An artificial-lift method principally used in gas wells to unload relatively small volumes of liquid. An automated system mounted on the wellhead controls the well on an intermittent flow regime. When the well is shut-in, a plunger is dropped down the production string. When the control system opens the well for production, the plunger and a column of fluid are carried up the tubing string. The surface receiving mechanism detects the plunger when it arrives at surface and, through the control system, prepares for the next cycle.