Paper: Kyle Stell, Production Control Services

Smart plunger technology allows producers to receive fast and reliable down hole pressure and temperature information from a plunger equipped with an internal pressure and temperature gauge. The smart plunger is dropped down hole like any other plunger. Normal cyclical operation of the well returns the plunger to surface without the use of wireline, rig, and crew. When the plunger is retrieved at surface, the pressure vs. time data is downloaded to the operator's laptop or PC for display to operators and engineers. The smart plunger is capable of logging normal rise and fall plunger runs, shut in build up tests; as well as, stationary down hole flowing applications. The smart plunger can be utilized as a plunger lift optimization tool. Knowing exactly how long it takes a plunger to hit fluid and bottom, allows operators to decrease fall times and increase sales times. The smart plunger can be used as a surveillance tool. If an operator suspects they have a hole in the tubing, they can simply drop the smart plunger. The smart plunger sampling pressure and temperature every second will log the dramatic temperature change in the tubing, confirming a whole in the tubing.