Plunger-Lift Modeling Toward Efficient Liquid Unloading in Gas Wells

Abstract

This paper is a follow-up to Chava et al. (2008), which introduced a preliminary plunger-lift model built around the availability of smart-plunger (PCS 2005) data. The latter devices are equipped with internal gauges to record pressure and temperature with time, which can be downloaded whenever the plunger is at surface. We present an updated model that accounts for pressure drop caused only by gravitation but satisfactorily reproduces the dynamics of a field installation in east Texas. We also present a comparison of the predictions from the new model with the corresponding results from some earlier plunger-lift models available in the public domain.