Measured Plunger-Fall Velocity Used

To Calibrate New Fall-Velocity Model

F all velocities for various plungers

have been measured under
many different field and simulator Slower 120
100
Falling Through Gas
Gradually Slows From
0

conditions. A new theoretical 240 to 135 ft/min −1,600

Plunger Fall Velocity, ft/min

140
plunger-fall-velocity model uses a

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Depth to Plunger, ft
specific pressure and temperature for 160
−3,200
calibration. The model can then be
180
used to calculate fall velocity at other
conditions for the same plunger or can 200
−4,800
be used to show how changing a feature Falling
Normal Fall-Velocity Profile
such as plunger weight can affect fall 220 Through −6,400
(1) Tubing Is OK
velocity. (2) Liquid in Bottom Liquid
Faster 240
260 Bottom of Tubing−7773.00 ft Plunger Hits Liquid−7313.59 ft −8,000
0.000 8.691 17.361 26.042 34.722 43.403 52.083 60.764
Introduction
Conventional plunger lift is a low-cost Fig. 1—Plunger depth and plunger fall velocity for a typical plunger well.
method for lifting liquids (water, con-
densate, or oil) from gas and oil wells. line, and the high-pr­essure gas in the gaseous liquid column at the bottom of
Lifting liquids from the well is achieved casing begins to decrease by expanding the well. Processing this acoustic signal
by closing a surface valve to store ener- to fill the tubing, displacing the plunger allows the depth and fall velocity of the
gy in the well during a shut-in time pe- and most of the liquid above the plunger falling plunger to be determined.
riod, which is followed by opening the to the surface. This plunger-operation Fig. 1 shows the plunger-fall veloc-
surface valve for a time period so liq- cycle is repeated continually to produce ity decreasing smoothly as a function of
uids are unloaded as gas flows to the the well. time. Although there seems to be some
surface. During shut-in, the gas flow An operator can produce from the scatter of velocities on the plunger-
is stopped when the controller clos- well efficiently if the plunger’s fall rate ve­­­locity trace, note that the left ver-
es the surface motor valve. The plung- and location and the time taken to fall tical scale is amplified and that the
er leaves the lubricator to begin its fall to the liquid and bottom of the tubing general trend of the velocity is to con-
from the surface because of a tubing- are known accurately. The distance to sistently decrease as time (plunger
pressure increase that is caused by clos- the plunger and the rate of fall can be depth) increases.
ing the motor valve or begun when the determined by examining the acoustic
plunger is released from a catcher. The signal created by a falling plunger. The Theoretical General Plunger-
plunger falls through gas until entering acoustic pulse generated at the tubing- Fall-Velocity Model
the accumulated liquid at the bottom of collar recess travels through the gas to A new theoretical general plunger-fall
the tubing. Once the plunger is on bot- the surface to be detected by a micro- velocity model has been developed that
tom and sufficient unloading energy is phone, and the change in pressure can can be used to predict plunger-fall ve-
stored, the controller opens the surface be detected by a tubing pressure trans- locity in a well at any pressure and tem-
valve into the l­o­wer-pressure flowline. ducer. These acoustic pulses are normal- perature condition. If the fall velocity
High-pressure gas in the tubing above ly detected as a plunger falls down the for a particular plunger is measured in
the liquid column flows down the flow- relatively dry tubing interior above the a well at a specific pressure and tem-
perature, then the general model is
used to determine the calibration con-
This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights
stant C. Using a measured fall velocity
of paper SPE 164495, “Measured Plunger-Fall Velocity Used To Calibrate New at a known pressure and temperature
Fall-Velocity Model,” by O.L. Rowlan and J. McCoy, Echometer Company; J. Lea, to calibrate the general model enables
PLTech; and R. Nadkrynechny and C. Cepuch, T-RAM Canada, prepared for the the general plunger-fall-velocity model
2013 SPE Production and Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, to calculate the plunger fall velocity at
23–26 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed. other pressures and temperatures.

For a limited time, the complete paper is free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt.

94 JPT • JULY 2013


0 25
0 240
–100
–200
Fall Velocity, ft/min
–300
–400
–500
Dual-Pad Plunger Fail Velocity Faster 1.75 ft/min
–600 With Each 1-psi Decrease in Pressure
Fig. 2—Plunger-fall velocity increases as tubing pressure decreases.
Two equations were considered to
be representative of the conditions that
control the plunger fall through the gas
in the tubing. For the first, the “drag
model,” the plunger weight is set equal
to the drag force acting on the plung-
er. At a certain pressure, temperature,
and gas gravity, the density of the gas
is determined. In the “orifice model,”
the plunger/tubing seal acts as a choke,
allowing a specific amount of gas to be
pushed past the plunger as the plunger
falls through the tubing.
From field measurements, it has
been observed that all plungers fall
slower at higher pressure and faster at
lower pressure. Field observations dur-
ing shut-in confirm the general-­model
predictions of plunger-fall-velocity
slowing that is inversely proportional
to the square root of the density of the
gas through which the plunger is falling.
Plunger-Fall-Velocity Function
of Gas or Fluid Density
The data from field testing usually show
that the plunger fall velocity decreases
as the plunger gets closer to the bottom
of the tubing. This behavior agrees with
the general plunger-fall model because
the increasing pressure increases the
gas density inside the tubing.
Fig. 2 shows the measured fall ve-
locity for the same dual-pad plunger in
the same 2.375-in. tubing string in the
same gas well for five consecutive shut-
in time periods. Gas flow into the well-
bore from the damaged formation was
96
Elapsed Time, minutes
50 75 100 125 150
Fall Velocity for Each Cycle
255.8 ft/min 163.0 Tbg-psig
319.8 ft/min 130.7 Tbg-psig 200
355.9 ft/min 102.0 Tbg-psig
394.8 ft/min 73.3 Tbg-psig
Tubing Presure, psig
478.1 ft/min 41.6 Tbg-psig 160
Tubing Pressure-psig
120
80
40
0
severely restricted, so for each cycle,
the well pressure decreased because the
gas inflow did not replace the gas used
to unload the well. The average tub-
ing pressure for the five different tests
continually decreased. For this padded
plunger, there is an almost linear 1.75-ft/
min increase in the fall velocity per each
1-psi drop in tubing pressure. When the
pressure is low, the p­ lunger-fall velocity
is much faster than is considered nor-
mal, but when the pressure is higher,
the plunger-fall velocity is measured at
a rate that is considered normal.
Slow fall velocities caused by high
pressure also have an effect on plungers
that are considered to fall fast, such as
the dual-pad bypass type of plunger. In
general, the fall velocity through gassy
fluid is approximately 40 ft/min. But
when a well is treated with surfactant,
the gassy fluid is less dense, and the
plunger-fall velocity is near 80 ft/min.
When a plunger-lifted well is treated
with surfactant, the gaseous liquid col-
umn may stand three times taller than
a normal untreated gaseous liquid col-
umn for the same differential tubing and
casing pressure. The plunger falls ap-
proximately twice as fast, and the height
of the surfactant-treated gaseous liquid
column is approximately three times
higher. When a plunger-lifted well is
treated with surfactant, additional shut-
in time may be required to allow time for
the plunger to fall to the bottom.
If the plunger becomes stuck in the
tubing, all that may be required to un-
stick the plunger is a fluid level shot
down the tubing. The pressure wave
from the gas gun discharged at the sur-
face travels down the tubing and often
will exert sufficient force to free a stuck
plunger. When the plunger gets stuck
and does not fall to the bottom, dam-
age to the surface equipment is possible.
Dangerous conditions can be avoided
when such problems are identified.
Fall Velocity of Different
Types of Plungers
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As the diameter of the plunger increas-
es, the fall velocity of the same type
of plunger decreases. As the diameter
of a plunger increases, the weight of
the plunger increases. Friction between
the plunger and the tubing increases as
the diameter increases, because the in-
crease in diameter causes a larger sur-
face area of the plunger to contact the
tubing. The cross-sectional area of the
plunger increases by the square of the
diameter, and less differential pressure
is required to resist the fall of the plung-
er. The larger-­diameter plunger increas-
es the friction, and the larger area in-
creases the force from the differential
pressure applied to the plunger cross-
sectional area, which results in slower
fall speed. The presence of pads on a
plunger results in slower fall velocities
when compared with solid plungers of
the same diameter. The slower fall ve-
locity of the pad plunger is caused by
the better seal and the additional fric-
tion between the tubing and plunger
caused by the springs behind the pads.
If rubber or neoprene is placed between
a set of pads and the plunger body, the
improved seal results in a much slower
plunger fall.
The bypass type of plunger has a
valve that opens to reduce restriction
of gas flow past the plunger. The by-
pass creates a large opening through the
plunger, and this large opening allows
fluids to flow with less restriction past
the plunger. The ability to bypass fluids
through the plunger results in higher
fall velocity.
Brush plungers have the largest
range of fall velocities for any type of
plunger. A new brush with soft bristles
that fill the area between the plung-
er and tubing will exhibit a very slow
fall velocity (and therefore an efficient
JPT • JULY 2013
plunger). Other brush plungers have stiff nylon bristles that
do not contact the tubing wall; this type of brush plunger falls
much faster, having a poorer seal. A worn-out brush that ap-
pears to be smooth and shiny because of paraffin clogging the
bristles, or that has worn bristles that do not contact the tub-
ing, can fall very fast. If a worn plunger is replaced, then the
resulting increase in gas production can quickly pay off the
cost of the new plunger.
Solid types of plungers that have spiral grooves at the
top  and bottom of the plunger spin as they fall during shut-
in. This spinning motion of the plunger results in slower
fall velocities.
JPT • JULY 2013
Conclusions
Knowing the plunger-fall velocity for specific well conditions
will ensure that the plunger will reach the bottom of the tubing
by the end of the shut-in period. Use of an acoustic instrument
is an effective method to determine the fall velocity during the
shut-in time period and provides a calibration point to enter
into the general fall-velocity model. Maximum production
from the plunger-lift installation will be obtained by having
the shortest possible shut-in time equal to the time required
for the plunger to reach bottom, as long as sufficient casing
pressure exists to return the plunger and accumulated liquid
to the surface. JPT
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