ESP Power Cable Accessories, namely: Cable Bands and Cable Guards, are used to protect and support ESP cable, control lines and injection lines. There are used also to protect the power cable from damage during installation, operation and pulling. In this article, the roles and specifications of these accessory equipment’s are detailed, as well as recommended practices related to their use and selection.
Cable Bands:
Cable bands are used to attach the cable to the tubing during installation. Bands are provided using three different materials. Black Steel Bands are used in wells with corrosive problems. Stainless Steel Bands are used in moderately corrosive well (with no H2S present in the well). And Monel Bands are used in corrosive environments.
Most cable bands are 3/4 in. (19 mm) wide and approximately .025 in. (0.6 mm) thick.
Cable bands can be installed by using hand-banding tools or by using power-banding tools. The advantage of power banding tools is the bands are attached with the same tension.
The following video shows how to install Cable bands using Power-Banding Tool:
Recommended practices related to cable bands and their use:
- Best practice is to install three bands per section from the motor pothead to the first splice in the power cable.
- Do not install bands on a cable splice. Place a band above and below the splice approximately 4 inches.
- The minimum banding recommendation is two bands per tubing joint, with one band in the middle of the joint and the other band 2 to 3 ft above the collar.
- When running through a dogleg or other tight spot in the well, consideration should be given to installing more bands per joint.
- Any application with cable larger than number 4 cable or deeper than 7,000 ft should use three bands per joint of tubing.
Flat Cable Guards:
Flat Cable Guards, shown in the figure below, are used to protect the Motor Lead Cables from damage during installation, operation and pulling.
Some operators prefer not to run flat cable guards when the clearance space (downhole equipment/casing ID) is limited. This is to avoid the risk of dragging up or down the pump during installation, creating damage to the flat cable.
Cable Guards:
Cable Guards, also called Cross Coupling Cable Protectors, are used to protect and support ESP cable, control lines and injection lines. Also, there are used to protect the power cable from damage during installation, operation and pulling.
These are normally used in highly deviated wells and are placed over the tubing collars. There are several different styles and materials to choose from.
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