(2024026) Locating The Bumper Spring in The Curve With A Horizontal Check Valve

Plunger lift, gas lift, (GAPL)(PAGL), and sucker rod pumping are a few common forms of artificial lift that are heavily reliant on valves to maintain a seal in the system to extract fluids efficiently from the wellbore. 

This paper will outline the increase in well production performance when using a horizontal check valve on wells with Gas Liquid Ratios (GLR’s) conducive to plunger lift systems installed optimally in horizontal wells, also highlight design improvements when using these same valves in vertical situations.

Check valves are usually a key component of any bumper spring to allow fluid to enter the tubing string during a flowing cycle through the bumper spring itself, yet preventing fluid from escaping back into the reservoir while the plunger is descending to begin its next lifting cycle. 

HZCV (Horizontal check valves) or could also be referred to as horizontal standing valves are relatively new to the industry yet their functionality is similar to the traditional check valve or standing valve method which was typically a round ball creating a mechanical seal, or in other words, metal-to-metal contact between the valve and the associated seat.