See LPG. GAS LOCK a condition sometimes encountered in a pumping well when dissolved gas, released from solution during the upstroke of the plunger, appears as free gas between the valves. If the gas pressure is sufficient, the standing valve is "locked" shut and, consequently, no fluid enters the tubing. condition that can exist in an oil pipeline. when elevated sections of the line are filled with gas. The gas, because of its compressibility and penchant for collecting in high places in the line, effectively blocks the gravity flow of oil. Gas lock can also occur in suction chambers of reciprocating pumps. The gas prevents the oil from flowing into chambers and must be vented or bled off.
