Plunger Fall Velocity for Production Optimization

Liquid loading is common in high gas-liquid ratio (GLR) wells with low reservoir pressure. Plunger lift is an artificial lift method many operators use to remove liquid accumulation in their wells. It is widely used due to its flexibility and cheap operational cost. Accurate prediction of fall times can help operators maximize production from their wells by reducing unnecessarily long close times. However, many conventional plunger lift systems are run un-optimally because the operators do not completely understand the system’s behavior. This study combined previous literature and experimental work with novel improvements and modeling techniques to develop a new physics-based model for conventional plunger fall velocity. The model’s predictions have been compared with actual plunger fall velocity data from field applications.