring (Figure 1).

Which is the best wellbore configuration for plunger lift?

The most desirable wellbore configuration for plunger lift is in wells that have an open annulus. In this configuration, gas in the annular space can work freely on the plunger and liquid slug to provide lift with little restriction.

What is a plunger lift system? Plunger lift uses a free piston that travels up and down in the well’s tubing string. As with other artificial lift methods, the purpose of plunger lift is to remove liquids from the wellbore so that the well can be produced at the lowest bottomhole pressures. Why is plunger…