- DOE/AL/18536-T1

(DE85009648)

INVESTIGATION OF COMPONENT FAILURES IN DOWNHOLE

GEOTHERMAL PUMPING SYSTEMS
Final Report

BY
Douglas K. Werner

March 15,1985

Work Performed Under Contract No. AC04-82AL18536

Barber-Nichols Engr. Co.

Arvada, Colorado

Technical Information Center

Office of Scientific and Technical Information
United States Department of Energy
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 DOE/AL/18536-T1
(DE850O9648)
Distribution Category UC66C

- - - -__

FINAL REPORT
INVESTIGATION OF COMPONENT FAILURES
IN-DOWNHOLE GEOTHERMAL
PUMPING SYSTEMS

March 15, 1985

Contract DE-AC04-82AL18536

Prepared for : Hugh M. Turpie

U.S. Dept. of Energy
Albuquerque Operations Office
Contracts & Industrial
Relations Div.
P.O. Box 5400
Albuquerque, NM 87115

Prepared by: Douglas K. Werner

Barber-Nichols Engr. co.

.)1
BA RBER-NICHOL
L
I
6325 W. 55th Ave.
Arvada, CO 80002
-
ENGINEERING
 F'CF FINAL REPURT

.
1 C) INTRODUCT I ON

2.0 PRESSURIZED MOTORS

2.1 OPERCSTING EXPERIENCE

2.2 NEED FOR A DOWNWOLE kEGULATOH

2.3 DOWNHOLE REGULATOR DEVELOPMENT

3.0 IMPROVED POTHEAD AND PACKOFF CONFIGURATION

4.0 PUMP SCALE ACCUMULATIONS

5.0 PUMP PERFORMQNCE RECCIRD,

d
CL- .l B I N EXPERIENCE

5.2 OTHER EXPERIENCE .

.' _
 i I

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Operating experience with downhole geothermal pumps has

demonstrated t h a t o p e r a t i n g l i v e s o f l e s s t h a n one year a r e very

common. I n order f o r l i q u i d - d o m i n a t e d geothermal power systems

t o be e c o n o m i c a l l y v i a b l e , one year o r l o n g e r c o n t i n u o u s downhole

r u n n i n g t i m e s i n geothermal w e l l s at t e m p e r a t u r e s up t o 375"-F are

needed. The e f f o r t summarized by t h i s r e p o r t was d i r e c t e d toward

i m p r o v i n g t h e l i f e of electric, downhole s u b m e r s i b l e pumps. As

used herein, "pumps" refer to the assembly comprising the

submersible . e l e c t r i c motor, motor p r o t e c t o r , pumping elements and

. .
e l e c t r i c power cable. Pump component r e f e r s o n l y t o t h e pumping

I elements.

Experience w i t h e l e c t r i c downholc s u b m e r s i b l e pumps showed

t h a t i n t r u s i o n o f b r i n e i n t o t h e motor o r c a b l e has been a common

f a i l u r e mode. If t h e motor and c a b l e can be p r e s s u r i z e d to

I prevent t h e intrusion of brine, the o p e r a t i n g l i S e OS t h e pump

can be markedly increased. This report summarizes Barber-

N i c h o l s ' work d u r i n g t h p e r i o d of February 1, 1982 t h r o u g h June

. 30, 1983 under c o n t r a c t number DE-AC04-82AL18536.

T h i s study investigated component failures in electric,

h o l e s u b m e r s i b l e pumps which p r e v e n t e d t h e a t t a i n m e n t o f one

1) year c o n t i n u o u s downhole r u n n i n g t i m e 5 i n geothermal w e l l s a t

t e m p e r a t u r e s up t o 375"-F. The f o l l o w i n g t a s k s were accamplished:

__ ~ ~ _ _ -~ ~ ~- - - - __- - - - - -- -

I
. *

I 2
I

a. Investigated the feasibility of a pressurized motor to

prevent brine intrusion into the motor.

b. Investigated improved pothead and packoff designs for

more consistent field installation and improved performance.

\.
c.\ Investigated brine scale b u i l d u p on impeller sleeve
 s -

'shown t h a t commercially a v a i l a b l e pumps have an average o p e r a t i n g

l i f e slightly i n excess of 1 , X ) O hours. This experience is

discussed i n g r e a t e r d e t a i l i n S e c t i o n 5 . When a downhole motor

was p r e s s u r i z e d w i t h an e x p e r i m e n t a l o i l p r e s s u r i z i n g system, the

average l i f e t i m e i n c r e a s e d t o 4,526 hours. The l o n g e s t o p e r a t i n g

l i f e was 7,900 hours. This d r a m a t i c immprovement i n operating

\
l i f e i s b e l i e v e d t o be th r e s u l t o f t h e motor b e i n g maintained

above ' b r i n e p r e s s u r e by t h e e x t e r n a l o i l p r e s s u r i z i n g system.

The p r o t o t y p e o i l p r e s s u r i z i n g system used f o r our t e s t s at

t h e East Mesa f a c i l i t y was added t o a n . e l e c t r i c submersible Reda

pump used t o provide geothCrma1 brine for t h e 500 kW direct

I contact heat exchanger p i l o t plant. The pressurizing system

schematic i s shown i n F i g u r e 1, "Downwell Motor O i l Pressurizing

System." ' 6s shown i n t figure, a p i p e l e n d s f r o m t h e downwell

motor t o t h e s u r f a c e mou ed o i l sjupply system. A s the downhole

pressure v a r i e d with well production and time, the varying

pressure was sensed b the bubble tube pressure measuring

I
equipment and t h e press; on t h e s u r f a c e adjusted. In this

manner, t h e pressure i n t h was m a i n t a i n e d a t 7 t o 10 psi

above t h e w e l l pressure. akage o f o i l outward f r o m the

I
motor was t h e n r e p il from t h e s u r f a c e . When t h e well

p r e s s u r e was decrease e pressure i n the motor was

I
I
a relief v vented o i l f r o m t h e t o p o f the

1n c a r p a r a t e d as -the
 4
1 .
4
J
I
 . .
6

pressure source rather

p
r
than a
zT

motor-driven pump 50 that oil

p r e s s u r e was m a i n t a i n e d d u r i n g power outages. A battery power

supply prdvided energy for the control system during power

outages. During extremely r a p i d increases of downhole well

p r e s s u r e ( w h i c h was possible during e l e c t r i c a l power outages),

t h e bubble t u b e pressure could n o t keep up w i t h t h e i n c r e a s e in

downhole p r e s s u r e and t h e pressure i n t h e motor was maintained

above we1 1 p r e s s u r e by a b e l l o w s ’ assembly mnunted on t h e bottom

o f t h e e l e c t r i c motor. A s i s f u r t h e r discussed i n S e c t i o n 5.1 o f

t h i s r e p o r t : , t h i s system o p e r a t e d f o r 7,900 h o u r s which, at the

I
time, represented a record for electric, downhole submersible

pumps o p e r a t i n g w i t h 35OQ-F b r i n e .

2.2 NEED FOR A DOWNHOLE REGULATOR

A disadvantage of t h i s system i s encountered with pumps

T h i s system is s i m i l a r t o t h e p r e v i o u s l y discussed configuration

___ - - w i t h the addition of a - dawnhole presm..~re r e g u l a t o r in the oil

 . . !
i
! 7
1

s u p p l y t u b e between t h e s u r f a c e and t h e motor.

The o p e r a t i o n of this system i s as f o l l o w s : The oil

r e s e r v o i r on t h e s u r f a c e (known as t h e accumulator v e s s e l ) i s .
maintained a t constant p r e s s u r e by r e g u l a t i n g t h e gas pressure

from a n i t r o g e n b o t t l e . A n i t r o g e n b o t t l e i s used so t h a t oil

p r e s s u r e can be maintained i n t h e event o f an e l e c t r i c a l power

outage. The p r e s s u r e i s s e l e c t e d t o m a i n t a i n t h e downhole motor

o i l supply pressure above the brine pressure regardless of

operating conditions. This h i g h p r e s s u r e o i l is connected t o a

downhole p r e s s u r e r e g u l a t o r which m a i n t a i n s t h e p r e s s u r e on the

downstream s i d e of t h e r e g u l a t o r a preset v a l u e above ambient

w e l l pressure. T h i s r e g u l a t e d o i l p r e s s u r e i s t h e n connected to

t h e motor. cls t h e w e l l p r e s s u r e i n c r e a s e s ( s a y d u r i n g decreased

pump f l o w ) t h i s r i s e i n p r e s s u r e i s sensed by t h e r e g u l a t o r which

admits a s m a l l a d d i t i o n a l amount o f o i l t o t h e motor t o maintain

5
t h e pres%jure above b r i n e pressure. During Operating conditions

when t h e w e l l p r e s s u r e i s reduced (such as d u r i n g pump s t a r t or

u r i n g increases i n mp f l o w r a t e ) , t h e pressure i n the well i s

reduced and escess pressur i n the motor is v e n t e d t h r o u g h the

downhole r e l i e f valve. A n ex
i

below ' t h e mot w i t h t h e motor p r o v i d e s some

"give" in the o i l volum

1

bellows a l s o maintai essure s l i g h t l y above brine

p r e s s u r e i n case of o i l s u p p l y system f a i l u r e .

- - ___ -.
. ._ - - A n oil--flow.meter-.-.i5 provided an t h e - s u r f a c e to monitor - -
 . .
1 8

downhole pump oil pressurizing system performance and a level

gauge is provided on the oil accumulator vessel for operator

convenience.

This improved downwell pump pressurizing system is suitable

+or installation in both shallow and deep settings. The downhole

pressure regulator is not commercially available and hence, was

developed during this program. Additional details of the

downhole regulator are discussed in Section 2.3.

. . 2.3 DOWNHOLE REGULATOR DEVELOPMENT

* The performance specifications f.or the dow'nhole regulator

assembly are shown in Table 1, Downhole . Regulator .

Spec i f i cat i ons. We are unaware of com'mercially available

pressure regulators which meet all the requirements of Table 1.

Therefore, B/N's first step to develop the regulator was to

I procure a commercially available pressure regulator valve. This

valve wa5 believed to meet the flow requirements, but not the

packaging or metallurgical'requirements, This valve was then

connected to a commercially available diaphragm-type relief valve

i
to make a ' lieving" type pressure regulator which was

responsive to t h increases and decreases in brine pressure. As

gram confirmed the f l w performance of the regulator -

and identified some material problems, the failed components were

replaced with those made of superior materials. The long term

 . . I

within a five-inch diam t

e r p i p e and con t r u c t i t from materials

compatible with the geothermal environment. Two valves so

constructed, were i n s t a l l e d i n t h e B a r b e r - N i c h o l s l a b o r a t o r y w e l l

casing s i m u l a t i o n t e s t r i g . M o b i l SHC 639 s y n t h e t i c hydrocarbon

o i l was p r e s s u r i z e d by a h y d r a u l i c pump b e f o r e passing through

t h e r e g u l a t o r valve. The r e g u l a t o r and r e l i e f v a l v e s and an oil

i,
chamber (to simu1ht.e t h e downhole motor and b e l l o w s assembly)

were l o c a t e d i n s i d e a heated, w a t e r - f i l l e d , pressurized chamber

t o simulate t h e downhole environment. The water p r e s s u r e was

cycled t o s i m u l a t e downhole conditions during pump operation.

The o i l supply pressure t o t h e . r e g u l a t o r was maintained a t a

minimum o f 369 psig'. .

The test r i g was o p e r a t e d 24 hours-a-day f o r s i x days a week

with the "well" p r e s s u r e c y c l e d between 209 p s i g and 300 psig.

The v a l v e s m a i n t a i n e d t h e s i m u l a t e d motor chamber 14 t o 35 psi

above t h e simulated b r i n e pressure. The higher o i l pressure

occurring during higher b r i n e pressure conditions. After six

days o f eration, the t e s t rig was shut down and t h e valves

. Inspection t h e v a l v e components showed no s i g n s o f

wear o r d i s t r e s s .

mbled and a d j u s t e d and t h e t e s t rig

1 days of operation, (19 days

diaphragm of the relief valve

failed. The failure was t r a c e d to impurities i n the water

___. causing the - diaphragm-to. - bcome b r i t t l e and. f a i l d u r i n g valve -

 cycling. The bronze diaphragms o f b o t h v a l v e s were r e p l a c e d w i t h

diaphragms manufactured from 316 stainless steel. It was

recognized that 316 stainless steel would probably not be

s u i t a b l e f o r many w e l l environments because o f i t s s u s c e p t i b i l i t y

t o chloride stress corrosion cracking. It d i d represent an

e x p e d i e n t replacement f o r t h e l a b o r a t o r y t e s t i n g .

The v a l v e s were reassembled and t h e v a l v e t e s t i n g continued

w i t h S25P-F h o t water. The v a l v e s were t e s t e d f o r 32 days when

t h e water temperature s e t p o i n t was i n c r e a s e d f r o m 325"-F t o 380°-F

t o provide a m o r e severe t e s t o f t h e p r e s s u r e r e g u l a t o r control

and r e l i e f valve. The v a l v e s ' maintained the motor cavity

I p r e s s u r e 7.7 to 25.3 p s i above t h e s i m u l a t e d w e l l p r e s s u r e which

i s s l i g h t l y h i g h e r than desired. The p r e s s u r e s c o u l d be changed

-- . ,

L-- _ _ m o d i f i c a t i o n s were made t o the v a l v e a t t h i s t i m e ta-- determine

 the l i f e of t h e o r i g i n a l s o f t T e f l o n seats. The metal-to-metal

seats of t h e pressure r e g u l a t g v a l v e showed no d i s t r e s s .

The v a l v e s were reassembled and i n s t a l l e d i n the t e s t r i g

whic,. was opera-ed a t 580"-F and t h e o i l s u p p l y p r e s s i t r e was 5ie-

a t approximately -300 p s i g . The simulated motor p r e s s u r e was

m a i n t a i n e d t h r e e t o e i g h t p s i above s i m u l a t e d we1 l\.pressure. The

t.ec,t r i g o p e r a t e d c o n t i n u o u s l y -for 137 days u n t i l t h e system was

s h u t dawn because of a pressitre r e l i e f valve leak. Teardown

i n s p e c t i o n showed t h e valve seat area t o be p a r t i a l l y covered

with a bla.ck m a t e r i a l which p r e v e n t e d the v a l v e from seating

tightly. Samples of the black material, new ' o i i and used oil

were s e n t to the Mobil O i l laboratory f o r analysis. Their

- a n a l y s i s showed t h e used o i l sample c o n t a i n e d (3.2% water which i s

n o t c o n s i d e r e d e x c e s s i v e f o r used o i l . The used o i l sample dl50

c o n t a i n e d 30 ppm s i l i c o n which i 5 an i n d i c a t o r o f wear w i t h i n t h e

system. The b l a c k material removed from the valve seat was

p r i m a r i l y composed o f n i c k e l and aluminum f i n e s with traces of

i r o n and 5 i l i c o n . Quoting f r o m t h e M o b i l O i l r e p o r t , " i t appears

,
t h a t a pump o r o t h e r p i e c e o f equipment i s e x p e r i e n c i n g wear and

the debris is accumulating at the pressrjure relief valve".

he t e s t program we r e b u i l t an o i l pump which c o n t a i n e d an

ctnger. A p p a r e n t l y t h e pump wear m a t e r i a l found

e t e s t l o o p and t o t h e r e l i e f v a l v e s e a t where

i t accumulated, p r e v e n t i n g t h e v a l v e from c l o s i n g .

.
. - . The- m o d i f i e d p r e s s u r e r e g u l a t o r was t e s t e d f o r 3,200 total
 T
i

hours. W i t h proper m o d i f i c a t i o n and additional development,

t h e s e components can be packaged in a manner suitable for

i n s t a l l a t i o n w i t h a downhole submersible pump.

3.0 IMPROVED POTHEAD ClND PACKOFF CONFIGURATIONS

Barber-Nichols experience w i t h downhole pump installations '.

has shown t h a t c a b l e end t e r m i n a t i o n s have a h i g h r a t e o f field

failures. The e l e c t r i c a l c a b l e t e r m i n a t i o n a t t h e motor i s known

as t h e pothead while the termination at the surface-mounted

wellhead i s c a l l e d t h e p a c k o f f .
. .

The present pothead provided by Reda incorporates an

elastomer s e a l to- prevent t h e entrance of b r i n e i n t o the. motor

cavity. T h i s s e a l m u s t be c o m p a t i b l e w i t h b o t h h o t o i l and hot

water. In general, high temperature (aprosimately 350a-F

capability) elastomers which are excel.lent for use with

hydrocarbon o i l s are n o t compatible with h o t water and vice

versa. Hence t h e elaEjtomer i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t h e p r e s e n t pothead

configuration is a comp A metal hermetic sheath

surrounding t h e e l e c t r a1 c o n d u c t o r s would eliminate the need

i
f o r t h e e l a s t o m e r i c 5e

I
ucing an improved pothead and

c a b l e conf i g u r a t i o n w a s mine t h e c o m m e r c i a l l y available

cable i n s u l a t i n g material t h a t c o u l d be i n c o r p o r a t e d i n a metal

-sheath. Communication w i t h w i r e m a n u f a c t u r e r s determined t h a t ~ a

\
 I 14
c
ef l o n - i n s u l a t e d copper conductor most met our goals. However a t

e l e v a t e d temperatures, a Tef l o n - i n s u l a t e d copper w i r e is not

capable o f s u p p o r t i n g i t s own weight f o r lengths greater than

a p p r o x i m a t e l y 800 f e e t . It i s necessary t o support t h e w i r e by

means o t h e r t h a n l o c a l clamping o f t h e T e f l o n i n s u l a t i o n because

the Teflon can "cold flow" away from t h e clamping pressure.

Numerous t e c h n i q u e s and p o t e n t i a l vendors were e v a l u a t e d i n this

regard.

It was learned that Halpen Engineering Company has a

t e c h n i q u e whereby T e f l o n - i n s u l a t e d instrument cables a r e covered

w i t h a l l o y 629 welded sheaths. Th.is t e c h n i q u e can c o n c e i v a b l y be

extended to power cables which are much larger than the

i n s t r u m e n t cables. However, c o s t l y n'ew t o o l i n g i s required to

a t e t h e l a r g e r wire size. A s p a r t o f t h i s concept, the

t h r e e sheathed w i r e s would be j o i n e d t o t h e motor w i t h a special

pothead. The sheath would be p r o t e c t e d f r o m a b r a s i o n and other

mechanical damage by a wrap o f g a l v a n i z e d s t e e l armor s i m i l a r to

y a p p l i e d t o downhole pump power cables.

use t h e metal sheaths a r e n o t drawn t i g h t l y a g a i n s t the

e l e c t r i c a l inrjul a t i on ere i s a small discontinuous annulus

ath.This annulus m be p r e s s u r i z e d

quid t o prevent i n ingress of brine. If oil

pressurize t h e annulus, it could also be used to

p r e s s u r i z e t h e motor c a v i t y b y s i m p l y a d m i t t i n g o i l t o t h e motor

through t h_e. pothe-ad_.-For i n s t a l l a t i o n h a v i n g deep- s e t t i n g - d e p t h s

_ _
 ,

and l a r g e w e l l drawdowns, t h e column of o i l inside the cable

would d e v e l o p excessive p r e s s u r e i n t h e motor and a pressure-

tight pothead along with a downhole regulator system is ;/

0 %

required. CS conceptual design of the improved pothead

configuration f o r a shallow s e t t i n g d e p t h is shown i n Farber-

1
N i c h o l s d r a w i n g PCF-001, Concept-Cable Feedthrough. The assembly

of t h e i n s u l a t e d c o n d u c t o r i n t h e metallic s h e a t h is known a s t h e

MSC. The MSC e n t e r s P s t a n d a r d Swagelok t u b e f i t t i n g made by

I
C r a w f o r d F i t t i n g Company w h e r e i n t h e s h e a t h is t e r m i n a t e d . The

Swagelol.:: c o n n e c t o r f orms a metal-to-metal barrier between the

geothermal b r i n e and t h e oil. The i n s u l a t e d e l e c t r i c a l c o n d u c t o r

continues through a metal t u b e to the pothead connector which

i n t e r f a c e s w i t h t h e motor h e a d . T h i s c o n f i g u r a t i o n p r o v i d e s good

s e a l i n g of t h e b r i n e and oil while being s u i t a b l e f o r exist.ing

motor p o t h e a d configurations. This concept is suitable for

i n s t a l l a t i o n w h e r e t h e motor directly through

t h e MSC. The c o n c e p t is also ameniable t o deep s e t t i n g pumps

he motor is pressurized through a separate oil ’ supply

P r e s s u r i z e d oi 1 would t h e n backup t h r o u g h

an oil-filled cable to a level above t h e water level i n the

well. The oil level w i l l be mnint

b e c a u s e of t h e lower s p e c i f i c grav Y of t h e 011. T h e sheath .

c o u l d b e made o f Monel, a1 l o y
 I

I 16
,I

4.C) PUMP SCALE ACCUMULATIONS

Many g e o t h e r m a l b r i n e s have t h e p o t e n t i a l t o form cal c i u m

c a r b o n a t e scale on pump p a r t s . If s c a l e is f o r m e d i n s i d e PL'mP

i m p e l l e r s , s l e e v e b e a r i n g s or t h r u s t w a t e r s , t h e pump operating

t o r q u e may become excessive and resjult i n reduced output or

el e c t r i c a l o v e r 1 c a d s .

Two m e t h o d s of eliminating .this s c a l e may b e incorporated

 I

I
I ' ' 17

greatly increased at elevated temperatures. What may be a

suitable inhibitor at room tempetatures may be completely

inadequate at t h e temperatures encountered i n a hot geothermal

well.

I t is preferable to add t h e a c i d through t h e production

t u b e of a shutdown pump r a t h e r t h a n adding it to the annulus

formed between t h e production t u b e and the well casing. The

q u a n t i t y of carbonate scale in t h e annulus is difficult to

estimate a n d h e n c e , i t is d i f f i c u l t t o d e t e r m i n e how much a c i d is

d. The b r i n e i n t h e p r o d u c t i o n t u b e h a s been pressurized

i n g t h e e v o l u t i o n of carbon d i o x i d e , t h e r e f o r e t h e amount

of scale on t h e p r o d u c t i o n c u b e wall would b e expected t o be

minimal. If t h e a c i d is a d d e d to t h e w e l l . a n n + i l u s , i t may s i m p l y
f l o w down past the pump a n d clean' the well casing while not

r e m o v i n g t h e pump i n t e r n a l scale.

I
ng t h e pump t ough t h e production tube requires

i n s t a l 1a t i o n . Pumps n o r m a l 1y .

incorporate a between t h e pump d i s c h a r g e and the

pump is t o be a c i d i z e d through the

h o u l d n o t be i n s t a l l e d a t the

1s o p e r a t i n g experience

ps s i n c e November 1979 h a s shown

quired i n a r t e s i a n w e l l s .
1

.___Ahalternative--tcr-aridiaing.
scaled - pumps- w o u l d be t o add -
I -

i
I
1 '
I
 I I
I 18

s m a l l amounts o f a n t i - s c a l a n t chemicals such as t h o s e produced b y

Pf i z e r to the continuou y operating pump. This chemical

treatment procedure would also serve to protect downstream

equipment f r o m c a l c i u m c a r b o n a t e o r s i l i c a s c a l i n g .

Barber-Nichals' experience with b r i n e pump seizing after

\
removal f r o m t h e w e l l may be o f i n t e r e s t . D u r i n g removal and
\. 'i

subsequent disassembly o f geothermal b r i n e pumps a t t h e East Mesa

geothermal t e s t facility, it was common f o r the pump t o turn

f r e e l y upon i n i t i a l removal. Upon exposure t o a i r the pumps

would b i n d and become difficult or impossible t o rotate by

. .
hand. This phenomenon was observed even when t h e pump was

I f l o o d e d w i t h water o r D i e s e l f u e l . It i s believed t h a t scale d i d

b u i l d up on i m p e l l e r s and b e a r i n d u r i n g normal pump operation, ,

this scale d i d not s i g n i f i ntly e f f e c t pump performance.

Upon exposure t o a i r , t h i s s c a l e was c h e m i c a l l y a l t e r e d causing

i t t o expand and thereby causi t h e r o t a t i n g elements t o bind.

i

T h e n a t u r e o f t h e chemical change i s unknown, but i s believed to

bon d i o x i d e o r oxygen the a i r acting on

5.0 PUMP PERFORMANCE RECORD

erating experie electric, downhole submersible

pumps i s summarized in t i on. Barber-Nichols ' experience

a t t h e East Mesa geothermal t e s t f a c i l i t y i s ' d i s c u s s e d f i r s t .

 19

5.1 BARBER-NICHOLS EXPERIENCE

'The c o n f i g u r a t i o n o f t h e pump discussjed b e l o w c o n s i s t s o f a

m u l t i s t a g e v e r t i c a l REDA pump connected t o a three-phase, 80 hp

motor t h r o u g h a p r o t e c t o r which c o n t a i n s t h e s h a f t s e a l s r e q u i r e d

t o isolate the motor from t h e hot brine. The pump provides

between 175. and 235 gpm o f SSO'-F geothermal b r i n e . Pcwer is

p r o v i d e d t o t h e downhole motor b y means of an armored c a b l e which

c o n s i s t s o f copper conductors i n d i v i d u a l l y wrapped w i t h aramid

fabric, EPDM r u b b e r and lead. The t h r e e w i r e s a r e then wrapped

t o g e t h e r w i t h a g a l v a n i z e d s t e e l armor t o make a f l a t c a b l e which

c o n t a i n s no s p l i c e s between t h e pothead and p a c k o f f . A quarter-

i n c h diameter carbon s t e e l b u b b l e t u b e was l o c a t e d s l i g h t l y above.

the.pump s u c t i o n t o measure t h e downhole p r e s s u r e a t the pump

inlet.

Barber-Nichols experience i s summarized i n Table 11. The

t a b l e summarizes the installation number for identification,

ate, f a i l u r e and re a1 dates, w e l l number, pump

geothermal b r i n e temperature, and a brief

n of t h e run and f a i l u r e . Additiona i n f o r m a t i o n about

l
u r e s is found below.

T h i s pump was i n s t a l l e d on 7/21/79, but was n o t started

_- .. - u n t i l 8/14L74 because t h e remai er- a+ - t h e - + a c i l i t y was -not

 20

TABLE I1
'

BARBER-NICHOLS WWNHOLE PUMP EXPERIENCE

Installation Failure Setting Operating Surface Comments
Well Bui Id Date Date Depth Time Temp.
No. (Start Date) ( Removal (Feet (Hours {OF)
--
No.
Date)

8-1 1 9 2 79
(f0%4/793.
- ' 620 315 333 Motor burned out
Wellhead incipient
failure
8-1 2 11/16/79 5/05/80 620 4052 333 Motor contained
(11/17/79) (5/19/80) . # gallon water
leak path unknown
8-1 3 6/25/80 8/26/80 620 1481 333 Packoff failure
6/26I801 (9/22/80)
6-2 1 8/21/80 8/26/80 762 100 350 Packoff failure
(8/22/80) (9/17/80)
6-2 2 9/18/80 12/18/80 731 2184 350 Same unit as 6-2
(9/18/801 (1/15/81) Build # l e SUS-
pected incipient
cable failure
6-2 1/16/81 1/31/81 762 3 36 350 Packoff failure
I
(1/17/81) (2/03/81) *
dr leaking wellhead
6-2 2/06/81 1 2/06/81 731 si 350 Leaking wellhead
(2/06/81) (2109/81)
6-2 2/10/81 2/11/82 700 350 Pot head crack
(2/10/81) (21171811
6-2 3/17/81 6/27/81 729 2352 350 Wet cable. .Wet m o t (
I ( 3/18/81) (7/24/81) Suspected pothead
water leak
6-2 : 5 9/04/81 9/14/81 739 136 350 BIN oil pressur-
(91081811 (9/22/811 izing system.
Oil supply tube
failure. Pot
head O-ring
shaved
6-2 6 10/23/81 9/22/82 615 7900 350 BIN oil pressur-
izing system.
Sand wore out
pump elements
6-2 7 1016182 1/04/83 . 615 1152 350 B/N oil pressur-
(10/07/82) 5/25/83 izing system.
Damaged well casir,
caused pump to be- ;
come stuck

- .

4
 -~ ~~

I
1

- .
1
21 j
i
I

ready. This pump was manually s h u t down on 8/22/79 after

~

I
o p e r a t i n g f o r e i g h t days. While a t t e m p t i n g t o r e s t a r t t h e pump I

on 9/25/79, t h e pump s h u t down due t o overload. While t h e pump

was s t i l l downwrll, a meggar indicated a short c i r c u i t from a

. phase conductor t o ground. The pump was removed f r o m t h e w e l l on

10/24/79. The motor and o i l smelled burned. A t o t a l of two

p i n t s of water were removed f r o m t h e motor and p r o t e c t o r and

t h e r e was evidence o f b r i n e leakage across t h e s h a f t s e a l l o c a t e d

i'n t h e p r o t e c t o r . Subsequent i n s p e c t i o n showed t h e u n i t failed

due t o motor b u r n o u t which o c c u r r e d i n a s t a t o r w i n d i n g s l o t . In

addition, a l e a d w i r e between t h e pothead and s t a t o r winding had

me1ted.

Inspect4on o f t h e w e l l head showed t h e RTV r u b b e r used- to

sea1 around t h e p r o d u c t i o n t u b e was decomposed.

P u i l d # 2 , Well 8-1

T h i s pump was i n s t a l l e d 11/16/79 and s t a r t e d 11/17/79. It

o p e r a t e d almost continuously u n t i l 5/05/80 when t h e pump shut

down a u t o m a t i c a l l y due t o overload. The c a b l e and motor were

meggared and showed 1 0 0 K r e s i s t a n c e phase-to-ground. A restart

was attempted, but t h e pump 5hut down because o f overload. A

second meggar reading showed 0 ohms phase-to-ground. When

removed f r o m t h e w e l l on 5/19/80 s i g n i f i c a n t carbonate buildup

was d i s c o v e r e d on t h e pump i n l e t screen. The motor and p r o t e c t o r

turned-freely, but t h e pump showed r e s i s t a n c e ' t o turning. The

 motor c o n t a i n e d about 1/2 gallon o f water. The resistance

between the condcrctors and motor case was 8K ohms, which

i n d i c a t e d a wet dielectric. The pothead meggared a t 2 0 M ohms.

A l l but one shaft seal in the protector rere i n excellent

c o n d i t i o n and a l l were s t i l l s e a l i n g . The p r o t e c t o r and motor

b e a r i n g s were i n good condition, b u t t h e pump b e a r i n g s and wear

rings contained some scale. The motor resistance was

d e t e r i o r a t i n g and i t was f e l t i t would have been a s h o r t time

b e f o r e motor a r c i n g and ' b u r n o u t would o c c u r , even w i t h a dry

motor.

b u i l d #3. Well 8-1

,
T h i s pump was. i n s t a l l e d 6/25/86 i n w e l l 8-1. On 8/26/80

t h i s pump Shut down automatically because of an electrical

overload. Inspection of the cable d u r i n g removal showed water

between t h e l e a d and t h e EPDM i n s u l a t i o n i n two o f t h e c o n d u c t o r s

below t h e packoff. Subsequent t e s t i n g of the pump and cable

below t h e packoff indicated they w e r e . s t i l l good (the cable

meggared between 1 and 13:)O meggaohms), but one phase was

d e t e r i o r a t i n g and failure was expected to occur s h o r t l y . fl

I
teardown o f t h e p a c k o f f showed t h e water c i r c u l a t i o n b a r r i e r was

n o t i n place. T h i s b a r r i e r prevents t h e n a t u r a l c i r c u l a t i o n of
6

f
i n t o t h e packof area. I t s need was i d e n t i f i e d i n the

GPTF p o r t a b l e pump test 5. Further&y-e, there Was

p 3 a s t i c t a p e on one phase conductor and f i b e r g l a s s t a p e on all

water..-.i n . . t h e p r o t e c t o r ,
._~hr_ee,_~__There.was;.nn. but there-was some-
. . * I

23

water i n the motor indicating the shaft seals were working

properly, and t h e r e was a l e a k p a t h d i r e c t l y between t h e motor

and w e l l . T h i s was t h e l a s t i n s t a l l a t i o n i n w e l l 8-1.

E k i i I d #1, We1 1 6-1

T h i s pump was i n s t a l l e d 8/21/80 and s t a r t e d 8/22/80. This

represents the f i r s t i n s t a l l a t i o n i n h i g h e r temperature w e l l 6-

2. This pump s h u t down autorntically on 8/20/€30due to an

e l e c t r i c a l overload. D u r i n g removal, we c u t t h e c a b l e j u s t below

the packoff. The measured r e s i s t a n c e between t h e phase w i r e s and

ground i n the packoff showed two phases shorted to ground.

Measured r e s i s t a n c e o f downbole c a b l e and motor was 2 0 M ohm phase

t o ground, indicating the electrical f a i l u r e occwred 'in the

packoff. When t h e p a c k o f f was disassembled, it was discovered

t h e water circulation barrier in the packoff extension was

m i s s i n g and t h e l e a d sheath had been removed from t h e c a b l e near

 - . 1
24
I
J -/ \

ohms b e t w e e n c o n d u c t o r s a n d g r o u n d . B e f o r e removal o n 1/15/81 i t

w a s rneggared a t 500K ohms. Thre w a s n o water i n t h e protector

a n d o n e p i n t o f water i n t h e motor. Motor o i l w a s yellow-white

a n d foamy w i t h n o b u r n e d s m e l l . I t w a s believed t h a t t h i s unit

w a s f a i l i n g b e c a u s e of a s h o r t i n t h e c a b l e .

'\\
B u i l d #3. W e l l 6-2

T h i s pump w a s i n s t a l l e d 1/16/81 a n d started the next day.

T h i s pump s h u t dowm a u t o m a t i c a l l y o n 1/31/81 d u e t o underload.

A t t h i s t i m e it m e g g a r e d a t 70K ohms p h a s e t o ground, which i5

. .
i n c o n s i s t e n t with t h e underload shutdown. On F e b r u a r y 2 , 1981,

f b r i n e leakage w a s observed around t h e c o u p l i n g welded i n t o the

wellhead flange. A new coupling w a s welded t o the wellhead

flange the next day, T h e pump w a 5 l i f t e d one production tube

j o i n t a n d a new p a c k o f f w a 5 made u s i n g l u b r i c a n t t o h e l p s e a t t h e

sealing blocks,

T h e pump w a s restarted o n 2/6/81. A f t e r one half-hour of

operation, a l e a k w a s o b s e r v e d at t h e wellhead coupling. The

weld had f a i l e d due t o poor weld p e n e t r a t i o n in the coupling.

During t h e subsequent repair work, the cable was accidently

damaged a n d t h e pump w a s raised 30 f e e t t o p r o v i d e e n o u g h cable

!
t o remake t h e packoff.

The pump was started on 2/9/81 a n d ' was left pumping

.- - ~ o v e r n i g h t at abo 200 gpm, The n e x t morning, while changing t h e

 f l o w c o n t r o l valves, t h e pump f l o w i n c r e a s e d and t h e pump shut

down on overload. The motor and c a b l e were meggared a t 3K ohms

and t h e pump was p u l l e d on 2/10/81. The p a c k o f f was okay. A

c r a c k was found i n t h e s o l d e r j o i n t between t h e pothead and the

c a b l e armor. About one g a l l o n was water and was d r a i n e d f r o m t h e

motor. The motor t h r u s t bearing was s c o r e d and one of its

.'
t i l t i n g pqd5 was jammed. The motor head and s t a t o r were found t o

be r u s t y . The'water had a p p a r e n t l y leaked i n t o t h e motor t h r o u g h

a v o i d i n t h e pothead c a s t i n g .

B u i l d #4, Well 6-2 . ,

. .

1 T h i s pump was i n s t a l l e d 3/17//81 and s t a r t e d t h e following

.day. The pump s h u t down on 6/27/81 due t o a power outage. The

pumped was meggared a t 5OK ohms a f t e r sitting idle over the

weekend. No r e s t a r t was attempted. The pump was removed on

7/24/81. A f t e r removal, t h e p r o t e c t o r and pump t u r n e d smoothly

I b u t t h e motor t u r n e d r o u g h l y and one p i n t of water was drained

f r o m t h e mo r. The motor had a broken l e a d w i r e which may have

been broken d u r i n g t h e removal o f t h e pothead. An' o i l sample

t a k e n f r o m the. motor showed many p a r t i c l e s suspended i n t h e oil,

I
i n c l u d i n g p a r t i c l e5 t o be rust, dirt, and p i e c e s 0.f

electrical i n n i n s p e c t i o n showed the motor

I
thritst washers ha been overheated and were cracked and

crumbly. The motor s h a f t w a s b l u e near t h e motor r o t o r s . The

c a b l e was wet i t s f u l l l e n g t h , b u t s t i l l passed a 2(:M v o l t high

I
I
,- p o t e n t i a _ l _ t e s t , _ The p a f h e a d __
I

. .
I 26
I
I
was concluded t h a t t h e f a i l u r e o f t h i s pump w a s caused by water

e n t e r i n g t h e c a b l e and motor t h r o u g h t h e pothead.

B u i l d #5, Well 6-2

REDA pump #5 was t h e f i r s t i n s t a l l a t i o n t o use t h e BIN motor

\

o i l p r e s s u r i z a t i o n system.'\, T h i s c o n s i s t e d of a surface-mounted

a i l supply system connected t o the motor b y an o i l line, a5

discussed i n S e c t i o n 2 . 0 . The pump was i n s t a l l e d on 9 / 6 4 / 8 1 and

s t a r t e d on 9/08/81 a f t e r t h e Labor Day weekend.

. .
The pump wa5 shut down' on 9/14/81 t o p e r f o r m maintenance on

t the electrical

t h e motor p r e s s u r i z i . n g system was o u t o f o i l . Additionally there

was an e l e c t r i c a l s h o r t from t h e phase c o n d u c t o r s t o ground in

t h e c a b l e and/or motor. Durin removal on 9/22/81, the packoff

w a s found t o be okay. I n s p e c t i o n r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e 304 stainless

! steel a i l line had broken below the wellhead due to stress

o r r o s i o n cracking. Additionally t h e O-ring s e a l between the

pothead and motor had been shaved d u r i n g i n s t a l l a t i o n and two of

t h e t u b u l a r connectors on t h e end o f t h e motor l e a d w i r e s were

i
loose. They had been i m p r o p e r l y i n s t a l l e d a t t h e f a c t o r y . Motor

nce was found t o be 8 0 M ohms, indi

!
11 i n t a c t and c o u l d b i e d out. Three q u a r t

were d r a i n e d f r o m t h e motor

hand. A n o i l sample taken from t h e p r o t e c t o r c o n t a i n e d water.

 . .

Build M 6 . Well 6-2

This installation also incorporated the downwell oil

p r e s s u r i z i n g system. T h e pump was i n s t a l l e d 1(3/2.3/81 a n d s t a r t e d

t h e same d a y . I t ran f o r approximately 7900 h o u r s u n t i l i t was

removed October 4, 1982. This 7900 hours represents a

s i g n i f i c a n t i m p r o v e m e n t i n pump o p e r a t i n g ime. During t h e run,

pump head a n d f l o w d e g r a d e d c o n t i n u o u s l y a5 sctrnmarized i n F i g u r e

3. T h e p e r f o r m a n c e d e c r e a s e d t o a p o i n t w h e r e t h e pump c o u l d n o t

s u p p l y t h e 500 kW p i l o t p l a n t needs. Upon removal of t h e pump

and i n s p e c t i o n at t h e Keda B a r t l e s v i l l e f a c i l i t y , i t . was found

t h a t t h e pump i m p e l l e r s h a d l i t e r a l l y worn o u t b e c a u s e of small

a m o u n t s of s a n d in the well. The s a n d had worn t h e impeller

t h r u s t b a l a n c i n g 5edlS a1

r u b a g a i n s t t h e i r s t a t o r s , t h e r e b y c a u s i n g a d d i t i o n a l wear. The

motor i n s u l a t i o n w a s i n e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n a n d t h e meggar s h o w e d

__ - .----brine removed t h e - p h o ~ i p h o r o u s additives f r o m the lubriratin

 I
c

z 'C
a

82
T\M€.
- 3%

- -34

32c

3
a

a * '
d

240

2-20
 . .
30
-1
oil. T h i s phosphorous combined w i t h calcium i n the brine to

produce c a l c i u m phosphate which p r e c i p i t a t e d out of the liquid.

Much c a l c i u m phosphate was found upstream of the f i v e micron

downhole o i l f i l t e r . T h i s combination o f phosphorous i n t h e oil

and c a l c i u m i n t h e b r i n e i s a150 suspected t o be t h e reason far

t h e r e l i e f v a l v e p l u g g i n g o f t e n found i n used downhole geothermal

protectors .

, An operational problem was plugging of t h e bubble tubes.

Inspection of the bubble tube after 79C)O h o u r s of operation

showed t h e l o w e r end t o be plugged w i t h a w h i t e scale. It i s

believed t h a t the dry nitrogen gas used ’ for the bubble tube

caused t h e b r i n e i n s i d e t h e bubble t u b e t o be s l o w l y evaporated

. l e a v i n g b e h i n d a c a l c i u m carbonate d e p o s i t .

B u i l d #7, Well 6-2

T h i s pump was i n s t a l l e d 10/6/82 and s t a r t e d 19/7/82, I t ran

u n t i l 11/24/82 when i t was s h u t down because t h e b r i n e was no

longer required. D u r i n g i n s p e c t i o n on 1/4/83 a meggar showed 1ZK

ohms phase-to-ground and t h e pump was not r e s t a r t e d . During the

I

a t t e m p t t o p u l l t h e u n i t on 2/8/83, we d i s c o v e r e d t h e production

t u b e was s t u c k i n the 1. A stretch t e s t of the production

I
t u b e showed it to be stuck approximately 346 f e e t below the

wellhead. It was b e l i e v e d t h e t u b wa5 r e s t r a i n e d by s c a l e o r a

,
I
I damaged w e l l casing. A t t h e time, i t appeared t h a t s c a l e was t h e

mare l i k e l y cause because t h e well had been produced by Slowing

I

I
1 .
I
I
 1 0 0 gpm o f b r i n e f r o m t h e annulous f o r 60 hours. Sufficient k i l l

f l u i d was pumped i n t o t h e w e l l t o f i l l t h e annulous. The fluid

d i d not f l o w out t h e t o p o f t h e w e l l i n d i c a t i n g t h e r e was still

an opening p a s t t h e pump.

O n 4/18/83, 500 g a l l o n s o f i n h i b i t e d 10% a c e t i c a c i d was

pumped i n t o the well annulous. The workover r i g pulled and

t w i s t e d t h e production tube t o loosen i t . A t o t a l o f 240 f e e t o f

p r o d u c t i o n t i i b e was, removed. On 4/20/83, another 500 g a l l o n s of

a c e t i c a c i d was added, b u t no a d d i t i o n a l t u b i n g was removable.

I
The w e l l annulous was f i l l e d w i t h f r e s h water w h i l e t h e workover

r i g wa5 used on another w e l l . On 4/25/83, 1500 g a l l o n s o f 30%

I . inhibited acetic acid was added t o the well. However, the

workover r i g was still. not able to remove the pump. On

. 5/29/83, a s e t o f j a r s were used t o "hammer" t h e equipment out

of well. The pump c mponent was f u l l of sand and broken pump

pieces. There were two g a l l o n s o f water i n the motor and the

1 pothead was cracked. The motor, p r o t e c t o r o r pump d i d n o t turn

The motor windings were s h o r t e d t o the motor case.

e pump was removed f r o m t h e well, a logging t o o l would

n o t go below 315 f e e t .
1

1
5.2 'EHATING EXP ENCE O F OTHERS
f
I

The b e s t documentation af the operating esperience with

4 e l e c t r i c downhole submersible pumps available in the public

I

a5 prepared for.. the Electric Power-Research Institute

 I

~~~ _I_

-,'-

. .
I

1 32

under p r o j e c t #HF'195-8 by Peter F. E l l i s and P.F. Greene of

Radian C o r p o r a t i o n , Austin, Texas under t h e d i r e c t i o n of EPHI

p r o j e c t manager Evan Hughes. With EPRI and Radian's kind

permission, t h e operating experience of the other geothermal

pumps i s summarized i n Table 11.1 o f t h i s r e p o r t . The i n f o r m a t i o n

e n c l o s e d i s f r o m t h e d r a f t copy o f t h e EPRI r e p o r t .

There is one other pump installation included i n our

study. Because of t h e dramatic: success o f t h e B a r b e r - N i c h o l s o i l

pressurized system, REDA designed and assembled an oil

p r e s s u r i z i n g system f o r a 300 hp s u b m e r s i b l e pump i n w e l l 44-7 at

t h e Magma s i t e . The o i l s u p p l y system wa5 a p r o p r i e t a r y design

c a l l e d POSILIFE. C o n s i d e r a b l e d i f f i c u l t y wa5 encountered during

t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n of t h i s prototype sytem. After t h e pump had

been i n s t a l l e d , t h e ' resistance between phase conductors and

ground was 150 megaohms. The pump s u c t i o n s e t t i n g depth was

1388.5 f e e t . The pump operated f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y two weeks and

I shut down due to an e l e c t r i c a l o v e r l o a d . The pump was p u l l e d and

d to Bartlesville, 0

w i t n e s s e d by B a r b e r - N i c h o l s engineers. The pump and protector

were i n good c o n d t i o n and c o u l d be reused. The tandem motors

I
were wet w i t h water, b u t i t would be p o s s i b l e t o d r y them o u t and

t h e y a l s o c o u l d be reused. Th c a b l e had been m e c h a n i c a l l y abused

1

I
e i t h e r d u r i n g t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o r removal. The pothead had blown

up ( l i t e r a l l y ) and a p p r o x i m a t e l y one-half o f i t was missing. It

I i s hypothesized that water got i n t o the pothead area. The

r--- -- resulting short c i r c u i t caused a s p a r k - and some of t h e water -

I
I
.

.-
fi
 35

I .

TABLE I11
GEOTHERMAL PUMPING EXPERIENCE S U W Y : ELECTRIC SWHERSIBLES

Table I11 is reproduced from EPRI Project #RP195-8

by Peter E l l i s and P.F. Greene of Radian Corp.
 I
! 38
i

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