US2017175503A1PendingUtilityA1
Method of operating a plunger lift system using a trip delay time in the afterflow time
Est. expiryDec 21, 2035(~9.4 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Mark David Scantlebury
F04B 49/22F04B 47/12F04B 53/16E21B 47/06F04B 49/225E21B 43/123E21B 34/02F04B 47/04E21B 43/121
35
PatentIndex Score
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Cited by
0
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Claims
Abstract
A controller and method is provided for operating a plunger lift system in a gas well that uses a pressure trigger and trip delay time to determine an afterflow time. The plunger lift system can include a plunger and a valve between the well and an outlet line were the produced gas is routed. The method can open the valve and allow the plunger to rise to a top of the well. After the plunger has reached the top of the well, the pressure in the well can be monitored to determine when a pressure trigger has occurred. When the pressure trigger occurs, the method can wait a trip delay time before once again closing the valve. After a close time the method can be repeated, the valve opened and the plunger allowed to rise back up the well. An adjusted trip delay time can then be determined and used.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modified1 . A method of operating a plunger lift system in a well, the method comprising:
opening a control valve and allowing a plunger to rise to a top of the well; monitoring a pressure in the well while the valve is opened for a pressure trigger; when the pressure trigger occurs, waiting a trip delay time and after the trip delay time has passed closing the valve; after a close time has passed, opening the valve and allowing the plunger to rise to the top of the well; determining when the plunger has arrived at the top of the well; adjusting the trip delay time to determine an adjusted trip delay time based on the plungers arrival at the top of the well; and repeating the method using the adjusted trip delay time.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure trigger is a rate of change of pressure in the well over time.
3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the pressure trigger is a positive value.
4 . The method of claim 2 wherein the pressure trigger is a negative value.
5 . The method of claim 2 wherein the pressure trigger is a value of zero.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the method determines a rise time of the time the plunger took to travel up the well and the adjusted trip delay time is determined based on the rise time.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the rise time of the plunger and a target rise time for the plunger to rise up the well.
8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
TargetRise
-
ActualRise
TargetRise
×
ScalingFactor
×
[
Max
AF
-
Min
AF
]
and
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTime
and wherein,
ΔTripDelayTime is the change to be made to the trip delay time,
TargetRise is the target rise time of the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ActualRise is the actual time it took the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ScalingFactor is a value between 0-1,
MaxAF is a maximum afterflow time, and
and MinAF is a the minimum afterflow time.
9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the ScalingFactor is 1.
10 . The method of claim 6 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
TargetRise
-
ActualRise
TargetRise
×
ScalingFactor
×
CurrentTripDelayTime
and
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTime
and wherein,
ΔTripDelayTime is the change to be made to the trip delay time,
TargetRise is the target rise time of the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ActualRise is the actual time it took the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ScalingFactor is a value from 0-1, and
CurrentTripDelayTime is the a current trip delay time.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the ScalingFactor is 1.
12 . The method of claim 1 wherein a velocity of the plunger is determined and the determined velocity is used to determine the adjusted trip delay time.
13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the determined velocity of the plunger and a target velocity of the plunger.
14 . The method of claim 12 where the determined velocity is of a velocity of the plunger at a top of the well.
15 . The method of claim 12 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
ActualVelocity
-
TargetVelocity
TargetVelocity
×
ScalingFactor
×
CurrentTripDelayTime
and
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTime
16 . A plunger lift system for removing fluids from a well, the system comprising:
a wellhead provided at a top of the well and having a plunger receiver; production tubing connected to the well head and extending downwards down the well, the plunger receiver operatively connected to a top end of the production tubing; a plunger provided in the production tubing; an outlet line connected to the well head below the plunger receiver and fluidly connected with the production tubing; a control valve connected inline with the outlet line; a plunger sensor positioned on the outside of the plunger receiver to detect the plunger; a pressure sensor to detect a pressure in the well; and a controller operatively connected to the plunger sensor to receive information from the plunger sensor and the pressure sensor and operatively connected to the control valve to open and close the control valve, the controller operative to perform a method comprising:
opening a control valve and allowing the plunger to rise to a top of the well;
using the pressure sensor, monitoring a pressure in the well while the valve is opened for a pressure trigger;
when the pressure trigger occurs, waiting a trip delay time and after the trip delay time has passed closing the valve;
after a close time has passed, opening the valve and allowing the plunger to rise to the top of the well;
determining when the plunger has arrived at the top of the well;
adjusting the trip delay time to determine an adjusted trip delay time based on the plungers arrival at the top of the well; and
repeating the method using the adjusted trip delay time.
17 . The plunger lift system of claim 16 wherein the pressure trigger is a rate of change of pressure in the well over time.
18 . The plunger lift system of claim 16 wherein the controller determines a rise time of the time the plunger to travel up the well and the adjusted trip delay time is determined based on the rise time.
19 . The plunger lift system of claim 18 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the rise time of the plunger and a target rise time for the plunger to rise up the well.
20 . The plunger lift system of claim 16 wherein a velocity of the plunger is determined and the determined velocity is used to determine the adjusted trip delay time.
21 . The plunger lift system of claim 20 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the determined velocity of the plunger and a target velocity of the plunger.
22 . The plunger lift system of claim 20 where the determined velocity is of a velocity of the plunger at a top of the well.
23 . A controller for controlling the operation of a plunger lift system for a well having a plunger, a plunger sensor, a pressure sensor and a control valve between the well and an outlet line, the controller comprising:
at least one processing unit; an input interface operatively connectable to the plunger sensor and the pressure sensor; an output interface operatively connectable to the valve and operative to open and close the valve; and at least one memory containing program instructions, the at least one processing unit responsive to the program instructions and operative to perform a method comprising:
opening a control valve and allowing the plunger to rise to a top of the well;
using the pressure sensor, monitoring a pressure in the well while the valve is opened for a pressure trigger;
when the pressure trigger occurs, waiting a trip delay time and after the trip delay time has passed, closing the valve;
after a close time has passed, opening the valve and allowing the plunger to rise to the top of the well;
determining when the plunger has arrived at the top of the well;
adjusting the trip delay time to determine an adjusted trip delay time based on the plungers arrival at the top of the well; and
repeating the method using the adjusted trip delay time.
24 . The controller of claim 23 wherein an operator can set only one of: the pressure trigger; and the trip delay time.
25 . The controller of claim 23 wherein the pressure trigger is a rate of change of pressure in the well over time.
26 . The controller of claim 25 wherein the pressure trigger is a positive value.
27 . The controller of claim 25 wherein the pressure trigger is a negative value.
28 . The controller of claim 25 wherein the pressure trigger is a value of zero.
29 . The controller of claim 23 wherein the controller determines a rise time of the time the plunger to travel up the well and the adjusted trip delay time is determined based on the rise time.
30 . The controller of claim 29 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the rise time of the plunger and a target rise time for the plunger to rise up the well.
31 . The controller of claim 29 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
TargetRise
-
ActualRise
TargetRise
×
ScalingFactor
×
[
Max
AF
-
Min
AF
]
and
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTime
and wherein,
ΔTripDelayTime is the change to be made to the trip delay time,
TargetRise is the target rise time of the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ActualRise is the actual time it took the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ScalingFactor is a value between 0-1,
MaxAF is a maximum afterflow time, and
and MinAF is a the minimum afterflow time.
32 . The controller of claim 31 wherein the ScalingFactor is 1.
33 . The controller of claim 29 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
TargetRise
-
ActualRise
TargetRise
×
ScalingFactor
×
CurrentTripDelayTime
and
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTime
and wherein,
ΔTripDelayTime is the change to be made to the trip delay time,
TargetRise is the target rise time of the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ActualRise is the actual time it took the plunger to travel to the top of the well,
ScalingFactor is a value from 0-1, and
CurrentTripDelayTime is the a current trip delay time.
34 . The controller of claim 33 wherein the ScalingFactor is 1.
35 . The controller of claim 23 wherein a velocity of the plunger is determined and the determined velocity is used to determine the adjusted trip delay time.
36 . The controller of claim 35 wherein the adjusted trip delay is based on a difference between the determined velocity of the plunger and a target velocity of the plunger.
37 . The controller of claim 35 where the determined velocity is of a velocity of the plunger at a top of the well.
38 . The controller of claim 35 wherein the adjusted trip delay time is determined using the function:
Δ
TripDelayTime
=
ActualVelocity
-
TargetVelocity
TargetVelocity
×
ScalingFactor
×
CurrentTripDelayTime
And
AdjustedTripDelayTime
=
CurrentTripDelayTime
+
Δ
TripDelayTimeCited by (0)
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