A dynamic plunger-lift model for gas wells
A free piston or plunger traveling up and down the tubing has been used for different applications in oil and gas production for decades. Its most widespread use is in conventional plunger lift, which is an artificial-lift technique characterized by use of reservoir energy stored in the gas phase to lift fluids to the surface. The plunger acts as an interface between the liquid slug and the gas to keep the ballistic-shaped flow pattern of the higher-velocity gas phase from breaking through the liquid phase during production. Several authors have modeled plunger-lift installations. Static models have been proposed and are widely accepted. Dynamic models also have been published to describe the phenomenon of a plunger-lift cycle. The dynamic model developed in the full-length paper overcomes some of the assumptions used in previous models. It includes reservoir performance, gas expansion with friction effects, and the transient behavior of the gas above the liquid slug when the surface valve is opened. It also includes a blow-down or afterflow period for production after the liquid slug surfaces. The upstroke model includes a transition phase that describes the production of the slug into the flowline.
- OSTI ID:
- 634602
- Journal Information:
- JPT, Journal of Petroleum Technology, Vol. 50, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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