Tag Archives: pump

ESP submersible pumping system

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The ESP submersible pumping system consists of both downhole and surface components. The surface components are transformers, motor controllers, junction box and wellhead.

The wellhead accommodates the passage of the power cable from the surface to the wellbore.

The main down-hole components are the motor, seal, pump, and cable. Additional accessory equipment may include the gas separators, check and drain valves, cable bands and protectors, and downhole sensors.

Technologies, types, recommended practices and selection criteria of each compound of the ESP pumping system are discussed in the following list of 22 posts.

ESP Pump:

01- Submersible Pump System Overview

02- Centrifugal Pump ( ESP Pump)

03- ESP: Pump Stage

04- Pump impeller types

05- Pump Performance Curves – part 01

06- Pump Performance Curves – part 02

07- Pump Construction: Compression Pump vs. Floater Pump

08- Pump Shaft

Pump Intake:

09- Pump Intake

10- ESP Motor Shroud: Applications, Configurations and Selection Criteria

11- ESP: Gas handling device

Seal Section:

12- Motor Seal

ESP Motor:

13- ESP Motor

ESP Cable:

14- ESP Cable

15- Power losses in cables

16- Motor Lead Extension

17- ESP Power Cable Accessories

Motor Controller:

18- ESP Motor Switchboard

19- Variable Frequency Drive Basics

Transformer:

20- Introduction to transformer: How it works?

Wellhead Equipment:

21- Wellhead Equipment for ESP

Accessory Equipment:

22- ESP Accessory Equipment

Submersible Pump System Overview

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The submersible pump system consists of both downhole and surface components. The main surface components are transformers, motor controllers, junction box and wellhead. The main downhole components are the motor, seal, pump and cable. Additional downhole components may be included to the system: data acquisition instrumentation, motor lead extension, cable bands and protectors, gas separator, check and drain valves.

The following video gives a quick equipment overview of the ESP submersible pumping system:

 

The following figure shows schematic diagram of a submersible pump installation:

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ESP motor

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The electric submersible motor is simple in construction, rugged and reliable. In this article, the ESP motor compounds are detailed as well as their main functions.

Introduction to ESP motor:

  • ESP motor is installed below the motor seal and above the downhole sensor. In cases where a downhole sensor is not installed, the motor is installed at the very bottom of ESP string, generally attached to a motor guide.
  • ESP motor is an induction motor, two poles, three phases, squirrel cage type stator winding filled with specific motor oil, high dielectric strength (> 28 KV). The motor is rated for a specific horsepower, voltage, & current. Its role is to drive the downhole pump and seal section.
  • The ESP motor rotates at approximately 3500 RPM at 60 Hertz. The difference between actual and the synchronous speed (3,600 RPM) is called “motor slippage” and it is due to losses inside the motor. The actual RPM is usually noted on the motor nameplate (example:  3500 RPM / 60 Hz – 2917 RPM / 50 Hz).
  •  The ESP motor is constructed of rotors and bearings stacked on the shaft and loaded in a wound stator, the motor compounds will be detailed in the next section.
  • The motor contains synthetic dielectric mineral oil for lubrication, insulation, and for the homogeneous distribution of the heat generated inside the motor (cooling). Heat is then drawn off by the produced fluid past the housing OD on the way to the intake.

NB: ESP motor is close to the same design type as motors used on beam pumping units. Of course, it must be small in diameter in order to fit inside oil well casing sizes.

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Motor Seal

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The Motor seal is installed below the intake and above the electric motor. It is also named: Equalizer, balance chamber, or Protector. Seal section types, functions, components, and applications are detailed in this article.

In addition to the main function of transferring the motor torque to the pump shaft, the seal section performs four primary functions (Equalization, Expansion, Isolation, & “Aabsorbsion”):

  • Equalizes the pressure in the wellbore with the pressure inside the motor,
  • Provides area for motor oil expansion volume (induced by temperature changes in the motor),
  • Isolates the well fluid from the clean motor oil,
  • Absorbs the pump shaft thrust load (it houses the thrust bearing that carries the axial thrust developed by the pump, it can either be upthrust or downthrust, depending on the pumping conditions – obviously, for fixed impeller type only).

                        

PS: The motor, pump and seal are often submerged below several thousand feet of fluid. The seal section allows the pressure in the motor and the annulus to equalize, so that there is very little pressure across the shaft seals or the pothead connection.

PS: When selecting the protector, we need to be certain that the protector shaft is capable of delivering the full torque required without exceeding its yield strength which could result in a broken shaft.

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ESP: Gas handling device

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Gas  handling  devices  may  be  a  better  alternative  for  wells  prone  to  high  free  gas, slugging, foams and emulsions. These are essentially centrifugal pumps with large stages, mixed  (or  axial)  impellers,  large  vane  openings,  steep  vane  exit  angles  and  sometimes include multiple  vanes. 

Instead of separating, their purpose is to break large gas bubble into smaller ones thereby reducing the risk of gas locking and making it easier for gas to be re-absorbed into solution, and to homogenize the gas with liquid phases, prior to entering the pump intake.

An additional benefit of gas handlers is, because more gas is retained in the flow stream, this gas is then available to help lift fluids in the tubing above the ESP discharge head thereby reducing hydraulic horsepower requirements.

Applications: A Gas Handler is generally considered if the Free Gas Percentage at the intake of the pump is from 30% to 60% by volume.

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