What is Plunger Lift?

Plunger Lift is an artificial lift method that uses the wells own energy (gas and/or pressure) to lift accumulated fluids from the tubing and annulus.

The system operates through a series of shut-in periods and flow periods, intermitting the well. Intermitting alone is very inefficient due to the fluid fall back during the flow cycle. The rule of thumb for intermitting is approximately 10% of the fluid slug is lost for every 1,000 ft of lift. A plunger utilizes an interface seal between a fluid in the tubing and stored gas in the annulus. The head gas is blown down creating differential pressure across the plunger, which brings both the plunger and accumulated fluid to the surface.

Seal efficiency is critical for effective plunger operation. The amount of fluid and gas being produced must be taken into account when selecting the plunger type. The more fluid being produced the better the seal efficiency must be.

The Benefits of Plunger Lift are:

• Low capital cost.
• No rig required to install.
• No fuel cost.
• Low maintenance.
• Stabilized well production.
• Minimal well downtime.
• Can be moved to other wells.

To meet a variety of needs, we offer a complete selection of conventional, bypass, and staged systems that cover a wide range of applications efficiently and productively:

• Conventional Plungers (brush, padded, bar stock)
• Bypass Plungers (fast drop and bypass styles)
• Staged Plunger Systems
• Controllers and Automation Systems
• Complete System Design and Training (classroom and field)