ARTIFICIAL LIFT SYSTEMS

PLUNGER LIFT
Compass Oil and Gas Solutions specializes in Plunger Lift evaluation, installation and optimization. Our Plunger Lift systems are being used on a large number of wells in Western Canada and China. We work together with our clients
to piece together a Plunger Lift system designed specifically for your operation be it sweet, sour, high pressure or
cold spec.

Click here for the Compass Well Evaulation Sheet. Requires Adobe Reader.

Plunger lift is an artificial lift technology that harnesses the energy of the reservoir to lift and free the well bore of liquids. A “plunger” is a free-traveling piston that fits within the production tubing creating an interface between the gas below and the water above. The plunger cycles using reservoir pressure to rise and gravity to return to
the bottom of the well bore.

Plunger lift operates in a cyclic fashion, using various control methods, with the well alternating between flow and
no-flow (or shut-in). Through-out the flow period, mobile liquid contained within the reservoir and those entrained within the gas itself, accumulates at the bottom of the well bore. During the shut-in period the plunger falls through the liquid column to the bumper spring to await a build-up in pressure. With the plunger resting on the bumper spring, gas pressure accumulates in the annulus.

The pressure of the annulus gas depends on a number of variables including shut-in time, reservoir pressure, and reservoir permeability. When the annulus
pressure increases sufficiently, the motor valve is opened via the controller, to allow the well to flow. The annulus gas expands into the tubing and with some help
from the producing gas, lifts the plunger and liquids to surface where they can separated and stored within an on-site tank or produced into the pipeline for
capture at a central processing location.

PLUNGER LIFT ADVANTAGES
There are various methods for the removal of fluid from a natural gas well bore. When comparing the advantages and disadvantages of various dewatering
methods to one another most often Plunger Lift provides the best solution for a key number of reasons:

First and foremost, Plunger Lift is arguably the most cost effective means of dewatering a well bore compared to other methods of liquid removal. Typically, the
total installed cost of Plunger Lift is a fraction of the cost when compared to a pump and rod or small diameter coil tubing solution.

Using Plunger Lift allows for the utilization of larger diameter tubing in the well bore. In mature reservoirs, it’s imperative that sand face pressure is kept as low
as is operationally possible. Small diameter tubing creates an increase in back pressure on the reservoir due to the friction created from the flow of fluid through
the decreased cross sectional area.

Lastly, Plunger Lift provides a greater window of optimization over other methods. For instance, coil tubing must be sized based on a tight range of flow rates to
effectively unload the well bore while minimizing back pressure due to friction. Once the flow rate decreases below the minimum range, the well falls back into
a liquid loading state. Plunger Lift is operationally viable over a much broader range of flow.