PROTECTORS

PROTECTORS 2

PROTECTOR TYPES 2
LABYRINTH PROTECTORS 2
POSITIVE SEAL PROTECTORS 3
TANDEM PROTECTORS 4
DUAL LABYRINTH PROTECTORS IN TANDEM 4
LABYRINTH PROTECTORS ABOVE POSITIVE PROTECTORS 4
DUAL POSITIVE PROTECTORS 5
THRUST BEARINGS 6
FAILURE MODES OF PROTECTORS AND THRUST BEARINGS 8

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 PROTECTORS

Protectors

A protector assembly is installed between the motor and the pump. A protector
assembly typically contains one or more protector systems together with a thrust
bearing to provide the following functions:

1. Supporting the pump shaft and preventing transmission of pump axial thrust to the
motor
2. Preventing well fluids from entering the motor
3. Equalise the pressure between the motor housing and the wellbore

The motor housing must remain filled with refined motor oil to operate correctly. Entry
of well fluids into the motor will cause premature failure. The protector section of an
ESP allows the rotating motor shaft to pass through the motor housing, while preventing
the ingress of well fluid into the motor. The protector assembly accommodates the
thrust bearing which carries the weight and pressure loading of the pump shaft and any
thrust imposed by the pump impellers.

Heating of the motor when running into the well or due to operation of the pump will
cause expansion of the lubricating oil within the motor. Cooling of the motor following
pump shut down will cause the oil to contract. The protector section accommodates the
expansion and contraction of oil, and equalises the pressure within the motor housing
with that of the wellbore.

Protector types

Two types of protector are commonly used. These are labyrinth protectors, in which
gravity separation of fluids of different density is used to segregate well fluids and
motor oil, and elastomer protectors in which a flexible membrane is used to prevent
motor oil and well fluids coming into contact. In most systems two or more protectors
are used in tandem to provide redundancy.

Labyrinth protectors

Labyrinth protectors consist of two chambers which are filled with motor oil before the
pump is installed in the well. During installation geothermal heating will cause the oil in
the motor and protector to expand, causing oil to leak from the protector. Further
leakage will occur when the motor is started due to heating of the oil by the motor.
When the motor is stopped the oil will cool and contract, causing wellbore fluid to be
drawn into the upper chamber of the protector. The wellbore fluid, which must have a
density greater than that of the motor oil, will settle to the bottom of the upper
chamber.

Subsequent start-stop cycles will cause further oil to leak from the protector, to be
replaced by well fluid. The upper chamber will eventually fill with well fluid, and further
cycling will cause well fluid to be drawn into the lower chamber. If the lower chamber is
completely filled with well fluid further cycling will cause well fluid to be drawn into the
motor, leading to failure.

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 PROTECTORS

The labyrinth type protector described above can only function in near vertical wells,
where the well fluid density is greater than that of the motor oil. It can not be used in
wells where the well fluid is miscible with the motor oil, or contains large amounts of

Top of unit is in contact with well fluid via the pump intake

The fluid
The heavier gravity
level can
well fluid is sep-
arated by gravity. rise and

A "U-tube" design
keeps the heavy
well fluid from going
fall as
lower into the unit
keeping the thrust needed to
bearing and motor balance the
full of clean oil. pressure.

Bottom of unit is in direct contact with motor head

free gas.

Positive seal protectors

In applications where labyrinth type protectors can not be used a positive seal or bag
type protector may be suitable. With positive seal protectors the motor oil is separated
from the well fluids by an elastomer membrane. These protectors are run into the well
filled with motor oil. Thermal expansion of the oil in the motor and protector will cause
the pressure within the membrane and motor to rise. The pressure will rise to
approximately 4 psi (0.3 bar) when a relief valve will open discharging a small volume of
oil into the well. Cooling of the oil when the motor is stopped will cause the membrane to
partially collapse, allowing oil to flow back into the motor housing. Subsequent stop-start
cycling of the pump should not cause further quantities of oil to be discharged to the
wellbore, with any changes of oil volume accommodated by inflation and deflation of the
membrane.

Positive Seal Protectors

The bag is free to
change volume as
Elastomer Bag necessary and yet
keeps the two
fluids physically
separated at all
times.

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 PROTECTORS

For larger pumps and high temperature applications multiple protectors may be required
to accommodate changes in the volume of oil. Aromatic compounds present in some
wellbore fluids may cause degradation and premature failure of the elastomer
membrane. Ideally, testing of the membrane with the fluids to be pumped should be
carried out prior to selecting the protector type.

Tandem Protectors

Maintenance of clean motor oil and thrust bearing longevity are key factors in obtaining
reasonable ESP run lives. For this reason it is not unusual for manufacturers to combine
more than one protector element within each protector assembly to provide some
redundancy. For more critical applications use of tandem protector assemblies can be
considered.

The Modular Protector System

Bag Head
ns
Chamber t io
Seal Body
b ina
Labyrinth C om
e
Chamber Base sibl
s
e Po
t h
e of
s
P art So
m
Shafts
on
mm
Co

Thrust Only B L BSL LSB BSBSL LSLSB BPBSLSL

Dual Labyrinth Protectors in Tandem

Two labyrinth protectors can be used in tandem in wells with small amounts of free gas,
and high density well fluids immiscible with motor oil. Excessive cycling of the pump will
lead to premature failure of the thrust bearing and motor.

Labyrinth Protectors above Positive Protectors

This combination affords protection of the positive protector elastomer membrane from
corrosive well fluids and provides protection for the thrust bearing.

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 PROTECTORS

Protector operation cycles LSB Prot.

more well well well
2 oil 3 4 5 5
oil fluid fluid fluid

LSB Modular Protector

Bag Bag Bag

contracts expands contracts

Unit Motor Motor stops Motor cycles-on Motor cycles-

installed operates and oil and oil off and oil
in well and oil contracts expands contracts
expands

Dual Positive Protectors

Dual positive protectors can be used in deviated wells and in other cases where the well
fluid is incompatible with labyrinth protectors. This combination provides good
protection of the thrust bearings.

Protector operation cycles BSB Prot.

more well well well
2 oil 3 4 5 5
oil fluid fluid fluid
BSB Modular Protector

Bag Bag Bag

contracts expands contracts

Bag Bag Bag

contracts expands contracts

Unit Motor Motor stops Motor cycles-on Motor cycles-

installed operates and oil and oil off and oil
in well and oil contracts expands contracts
expands

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 PROTECTORS

Modular Protector Application - Chamber Configuration

Key: 1 = Excellent 2 = Good 3 = Fair 4 = Poor

Application Type L LSL LSLSL B LSB LSBPB BSL BSBSL BPBSL LSBSB
BHT < 250 F 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2
250 F < BHT < 300 F 3 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 3
(A) 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
G < 0.82 4 4 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
Intermittent Operation 4 4 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 1
Deviated Well 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3
Miscible Well Fluid 4 4 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 3
HP < 50 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2
HP < 150 2 2 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 2
HP > 150 2 2 1 4 4 1 4 4 1 3
Aggressive Well 2 2 1 4 1 1 4 4 4 2
Fluids (B)
(A) Applicability improves with correct elastomers for higher temp. service, usually
Aflas for seal elastomers, o-rings, & bags.
(B) Those that deteriorate specific elastomers used.

Assumes use of standard materials for configurations listed. Use normal

guidelines for application of high load bearings and ferritic housings.

Protector Elastomer Selection

REDA Elastomer Application Guidelines
Neoprene
Nitrile Carboxy-Nitrile HSN Viton Aflas
Temp. Limit (Deg F)* 250 275 300 350 400
Relative Chemical Resistance Properties
Water/Oil 1 1 1 2 1
Hydrogen Sulfide 1 3 1 4 1
Amines 3 3 3 4 1
Polar Chemicals 4 4 1-2 3 3
Carbon Dioxide 2 2 2 4 2

*Temperature Limit above indicates maximum operating temperature for the

specific REDA compound. An elastomeric component will operate at a
temperature higher than the well ambient temperature depending on its
location in the equipment. Contact REDA for specific application assistance.

1 = Excellent long term resistance (very low swell/maintains very high physical properties)
2 = Good long term resistance (moderate swell/maintains high physical properties)
3 = Fair - depends upon exposure time and temperature (good short term resistance)
4 = Poor - no resistance even in short term

Thrust Bearings

The weight of the motor shaft and the force due to the pressure differential between
the ends of the pump acting on the shaft cross section together with any unbalanced
longitudinal fixed impeller loads are carried on a thrust bearing immersed in motor oil
within the protector section. The upper and lower stationary bearings are fixed to the
protector housing. Sandwiched between the upper and lower bearing faces is a runner,
which is fixed to the drive shaft, with which it rotates. If the pump impellers are of the
fixed type, and are operated in downthrust, the shaft to the bearing will transmit
additional loads. Upthrust will reduce the bearing load but may lead to vibration and
premature wear. The thrust capacity of the bearing may limit the depths and pressures
at which an ESP can be used.

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 PROTECTORS

Upthrust
bearing
Thrust
Runner

Downthrust
bearing

Standard thrust bearings are of a marine type and must have a film of oil present
between the faces to function. A standard bearing is of the compliant pad type in which
misalignment is accommodated by wear of the bearing faces which are made of babbit
metal, an alloy of silver and lead. A high thrust bearing is of the tilting pad self-levelling
type, in which one face is made of babbit metal and the other of a teflon based material.
The maximum thrust loading of a bearing is dependent on the speed of rotation. The
nominal value is for operation at 60 Hz; for operation at 50 Hz the maximum loading is
reduced. The rating of the thrust bearing will also depend on the wellbore temperature,
and the type of motor fluid used. At higher temperatures the viscosity of the motor oil
may drop reducing the ability to maintain the oil film.

An example plot of the load limit of thrust bearings at 50 and 60 Hz for a range of
temperatures are shown below.

Protector Load Ratings vs. Temperature for REDA 2 Oil

540 Series Protector

15,000

Hi Ex Bearing
12,500
Load (LBf)

10,000 Bronze
Bearing

7,500

5,000

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Bottom Hole Temp (°F)

60 Hz and Above 50 Hz

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 PROTECTORS

Floater pumps are normally designed so that under the design operating conditions the
axial load transmitted via the shaft to the thrust bearing is minimised. The minimum
operating load occurs if all impellers are floating, and neither the weight of the
impellers, nor impeller thrust is transmitted to the shaft. This load will be equal to the
weight of the shaft and the force due to the pressure differential across the pump
acting on the cross sectional area of the shaft.

Compression pumps transfer all the pump forces to the thrust bearing. This is very
beneficial as then all the thrust is carried in a clean environment, by a bearing that can
be engineered to meet all the thrust expectations.

Friction at the protector and bearing faces will absorb a small amount of mechanical
power from the shaft, typically less than 5 hp.

Failure modes of protectors and thrust bearings

 · Labyrinth protectors will fill with well fluid if cycled excessively, causing the thrust
bearing and motor to fail.
 · Positive protectors will fail if exposed to incompatible well fluids, or if subjected to
excessive temperatures
 · Bearings will fail if misaligned or subject to excessive thrust outside of design
conditions.
 · High temperature may cause bearing damage due to viscosity variations in the oil
film between the rotating and station sections of the thrust bearing.
 · Vibration caused by faulting pump/motor may lead to premature bearing failure.
 · Contaminated lubricant will cause premature failure. Great care must be taken
during system installation that oil fluids are clean and free from solids, etc.
 · Some types of high load thrust bearings will be permanently damaged by rotation of
the shaft in the wrong direction, and care should be taken to ensure that the motor coils
are connected correctly to the three phase supply. Backspinning of the pump due to well
fluid flowing back down the tubing following pump shut down must also be prevented with
such bearings. This can be achieved by installation of a check valve at the pump outlet.

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