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Figure 5.8 –Gas Lift
Plunger Lift
Plunger lift has become a widely accepted and
economical artificial lift alternative, especially in high-gas/liquid-
ratio (GLR) gas and oil wells. Plunger lift uses a free piston that
travels up and down in the well’s tubing string. It minimizes liquid
fallback and uses the well’s energy more efficiently than does slug
or bubble flow. As with other artificial lift methods, the purpose of
plunger lift is to remove liquids from the wellbore so that the well
can be produced at the lowest bottomhole pressures. Whether in a
gas well, oil well, or gas lift well, the mechanics of a plunger-lift
system are the same. The plunger, a length of steel, is dropped
through the tubing to the bottom of the well and allowed to travel
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