ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

7.9.9.3 Radiographic inspection

Radiographic inspections shall meet the requirements of a national standard such as ASTM E94 or an
International Standard. Acceptance criteria shall be in accordance with a national standard such as
ASME BPVC, Section VIII, Division I, UW-51, or ASME B31.3, or an International Standard.

7.9.9.4 Ultrasonic inspection

Ultrasonic inspections shall meet the requirements of a national standard such as ASME BPVC, Section V,
Article 5, or an International Standard. Acceptance criteria shall be in accordance with a national standard
such as ASME BPVC, Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix 12, or an International Standard.

7.9.9.5 Magnetic particle inspection

Magnetic particle inspection shall be in accordance with a national standard such as ASTM E709 or an
International Standard such as ISO 13665.

7.9.9.6 Liquid-penetrant inspection

Liquid-penetrant inspection shall be in accordance with a national standard such as ASTM E165 or an
International Standard such as ISO 12095.

7.9.10 Core deflection

The supplier/manufacturer shall inspect each stator for core deflection in accordance with the quality grade.
For quantitative core deflection inspections, the core deflection shall be expressed in terms of the maximum
radial offset of the stator cavity centre-line from the stator tube centre-line.

7.9.11 Component dimensional inspection

Components shall be dimensionally inspected in accordance with the quality grade to assure compliance with
the supplier/manufacturer's design criteria and specifications. Inspections shall be performed during or after
the manufacture of the component but prior to assembly, unless assembly is required to complete a
measurement. All stator-elastomer measurements shall be corrected to 15 °C and reported in accordance with
the supplier/manufacturer's documented procedures. The inspection results shall be documented.

Inspected component dimensions shall include the following:

a) general dimensions:

1) rotor:

⎯ total length,

⎯ contour length (see Figure 2),

⎯ top threaded connection type and size;

2) stator:

⎯ total length,

⎯ elastomer cut-back length at each end (see Figure 3),

⎯ tube outside and inside diameter,

⎯ top threaded connection type and size,

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ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

A.4 Testing requirements and procedures

A.4.1 General

The supplier/manufacturer shall perform tests in accordance with the requirements listed in A.4.2 to A.4.6 and
record all testing results.

A.4.2 Elastomer specimen preparation

Elastomer specimens shall be prepared from slabs moulded under conditions representative of those used for
moulding PCP stators.

A.4.3 Fluid resistance

Fluid resistance of elastomeric materials shall be measured in accordance with an internationally recognized
standard such as ASTM D471 or ISO 1817 with the following requirements:

a) specimens: 2 mm thick dumbbells (ASTM D412-06ae2 — Tensile die C);

b) test conditions in accordance with Table A.1;

c) immersion test conditions reporting:

⎯ test fluid,

⎯ temperature,

⎯ pressure,

⎯ exposure time;

d) reporting of initial value, final value and change in the following elastomer properties:

⎯ volume,

⎯ mass (weight),

⎯ hardness, performed and reported in accordance with A.4.4.1,

⎯ ultimate tensile strength, performed and reported in accordance with A.4.4.2,

⎯ ultimate elongation, performed and reported in accordance with A.4.4.2.

A.4.4 Mechanical properties

A.4.4.1 Hardness

Hardness shall be tested in accordance with ISO 7619-1. In all cases, 3 s delay hardness measurements shall
be reported.

A.4.4.2 Tensile properties

Tensile properties (ultimate strength and ultimate elongation) shall be tested and reported in accordance with
ISO 37 or ASTM D412.

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 ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

A.4.5 Elastomer bond retention

A.4.5.1 Bond-retention piston test

This test shall be performed with the following conditions.

a) Specimens shall be 9,5 mm (3/8 in) or 15,9 mm (5/8 in) thick stator rings.

b) The testing system shall consist of a mechanical or hydraulic device to push a piston through the stator
ring at a rate of between 5 cm/min and 10 cm/min. The piston shall have the following characteristics.

⎯ The outer diameter of the piston shall be 4 mm smaller than the nominal ID of the stator housing.

⎯ The piston shall be longer than 20 mm.

⎯ The leading edge of the piston shall be rounded to at least a 5 mm radius to avoid cutting the
elastomer.

c) After testing the specimen, the interface between the rubber and the housing shall be visually inspected in
accordance with A.4.5.3.

A.4.5.2 Bond-retention peel test

The adhesive force between the elastomer and housing shall be quantified in a bond-retention peel test in
accordance with ASTM D429-08, method B, 90° stripping test-rubber part assembled to one metal plate, or
modified method B, 180° stripping test-rubber part assembled to one metal plate. In all cases, lab specimens
shall reproduce, as closely as possible, the bond properties and characteristics of the PCP stators.

The results shall include

⎯ the adhesive peeling force;

⎯ the failure mode in accordance with A.4.5.3.

A.4.5.3 Bond-retention test inspection

Inspection of the bond-retention test specimens following testing shall be performed by a qualified person in
accordance with ASTM D429. Bond retention shall be reported in terms of percentage of elastomer failure
with respect to the total area of the interface. The test results shall be expressed by one or more of the
following letters or groups of letters:

⎯ R, which indicates a failure of the rubber (substrate failure);

⎯ RC, which indicates a failure in the rubber-cover cement (interfacial failure);

⎯ CP, which indicates a failure in the cover cement-prime cement (interfacial failure);

⎯ M, which indicates a failure in the prime cement-metal interface (interfacial failure).

EXAMPLE R-60, RC-40 means that 60 % of the bonded area showed failure in the rubber and the other 40 %
showed failure at the rubber-cover cement interface.

A.4.6 Maximum operating temperature

The supplier/manufacturer shall have documented procedures for defining and specifying the maximum
operating temperature of the elastomer and bond system.

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 ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

B.2.4.2 Durability validation

The durability validation test is intended for applications where all practical measures are justified to avoid
premature failures of the PCP. It involves extended duration, full-scale testing to validate the ability of the PCP
to maintain performance over time. This test simultaneously validates multiple aspects of the pump, including
the pump geometry, rotor fit, elastomer and bonding system. The testing conditions are not necessarily meant
to be representative of downhole well conditions, but rather to subject the pump to the mechanical load cycles
it is anticipated to see in service. Durability validation is normally selected to gain confidence in the use of new
geometries, elastomers or bonding systems or in the use of an existing product outside its historical service
range.

The choice of the pump used in the testing shall depend on the validation purpose as follows:

⎯ The specific pump configuration shall be used to validate a geometry or selected rotor fit.

⎯ Any geometric configuration that encompasses the materials in a manner that is representative of the
final manufactured product may be used to assess an elastomer or bond system.

As a minimum, the test shall be tested under the following combined conditions.

a) The pump shall be tested under the combined conditions of

⎯ 100 % of maximum rated speed,

⎯ 125 % of pressure rating,

⎯ rated temperature.

b) The pump shall contain at least three stator pitches.

c) The initial volumetric pump efficiency shall be at least 70 %.

d) The test bench shall maintain the following parameters within 5 % of the specification:

⎯ rotational speed,

⎯ discharge pressure,

⎯ fluid temperature over the test duration.

e) Pump fluid rates, torque and external stator temperature shall be recorded at least daily.

f) The test fluid shall be water. Other test fluids, such as oils, high-temperature fluids and abrasive slurries,
may be used to validate specific service conditions in addition to the standard durability test.

g) Tests shall be run for a minimum of 25 × 106 revolutions or to pump failure. Pump failure in the durability
test is defined as the inability of the pump to maintain volumetric efficiency of more than 50 %. In special
circumstances, the user/purchaser may specify alternative acceptance criteria.

h) At the conclusion of the durability testing, the rotor and stator shall be visually inspected in accordance
with 7.9.8 and measured in accordance with 7.9.11. The elastomer and bond systems shall be evaluated
in accordance with Annex A.

i) Documentation shall include a summary of the test product, test conditions, performance measured over
the test period and final inspection details. This documentation shall be included in the product design file.

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 ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

C.2.2 Documentation requirements

The following shall, as a minimum, be recorded in the PCP functional evaluation report:

a) location of evaluation;

b) date of evaluation;

c) qualified person performing evaluation;

d) user/purchaser, as applicable;

e) PCP description:

⎯ pump model, stator unique identifier, rotor unique identifier and elastomer code,

⎯ pump stator, length stator and rotor average minor and major diameters (from data points in
accordance with C.2);

f) ambient temperature;

g) estimated pump performance characteristics in accordance with 6.5.

C.3 Grade F1 — Functional hydraulic test

C.3.1 General

The following procedure applies to both a complete pump (the combination of the actual stator and rotor) and
to a single stator, in which case, a rotor with reference dimensions agreed upon by the user/purchaser and the
supplier/manufacturer shall be used.

The objective of the hydraulic test is to measure pump flow rate and torque at specific conditions of rotational
speed, temperature and differential pressure with a fluid of known characteristics.

The type of application and its parameters shall be considered in determining the best way to perform the
hydraulic test. Therefore, the intention of this part of ISO 15136 is not to provide a single procedure for
application in all cases, but rather provide a set of requirements for a procedure.

The test shall be performed in a controlled environment where key input parameters (pump speed, pump
differential pressure, fluid characteristics and temperature) are controlled and output parameters (flow rate,
torque and power consumption) are measured to a certain level of accuracy.

Test equipment and procedures shall provide documented, repeatable results within ±10 % of the required
fluid rate and torque at a given fluid temperature and speed.

C.3.2 Test bench requirements

Figure C.1 shows a schematic of the test bench with the minimum set of required components designated.

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 ISO 15136-1:2009(E)

F.4 Starting procedure

The following steps are recommended when starting a PCP system.

a) Perform health, safety and environmental procedures, such as ensuring that all parties are notified that
the unit is about to start-up and notifying all personnel on location of the hazards, if any.

b) Turn motor switch to off position.

c) Turn on the main breaker on the electrical supply panel (if applicable) and attach an ammeter to measure
the initial start-up and pump-up amperage.

d) Set the speed controller (if applicable) to minimum rotating speed.

e) Switch on the motor. Record the starting current of the motor (if applicable).

f) Observe the system for approximately 1 min to identify any unusual noises or vibrations.

g) Turn off the motor to verify that the brake is functioning properly. If no problems are encountered during
shut down, restart the motor.

WARNING — Repeated restarts can cause overheating of the brake system, which can lead to a
hazardous situation.

h) Close the flow-line valve to check proper setting and function of the high-pressure shut-down switch. If no
problems are encountered, open the flow line valve and restart the motor.

i) Check wellhead, surface drive and flow line for leaks.

j) Check that the torque and rotating speed are within the supplier/manufacturer's specified limits.

k) Follow operator's rotating speed ramp-up procedure to protect completion (if applicable), e.g. minimize
sand influx.

l) Adjust the rotating speed of the pump so that the pumping rate matches the well productivity. Normally, it
is necessary to adjust the pumping speed frequently at the beginning of the pump operation to achieve
the desired dynamic fluid level or pump-submergence level.

m) Use a short well test (e.g. to rig tank or test separator) to verify that pump efficiency is within
supplier/manufacturer's specifications.

n) Monitor the well closely for 24 h to ensure that the fluid level and the production rate stabilize.

o) Measure daily fluid levels and record the pressures from downhole gauges and well tests until well
stabilizes to confirm reliability of input and design data, and to determine whether the PCP is operating
within specifications.

p) Avoid frequent shut-down and restart cycles, if possible.

F.5 Shut-down procedures

The following steps are recommended when shutting down a PCP system:

a) Be familiar with the well history: speed, production rate, torque, operational constraints, etc.

b) Perform health, safety and environmental procedures, such as ensuring that all parties on location are
notified that the unit is about to shut down and notifying all personnel of the hazards, if any.

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