TABLE OF CONTENTS Field testing of various artificial lift methods to determine their applicability can be costly. Although plunger lift is a relatively inexpensive technique (approximately $4000 for a "minimum" installation), additional equipment options can increase the initial costs. Also, downtime for installation, adjustments to see if the plunger installation will perform, and adjustments to optimize production will all add to the costs.
To alleviate these costs, methods have been developed to predict whether plunger lift will work in advance of the installation, under particular well operational conditions. Although these methods vary in rigor and accuracy, they have historically proved useful when predicting the feasibility of the plunger lift method.
Several screening procedures can be used to determine if plunger lift will work for a particular set of well conditions.
The simplest of these is a simple rule of thumb that states that the well must have a gas/liquid ratio (GLR) of 400 scf/bbl for every 1000 ft of lift or some value that is fairly close to the 400 approximate value. (This corresponds to approximately 233 m 3 gas/m 3 liquid for every 1000 m depth.)
Will plunger lift work for a 5000-ft well producing a GLR of 500 scf/bbl?
Applying the rule of thumb of 400 scf/bbl for each 1000 ft of lift, the required GLR is:
However, the actual producing GLR is 500 scf/bbl; so this well is not a candidate for plunger lift, according to this...
