Schlumberger European Learning Center, Artificial Lift 28-Feb-2007

ESP Protector Selection Guidelines

06-Aug-2005

Series
The first decision is which series of protector to use. In general, you want to match the protector to the motor
series, but there are a few quirks. Use the table below as help:
Series Use with Motor Series And Pump Series
325 375 338
375 375 338
387 456 387
400 456 Any
540 540 or 562 400, 540 or 538
562 562 562-series or larger
738 738 Any
950 738 Industrial Pumps

Types of Protector Chambers

Configuration Advantages Avoid using when/disadvantages
Labyrinths Excellent separation in vertical wells with high Deviations over 45° are questionable;
(L) WC. deviations over 70° render the labyrinth
Easily serviceable and re-usable. practically useless.
Inexpensive. Oil well fluid density problems depend on the
type of motor oil, but typically anything lighter

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than 0.85SG (35 °API) is dangerous
Bags Positive Seal and can be used regardless of Chemical attack is a problem,
(B) deviation or well fluid density. High H2S content.
High HP.
High Temperature
Parallel Bags Same as single bag but larger volume Chemical attack is a problem,
(BPB) capacity High H2S content
High Temperature
Bellows Positive Seal, Cost is an issue
(M) High Temperature, Advanced Protector Only
No chemical compatibility issues
Parallel Same as normal metal bellows but larger Cost is an issue.
Bellows volume capacity Advanced Protector Only
(MPM)

When to use Parallel Bags

Protector Series Above Motor HP (60-Hz rating)…
456 108
562 150

Series and Parallel Connections

Connections
A protector will always have multiple chambers. These chambers can be connected in series (designated with
an S), which results in a redundant seal, or in parallel (designated with a P), which results in larger capacity.
Parallel connections are only possible with positive seals chambers – i.e. bags or bellows. A Parallel connection
between two bellows is possible, but the bellows is also available in variable lengths, which accomplishes the
same end (larger capacity). Contact InTouch for help when choosing Advanced protectors for the first time. As
noted above, a parallel connection results in a larger volume capacity, which is necessary for high power
applications. Series connections, however, result in redundant seals, increasing the reliability of a protector.

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Configuration
Once you have decided on the primary protection system, you need to decide on how many redundant seals you
would like. Present practice for standard protectors is to use a three-chamber protector, though extreme
situations may require four chambers. In a three-chamber protector, therefore, you can select between three
seals if you are using single positive seal(s), or two seals if you are using a parallel positive seal:

Examples (standard protectors only, bellows (M) are found only in advanced protectors):
Three-chamber, three-seal protectors: LSLSL, LSBSL, LSBSB, LSLSB, BSBSB, BSLSB, etc.
Three-chamber, two-seal protectors: LSBPB, BPBSL, BSBPB1

Note: The LSLSL protector is generally not recommended.

BPBSL or LSBPB?
For high power applications, the decision for a three-chamber protector typically reduces to a decision between
LSBPB and BPBSL. Different people have different opinions on what is best.
• Some people prefer to put the labyrinth next to the motor (BPBSL) to avoid a ‘possible’ vacuum for a bag
that becomes completely collapsed. In addition, another advantage of the BPBSL protector over the
LSPBP protector is that it has three shaft seals as opposed to two.
• If chemical attack is a potential issue, then putting the labyrinth on top (LSBPB) may protect the
elastomer against well fluids.
• If the well is highly deviated (greater than 70°), the decision may be moot, since the labyrinth is
effectively useless in either position. In this case, you may consider a BSBPB, even though the single
bag has a limited capacity, or consider using a four-chamber protector.
In any case, there is no definitive answer to the question on which parallel bag protector is ‘best’ and the

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decision often depends on personal preference.

Four Chamber Protectors

For 400-series and 540-series protectors, you may opt for the increased protection of a 4-chamber protector,
such as LSBPBSL (solving the problem of where to put the Labyrinth) or BPBSBPB (solving the problem of high-
volume in highly deviated wells). 562-series protectors are not available in 4-chamber configurations due to
potential shaft buckling problems. Only one 4-chamber protector is currently available in the catalog (400-series
LSBPBSL), but you may order any protector you would like via rapid response.

1
Many people question the effectiveness of a BSBPB protector (what’s the point of the little bag?), but in high-
deviation applications, there are not many choices.

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Material Selections
Metallurgy
When choosing protector metallurgy, use the same guidelines as for pumps. Generally you want to match the
protector to the rest of the string, but it can be higher specification. Avoid using lower specification than the rest
of the equipment in order to avoid galvanic corrosion.

Elastomers
Protectors typically have the choice between HSN and Aflas elastomers for shaft seals, o-rings, and bags. Use
the same elastomer guidelines for protector elastomer selection that we used for pump selection. Pay particular
attention to bag selection, since the bags in a protector are often the limiting factor in runlife.

Protector Shaft
Protector shaft sizes are fixed for a given protector series, but there are typically two shaft strength options.
Similar to intake shafts, the protector shafts tend to be large compared to pump shafts, but always double check,
especially in high HP applications. 562-series protectors are only available in high-strength shafts.

Series Shaft Size Std. (Monel) Strength HP High (Inc. 625) Strength Super High (Inc. 718)
Limit @ 60-Hz HP Limit @ 60-Hz Strength HP Limit @ 60-Hz2
Text In. HP HP HP
325 0.75 160 256 N/A
375 0.75 160 256 N/A
387 or 400 0.875 256 410 511
540 1.18 637 1019 1248
562 1.18 N/A 1019 N/A

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738 1.50 1000 1600 N/A
950 2.00 2270 N/A N/A

2
Only available by special request.

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Bearings
A secondary – yet critical – function of the protector is to support axial thrust generated in the ESP string. The
principal concern is the downthrust generated by the pump, but also of concern is potential upthrust due to
material thermal expansion and/or torque lock.

Down Thrust Bearing

Each protector series has several thrust bearing options. When selecting the thrust bearing, you must consider:
• The temperature rating of the bearing compared to the downhole temperature
• The operating speed of the equipment and its effect on the thrust rating of the bearing
• The load rating of the bearing compared to the maximum expected thrust from the pump, and
• The power consumption for the thrust bearing

Bearing Types
Abbr. Means AKA Properties and information
STB Standard REDA Babbitt Bi-directional, low temperature. ‘Babbitt’ refers to a low friction lead-
based alloy for the bearing surface(s).
NTB Bronze REDA Bronze Bi-directional, higher temperature. Without the Babbitt material, the
friction is slightly higher, but the temperature rating is higher. NTB
bearings are generally used on up-thrust bearings, but can also be used
on downthrust.
KTB KMC KMC Bronze External-Supply, Bi-directional, higher load, highest temperature
HL High Glacier Tilt External Supply, Uni-directional, highest load, highest temperature
Load Pad

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Bearing Thrust Ratings (at 60-Hz), Power Consumption and Temperature Ratings
Bearing Type STB NTB KTB HL
Temp. Rating (°F) 190 250 350 350
Thrust Rating/Power Consumption
Series
T1 T2 P T1 T2 P T1 T2 P T1 T2 P
325 900 1100 1 900 1100 1 2010 2450 1 2527 3200 1
400 1600 2000 1 1600 2000 1 3900 4800 1 8600 10700 1
540 2550 3200 1 2550 3200 1 9500 11500 2 12000 15000 2
562 - - - - - - - - - 17500 21500 3
738 3500 4400 1 3500 4400 1 8500 21400 1 20000 33000 3
950 7850 9400 1 - - - - - - 16950 20300 3
Key: T1 = 60-Hz Thrust Load Rating (lbf), #2/#3 Oil;
T2 = 60-Hz Thrust Load Rating (lbf), #5/#6/#7 Oil;
P = Power Consumption (HP) at any speed

Speed
A thrust bearing supports load by maintaining a thin fluid film between two rotating parts. This motion is critical
to the support of the load and, therefore, the load that the bearing can support is proportional to the rotating
speed. The thrust ratings listed above represent the maximum acceptable axial thrust load at 60-Hz. At lower
operating speeds, you must adjust the thrust rating down proportional to the operating speed.

Upthrust Bearing
In addition to the downthrust bearing, the protector will also come with an upthrust bearing to assure that the
shaft has a limit to upward motion. We have identical options for upthrust bearings as we do for downthrust
bearings (i.e. STB, NTB, KTB, and HL), and an upthrust bearing will have identical properties to a downthrust
bearing of the same series and specification. A given protector, however, will likely have a different upthrust
bearing than its downthrust bearing (e.g. NTB upthrust with HL downthrust). When using OneCAT, the
description of the protector will include the upthrust bearing, then a slash (‘/’), and then the downthrust bearing.
Remember that a protector will not support the upthrust generated in the pump unless the pump uses a special
feature called ‘pinned shafts’, common only on bottom-discharge equipment.

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Special Considerations
H2S Scavenger
For severe H2S applications (greater than 5%), the protector may need to have special considerations to prevent
H2S from migrating into the motor. H2S is very bad for motors because it breaks down the insulation of the
windings and it causes corrosion on the copper wire. The difficulty is that H2S is a small molecule and tends to
get everywhere. The best solution in these cases is to use an advanced protector with a metal bellows, but an
older solution is to use sacrificial metal to absorb or ‘scavenge’ the H2S before it can make its way to the motor.
Note that another effective method is to reduce the number of stops and starts that the ESP goes through (each
cycle introduces more H2S into the protector). See InTouch content 3035167 for more information.

Tandem Protectors
In some locations tandem protectors are commonly used to help extend runlife. The major difficulty of tandem
protectors is handling thrust load. Though you will see many practices in your career, consider these points and
put your high load bearing in the top protector:
• It is IMPOSSIBLE to share the thrust load between the two protectors.
• Though it would be nice to handle the thrust in the lower protector (because it should have the cleanest
oil), it would mean handling no thrust in your upper protector. This is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE due to the
small axial shaft play in protectors and unpredictable thermal expansion.
• Therefore, put your high-load bearing in the protector on top to handle the thrust from the pump.
• Use a standard bearing in the lower protector, where there will be no thrust.
• There is a vast amount of information on this topic available on InTouch.

Advanced Protector
The advanced protector is best for three types of applications:

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1. High Temperature Applications
The Advanced Protector uses metal bellows instead of elastomer bags to avoid potential temperature
limits for elastomers.

2. Extreme Abrasive Applications

The Advanced Protector has a special fluid intake that helps to prevent sand from entering into the
protector.

3. Chemically difficult applications

The advanced protector is an excellent choice where chemical/elastomer incompatibility is a problem,
ruling out bags. These chemical incompatibilities may be due to well fluid contents (H2S, CO2, etc.), or
well treatment chemicals (Amines, acids, alkaline solutions, etc.).

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