ESP POWER CABLES

POWER CABLE 2

CABLE CONSTRUCTION 2
CABLE CONFIGURATIONS 3
CABLE SPLICES 3
FLAT CABLE VERSUS ROUND CABLE 4
CABLE TEMPERATURE RATINGS 4
CABLE VOLTAGE RATINGS 5
CABLE AMPACITY CHARTS 6
CABLE PROTECTION 6
GAS INGRESS INTO ESP CABLES 7
EARTH LEAKAGE 7
CORROSION 8
COMMON FAILURES OF ESP CABLES 8

PAGE 1
 ESP POWER CABLES

Power Cable

Electrical power is supplied to submersible pumps using a cable, which passes through
the tubing/casing annulus. The cable is clamped to and supported by the production
tubing. The electrical cables used for submersible pumps must be selected according to
the current they are required to carry the maximum voltage to which they will be
subjected and the operating conditions to which they will be exposed. At the motor the
cable is connected to the "Pot Head" which allows the power to be connected to the
motor windings while preventing ingress of well fluid into the motor housing. At surface
the cable passes through the wellhead or is connected via a pressure tight electrical
feed-through connector to the surface power supply.

Cable Construction

The cables used for ESPs consist of three tinned copper conductors, which may be
solid , stranded or compacted stranded. Stranded conductors are separated by a gas
blocking compound to prevent gas migration between the strands. Stranded conductors
may also be compacted to eliminate the spaces between the strands. Stranded
conductors have a larger diameter than a solid conductor of the same cross section and
are more susceptible to corrosion damage due to the increased surface area

Interstices
have free
space

Stranded & Compacted SOLID

Stranded
Conductor Conductor Conductor

Conductors are generally coated with Kapton to provide a chemical barrier between the
copper and the insulation, and to give limited protection from attack by corrosive well
fluids which may penetrate the insulation. The Kapton coating is sheathed in an
insulating polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene at low temperatures, or EPDM
(Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer) at higher temperatures. An additional
impermeable lead sheath may be added to protect the insulation and copper conductor
from attack by well fluids in sour or corrosive environments. The sheath is normally
wrapped with braid or tape for mechanical strength. This braid prevents rupturing of
the polymer, due to expansion of absorbed gas, during decompression of the cable. The
three conductors are embedded in nitrile rubber or EPDM to provide support and
protection.

An armour layer of Monel, stainless steel, or galvanised steel is wrapped around the
jacket to protect the cable and provide crush resistance while running into the hole.
Armour is available in different thickness and for some cables double armour may be
specified. An additional conductor or instrumentation ("I") wire may be included for use
with subsurface pressure and temperature sensors. Cables incorporating a small
diameter tube for use as an hydraulic control line or for chemical injection are also
available.

PAGE 2
 ESP POWER CABLES

Metal Low Profile

Armor Metal Armor
Nitrile Jacket Nitrile Jacket

EPDM EPDM
Primary Insulation Primary Insulation

Protective Braid Protective Braid

7 Strand Barrier Tape Conductor Barrier Tape

Conductors

Cable configurations

Cable for ESPs is manufactured in a standard circular configuration with the three
conductors grouped in a pyramid at the centre or in a flat configuration with the three
conductors side by side. In wells with limited clearance between the casing and
production tubing the use of flat cable may be required. A section of flat cable ("Flat
Cable Extension") is normally spliced at the bottom of the supply cable to reduce the
clearance required between the pump housing and casing.

Cable Materials/ Construction Abbreviation Selection Criteria

Component Primary Secondary
Conductor Operating Mechanical
Three phases of alloy coated copper Stranded, compacted, solid, R Voltage l Handling
to maintain the electrical path Round, Flat. 4Kv, 5Kv, (8Kv) F
Insulation Temperature Chemical Attack
Insulation suitable to the application Polypropylene copolymer PPE, P Range
bonded to each conductor phase EPDM rubber E
Barrier Temperature Chemical Attack
Prevents chemical attacks and gas PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) S Range
migration from the conductor to the Tedlar™ tape TB
jacket, therefore, preventing Teflon™ FEPextrusion F
differential pressure rupturing of the Lead L
jacket
Jacket HDPE (high density PE Chemical Temperature
Provides chemical resistance and polyvinylidene). Hydrocarbons Range
mechanical strength Oil- resistant nitrile rubber O
compound
EPDM rubber compound. E
Armor Provides additional outer Galvanised steel G Mechanical Corrosion
mechanical protection Heavy galvanised steel HG Considerations
Double galvanised DG
Stainless steel SS
Monel M

Eg: ETBO G5R Insulation = EPDM Rubber Compound (E)

Armor = Galvanised steel (G)
Barrier = Tape and Braid (TB)
Cable = Rated for 5KV (5) and is round (R)
Jacket = Nitrile (O)
Cable Splices

Along the length of the cable there may be one or more splices, at which cables are
joined. Cable splices maybe required due to the need to use a flat cable to pass the
pump housing, the result of a repair, to pass packers or in deep wells where more than
one cable reel is required. Both shop and field splices are possible with shop splices
generally being more reliable due to better splicing environment. To splice a cable the
armour,jacket and insulation are removed from the three conductors which are then
joined electrically with a crimping tube. The conductors are wrapped with insulating and
protective material and the cable armour replaced.

PAGE 3
 ESP POWER CABLES

Flat Cable Versus Round Cable

One disadvantage of flat cable is that it generally offers less mechanical protection than
the corresponding round cable so is more subject to damage during installation.
Under a compressive load, the conductors in a round cable can move slightly to help
relieve the stress.

One other, and possibly more important, disadvantage of parallel cable is that it is
asymmetric while round cable is completely symmetric. Some of the current moving
through the cable is lost to heat so that the cable will tend to heat up, over ambient
temperature.
In a round cable, all conductors heat up evenly. In a parallel cable, the two side
conductors are in a similar environment so tend to heat up uniformly as well. The center
conductor, however, is surrounded by two heaters so it cannot dissipate as much heat to
the wellbore. The result is that the center conductor in a parallel cable runs hotter than
the other two.

Cable temperature ratings

The material used for the insulation will determine the maximum temperature to which a
cable may be subjected. Commonly used materials include polyethylene, polypropylene,
EPR, and EPDM. The temperature rating assigned to a cable is the maximum
temperature to which the insulation may be exposed. As degradation of cable materials
will occur with time, temperature ratings normally assume a 10-year cable lifetime. The
highest temperature will be at the surface of the copper conductor, which will be above
the well fluid temperature due to the heating effect of the electric current. Fluid
friction within the pump may also cause significant heating of the well fluid. The current
capacity of a cable will depend on the well temperature and the type of insulation, as well
as the conductor diameter.

PAGE 4
 ESP POWER CABLES

Cable Voltage Ratings

An electrical insulator differs from a conductor in the ease with which its electrons may
be mobilised. If sufficient electrical stress is applied to an insulator electrons will flow
and the insulator is said to break down. This will normally result in the release of a large
amount of energy in the form of sparks or arcing, causing permanent damage to the
insulating material. The voltage gradient at which this occurs will depend on the nature
of the insulator and its temperature.

#6 Cu #4 Cu
60
Voltage Drop per 1,000 feet of Cable

50

40 #2 Cu

#1 Cu
#6 #4 #2 #1
30 #1/O
#1/O Cu
20

10

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Current in Amperes
Temperature Correction Factors
Temperature Multiplier Temperature Multiplier
131 F (55 C).................1.12 221 F (105 C)...........1.31
149 F (65 C).................1.15 239 F (115 C)...........1.35
167 F (75 C).................1.19 257 F (125 C)...........1.39
185 F (85 C).................1.23 275 F (135 C)...........1.42
203 F (95C)..................1.27 302 F (150 C)...........1.48

The insulation of commonly available cables is rated to 3 kV, 4 kV, or 5 kV, at their rated
temperatures.

The highest continuous voltages will be present at surface, and will be equal to the motor
voltage plus the voltage loss in the cable. The cable selected should be rated to a
voltage in excess of the maximum voltage expected under normal operating conditions as
transient conditions will occur in which the cable insulation is subjected to voltages
significantly greater than the normal operating voltage.

Transient voltage spikes may be caused by:

 Surges in the supply voltage due to line faults or other equipment connected to the
same supply

 Lightning strikes

 The reactive nature of the ESP and cable load when power is suddenly interrupted,
such as when a breaker trips

PAGE 5
 ESP POWER CABLES

 VSC's which produce non-sinusoidal waveforms whose peak values may be

significantly higher than the peak values of a sinusoidal waveform of the same
nominal voltage .

All of these may result in excessive voltages being applied to a cable and result in
breakdown and permanent damage to the insulation.

Cable Ampacity Charts

For a quick reference, "ampacity" charts are available for most common types of cable in
the Schlumberger catalogue. These charts assume a limitation of the maximum allowable
temperature and show how much current can be run through a cable for a given
bottomhole temperature.

Redablack Round EER

400
Maximum Current

300 Legend:
200
AWG 2/O
100

0
AWG 1/O
100 150 200 250 300 350 400
AWG 1
Redablack Flat (EEF)
300
250 AWG 2
200
150
AWG 4
100
50
AWG 6
0
100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Well Temperature (° F)

Cable protection

ESP power cable is run into the well attached to the tubing string. The cable is fastened
to the tubing with bands which may be manufactured from mild steel, stainless steel, or
Monel, according to the environment in which they are used. Bands are typically 20mm
wide and 0.6mm thick. At least 1-2 bands per tubing joint should be used. Bands can be
applied manually but are more reliably installed and tensioned with automatic banding
machines. Bands should not be put over splices, although three to four additional bands
should be used above and below a splice.

To prevent crushing of a cable between tubing couplings and the casing, cast cable
protectors (Cross-coupling protectors) can be used. These are installed over a tubing
collar and provide sufficient stand-off to ensure that the cable is protected. Typically,
one protector is required every 23 joints of tubing. In deviated wells cable protectors
must be used, and may be required on every connection.

PAGE 6
 ESP POWER CABLES

Protectorlisers should be used for the flat cable extension to provide sufficient stand-off
to prevent crushing of the cable between the motor housing and the casing.

ESP cable is incapable of

supporting its own weight when
hanging vertically in a well, unless
supported by the tubing.
Stretching of the cable may result
in the breaking of the conductors,
and damage to the armour and
insulation. Cable bands or cable
protectors must be used to ensure
that the tubing supports the cable.

Gas ingress into ESP cables

The polymers used for construction of the cable are permeable to gas and hydrocarbons,
and under downhole pressure and temperature conditions may absorb significant
amounts of gas. This gas will expand if the pressure around the cable reduced, causing
swelling and possible rupturing of the polymer. To avoid damage to the cable, reductions
in the annular pressure should take place slowly, both when starting a pump, and when
venting gas from the annulus at surface.

Gas entering the cable in the well is able to migrate along the cable to the junction box,
where it can be vented. If excessive (or potentially unsafe) amounts of gas are vented
in this way, wellhead feed-through connectors may be required.

Earth leakage

Chemical attack or physical damage to the insulation of any of the cable conductors may
result in leakage of current to earth if the neutral point of the supply transformer is
grounded. This will cause the power to be shut off at surface. If a transformer is
installed between the controller and the vented junction box the neutral point of the
transformer secondary circuit need not be grounded. In this case continued operation
with a ground fault on a single conductor will be possible. This will however increase the
voltage between the other conductors and ground by a factor of 3. An earth fault on
two conductors will cause unbalanced operation of the system, which if detected by the
controller will cause the pump to be shut down. Small leakage currents will not be
detected and may lead to electrolytic effects and salt deposition in the annulus.

PAGE 7
 ESP POWER CABLES

Corrosion

Corrosion of the cable armour may result from galvanic action between the armour
material and the tubing and casing. Leakage currents from the cable may accelerate
corrosion of the armour. The armour material should be selected to ensure that it will
not react with corrosive compounds in the wellbore or create a corrosion cell

Common failures of ESP cables

 The electrical supply cable has been a common source of problems for ESP’s .
 Crushing or damages (wear) to the armour and insulation during pump installation
 Penetration of insulation and attack of conductors by corrosive, aromatic or sour components
 Swelling and rupture of polymers due to gas ingress and explosive decompression
 Cable stretching with associated damage to the armour, conductors and insulation
 Explosive environment in and around the junction box due to migration of hydrocarbon gas along
the cable from the wellhead

PAGE 8