4th Annual Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio June 3 – 5, 2013 Mark Scantlebury, P. Eng., BASc President and CEO Extreme Telematics Corp. Applications for Magnetic Sensing in Plunger Lift

Overview Background Problems With Plunger Arrival Sensors Solving The Problems Other Benefits Other Applications June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 2

Background Magnetic Sensing Has Been in Plunger Lift for Years –Mechanical movement of a magnet as plunger arrives –Coil Based Designs that Induce Current –Riddled with problems –One of the least expensive parts of the system can be the most critical –Leads to poor system performance to compensate for bad sensors June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 3

The Problems There are several problem with current designs –False Detections –Missed Arrivals –Noisy Switch Closure –Short Switch Closure –High Power Draw June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 4

The Problems Why Sensors Have False Detections –Poor Noise Immunity – Interference from other devices, electrical noise, or temperature fluctuations. –Designed with Too High of Sensitivity – Small movements seen as plunger arrival –Manufacturing Defects – Not all coils created equally. June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 5

The Problems June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 6

The Problems Missed Arrivals –Plunger travels too slowly past the sensor –Plunger does not travel all the way past the sensor –Sensitivity is not high enough –Non-ferrous or alloy plungers are invisible Venturi Viper™ (titanium) Viper™ (stainless steel) June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 7

The Problems Noisy Switch Closure –Accepted as the norm –Bouncing plungers –Inconsistent movement –System noise –Plunger geometry June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 8

The Problems Short Switch Closure –Short Plungers –Fast Plungers –Output not active long enough –Missed using polling architecture June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 9

The Problems High Power Draw –Fast moving plungers cause high current –Large current consumption while switch is closed –Would prefer a more consistent power draw June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 10

The Solution A microprocessor based design that implements a magnetic field sensor. –Noise Immunity –Enhanced Detection Algorithms –Adjustable Sensitivity –Flexible Mounting Location –More Repeatability/Reliability –Upgradable Software –Real Time Debugging June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 11

The Solution Noise Immunity –Can’t prevent all noise –Filter it out using a long term average June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 12

The Solution Detection –Continuously monitor the changes in the signal –Low amplitude or short duration changes ignored –Eliminates false detections June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 13

The Solution Enhanced Detection Algorithms –Determine a long term average/baseline –Look for patterns –Distinguish between slow or rapid change –Adjust for different plunger types June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 14

The Solution Adjustable Sensitivity –Use a switch or some other input device –Changed by operator/installer at any time –Sets a threshold for detection of different plunger types –Allows balance between false detects and missed arrivals June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 15

The Solution Flexible Mounting Location –Plunger does not need to pass by sensor –Not dependent on speed –Sense through thicker lubricators –Mount on flow tee, master valve, or casing –Sense movement of other lubricator parts when using non-ferrous plungers June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 16

The Solution Repeatability/Reliability –Easier to manufacture –Better tolerances –No moving parts to wear –Factory calibration –Self calibrating –Large spread between thresholds –Self test June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 17

The Solution Upgradable Software –Embedded firmware –New images loaded on demand –Feedback from the field June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 18

The Solution Real Time Debugging –Not limited to a switch interface –Real time stream data –Graph in real time –Log to file –Understand field data better –Identify problems or limitations –Truly an electronic “eye” on your well June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 19

Data Capture Tools June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 20

What’s Next Now that a new standard has been set, there are many more uses for this type of technology –Enhanced Detection Algorithms –Sensing Plunger Velocity June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 21

Enhanced Detection Algorithms Gather Data From the Field Solve Additional Problems –Interference from lightning –Interference from other systems –Different Plunger Types Continuous Improvement –100% detection is achievable June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 22

Plunger Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 23

Plunger Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 24

Plunger Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 25

Plunger Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 26

Fast Plungers Fast Plungers are the #1 problem in Plunger Lift Costly to Replace Cracked Lubricator Incident Reports, Injury, or Death Desire to Detect and Correct Fast Plungers Before They Cause Problems June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 27

Conventional Wisdom Why Not Use 2 Sensors? Too Reliant on Sensor Output –Different Sensitivity –Different Clocks Error in Position Need Additional Hardware Have to be Spaced out 10s -100s of meters to Reduce Error Not Practical June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 28

Magnetic Domain Look at the Magnetic Domain Instead of Switch Output More Information Available in Waveforms Not Simple to Detect Velocity Captured Data from Cyclops is Invaluable Thousands of Test Runs During Development Variations in Plunger Types, Velocity, Position June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 29

Sample Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 30

Sample Data June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 31

Sensing Plunger Velocity There are Some Challenges with these Waveforms –Different for Each Plunger Type –Variance in Sensitivity –Differences Due to Position There Does Appear to Be Hope –Deviation Correlated to Velocity –Enough Similarities to be Usable June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 32

Sensing Plunger Velocity ETC has Filed Patent Pending Algorithms for Detecting Plunger Velocity Use Combination of Deformation from Baseline, Waveform Timings, and Amplitude. Avoids Errors Associated with Using Multiple Independent Devices Well Head Mounted Velocity Sensor Practical Solution for Every Well June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 33

Sasquatch IS First Plunger Velocity Sensor Well Head Mounted Same Rugged Design as Cyclops IS Reliable Detection up to 750 m/min Discrete or Modbus Interface Will Help Prevent Lubricator Breaches Field Trial Summer 2013 June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 34

Other Applications Monitoring Earth’s Magnetic Field –Looking for a Change –Rotating Equipment –Sliding Metal –Movement in Relation to Earth Lots of Other Applications Possibilities are Endless June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 35

Questions? June 3 – 5, Appalachian Basin Gas Well Deliquification Workshop, Marietta, Ohio 36

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