two-piece plunger fall velocities and practical application in the...

Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado

February 20 – 22, 2017

Sergey Busygin, Production Operations, Shell

Lynn Rowlan, Engineer, Echometer Company

Two-Piece Plunger Fall Velocities and Practical Application in the Field

Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 2011 2011 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Denver, Colorado 2

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017 2017 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

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Introduction • Previously 2-piece plunger fall velocity has not been

measured using Echometer plunger tracking techniques

• Now can recognize 2-piece collars echoes by combining:

– High frequency data sampling rate (480 HZ)

– New TAM software improves plunger tracking capabilities and

visualization

• Observations: plunger fall against flow, plunger fall

against no flow, fall velocity when sleeve catches the ball

prior to reaching the Bumper Spring Assembly, BSA, and

rise velocity

• Field examples will be discussed: 1) broken plungers,

2) damaged BSAs and 3) loaded wells due to plunger

falling off the rod


Denver, Colorado

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2-piece plunger tracking


Denver, Colorado 5

TWO

PIECE • Sleeve

• Ball

• Bumper

Spring Assembly

MECHANICAL

COMPONENTS • LUBRICATOR

• SURFACE

SPRINGS

• ANVIL

• SHIFTING ROD


Denver, Colorado 6

Data Collection – for Fast Falling Plunger 30 HZ “Noise” @ 480 HZ Becomes Data

30 HZ 480 HZ

1.0 min

0.1 min

1.0 min

0.1 min Noise Collars

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017

2017 Gas Well Deliquification Workshop

Denver, Colorado

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Zoom in to See Sleeve Fall Fast (480 HZ)

Elapsed Time of 1.617 Minutes

59.933 Min Sleeve

Off Shifting Rod

61.55 Min

Sleeve On

Bottom

Lick Run 3H

Elapsed Time of 1.00 Minute

59.933 Min Sleeve

Off Shifting Rod

Starting to See

Tubing Joints

Elapsed Time of 8.0 Seconds

Can Determine 3189 ft/min Sleeve Fall Velocity


Denver, Colorado

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Acquired Data is Now Easier to See

Limited 800x600 Size

Limited by Screen Size

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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2-Piece “Normal” Plunger Cycle

Time - minutes

psi (g)

With

Afterflow

Plunger

Falling

Two Piece

Plunger Cycle

Source: DR. James F. Lea

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Sleeve at

Surface

psi (g)

Time - minutes

7 8

9

10 11

8-9 During 20

sec Shut-in

to release

sleeve of rod


Denver, Colorado

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Plunger Cycle – Shut-in After Arrival

Sleeve catches the ball

West 299 5H

Sleeve

Falls

Ball+Sleeve Fall


Denver, Colorado

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@ 50th Joint

Sleeve caught

the ball

Sleeve Only 3000 Ft/Min

Sleeve+Ball 400 Ft/Min

Sleeve Only

Sleeve+Ball

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Sleeve/Ball Arrive at Surface

19.5 min Ball and Sleeve Arrive at Surface

Shifting Rod Knocks Ball off Sleeve.

Ball Falls and Sleeve held at Surface.

Ball Seated in Sleeve

Reaches Max Depth of

3677 Ft

Wood 3H

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Sleeve Released from Shifting Rod

20.467 min ~ Increasing

Tubing Pressure Releases

Sleeve from Shifting Rod

Sleeve Only Falls at an

Average 2242 Ft/Min

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Sleeve Catches Ball in 1782 Feet

21.333 min ~ Sleeve

Catches Ball at Depth

of 1782 ft from Surface

Ball Seated in Sleeve Falls

at an Average 275 Ft/Min

Ball Only Falls at 1782/(21.333 -19.5)

an Average 972 Ft/Min

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Before Dropping Sleeve Must Know Ball Fall Velocity – Wait Until Ball Falls

Gas(0.65) - Various Vfall rates for Ball

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

0 500 1000 1500 2000

Flow Rates, Mscf/D

Pre

ss

ure

, p

sia

200fpm400fpm600fpm800fpm1000fpm0fpmCritical Rates

972 Ft/Min

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Two Piece Plunger Can Fall Fast (480 HZ)

Elapsed Time of 1.617 Minutes

59.933 Min Sleeve

Off Shifting Rod

61.55 Min

Sleeve On

Bottom

Lick Run 3H

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Sleeve Averaging -3189 Ft/Min Fall

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Count Collars to 3133 Ft

Feb. 20 - 22, 2017


Denver, Colorado

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Damaged plungers


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Conclusion

• Field data shows 2-piece plunger fall velocity can be

measured using Echometer plunger tracking techniques

• Need to use High Speed Data Acquisition (480 HZ)

• Software improved visualization displays 100 echoes per

minute at reasonable scale to determine plunger velocity

• 2-piece plunger

– Fell 2200 ft/min against flow,

– Fell against 3600 ft/min no flow

– Sleeve catches the ball prior to reaching the BSA

• Common problems are: 1) broken plungers, 2) damaged

BSAs and 3) loaded wells due to sleeve falling off rod


Denver, Colorado

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Copyright

Rights to this presentation are owned by the company(ies) and/or author(s) listed on the title page. By submitting this presentation to the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, they grant to the Workshop, the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC), and the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course (SWPSC), rights to:

– Display the presentation at the Workshop.

– Place it on the www.alrdc.com web site, with access to the site to be as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.

– Place it on a CD for distribution and/or sale as directed by the Workshop Steering Committee.

Other use of this presentation is prohibited without the expressed written permission of the author(s). The owner company(ies) and/or author(s) may publish this material in other journals or magazines if they refer to the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop where it was first presented.


Denver, Colorado

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Disclaimer

The following disclaimer shall be included as the last page of a Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Course. A similar disclaimer is included on the front page of the Gas Well Deliquification Web Site.

The Artificial Lift Research and Development Council and its officers and trustees, and the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Steering Committee members, and their supporting organizations and companies (here-in-after referred to as the Sponsoring Organizations), and the author(s) of this Technical Presentation or Continuing Education Training Course and their company(ies), provide this presentation and/or training material at the Gas Well Deliquification Workshop "as is" without any warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information or the products or services referred to by any presenter (in so far as such warranties may be excluded under any relevant law) and these members and their companies will not be liable for unlawful actions and any losses or damage that may result from use of any presentation as a consequence of any inaccuracies in, or any omission from, the information which therein may be contained.

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