Submersible pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Submersible pump
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A submersible pump (or sub pump, electric submersible pump (ESP)) is a device which has a hermetically
sealed motor close-coupled to the pump body. The whole assembly is submerged in the fluid to be pumped.[4] The
main advantage of this type of pump is that it prevents pump cavitation, a problem associated with a high elevation
difference between pump and the fluid surface. Submersible pumps push fluid to the surface as opposed to jet pumps
having to pull fluids. Submersibles are more efficient than jet pumps.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Working principle
3 Applications
4 Use in oil wells
5 Cables
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

History

One style of submersible pump

for industrial use. Outlet pipe and
electrical cable not connected.

[edit]

Ca. 1928 Russian oil delivery system engineer and inventor Armais Arutunoff
successfully installed the first submersible oil pump.[1] In 1929, Pleuger Pumps pioneered the design of the
submersible turbine pump, the forerunner of the modern multi-stage submersible pump.[2] In the mid 1960s the first
fully submersible deep-well water pump was developed.[3]

Working principle

[edit]

The submersible pumps used in ESP installations are multistage centrifugal pumps operating in a vertical position.
Although their constructional and operational features underwent a continuous evolution over the years, their basic
operational principle remained the same. Produced liquids, after being subjected to great centrifugal forces caused
by the high rotational speed of the impeller, lose their kinetic energy in the diffuser where a conversion of kinetic to
pressure energy takes place. This is the main operational mechanism of radial and mixed flow pumps.
The pump shaft is connected to the gas separator or the protector by a mechanical coupling at the bottom of the
pump. Well fluids enter the pump through an intake screen and are lifted by the pump stages.Other parts include the
radial bearings (bushings) distributed along the length of the shaft providing radial support to the pump shaft turning
at high rotational speeds. An optional thrust bearing takes up part of the axial forces arising in the pump but most of
those forces are absorbed by the protectors thrust bearing.

Applications

[edit]

Submersible pumps are found in many applications. Single stage pumps are used for drainage, sewage pumping,
general industrial pumping and slurry pumping. They are also popular with pond filters. Multiple stage submersible
pumps are typically lowered down a borehole and most typically used for residential, commercial, municipal and
industrial water extraction (abstraction), water wells and in oil wells.
Other uses for submersible pumps include sewage treatment plants, seawater handling, fire fighting (since it is flame
retardant cable), water well and deep well drilling, offshore drilling rigs, artificial lifts, mine dewatering, and irrigation
systems.
Special attention to the type of submersible pump is required when using certain types of liquids. Pumps used for
combustible liquids or for water that may be contaminated with combustible liquids must be designed not to ignite the
liquid or vapors.

Use in oil wells

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Submersible pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Submersible pumps are used in oil production to provide a relatively efficient form of "artificial lift", able to operate
across a broad range of flow rates and depths.[4][5] By decreasing the pressure at the bottom of the well (by lowering
bottomhole flowing pressure, or increasing drawdown), significantly more oil can be produced from the well when
compared with natural production.[citation needed] The pumps are typically electrically powered and referred to as
Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESP).[citation needed]
ESP systems consist of both surface components (housed in the production facility, for example an oil platform) and
sub-surface components (found in the well hole). Surface components include the motor controller (often a variable
speed controller), surface cables and transformers. Subsurface components typically include the pump, motor, seal
and cables. A gas separator is sometimes installed.[4]
The pump itself is a multi-stage unit with the number of stages being determined by the operating requirements. Each
stage consists of a driven impeller and a diffuser which directs flow to the next stage of the pump. Pumps come in
diameters from 90mm (3.5 inches) to 254mm (10 inches) and vary between 1 metre (3 ft) and 8.7 metres (29 ft) in
length. The motor used to drive the pump is typically a three phase, squirrel cage induction motor, with a nameplate
power rating in the range 7.5 kW to 560 kW (at 60 Hz).[4]
New varieties of ESP can include a water/oil separator which permits the water to be reinjected into the reservoir
without the need to lift it to the surface. There are at least 15 brands of oilfield esps used throughout the world. Until
recently, ESPs had been highly costly to install due to the requirement of an electric cable downhole. This cable had
to be wrapped around jointed tubing and connected at each joint. New coiled tubing umbilicals allow for both the
piping and electric cable to be deployed with a single conventional coiled tubing unit.
The ESP system consists of a number of components that turn a staged series of centrifugal pumps to increase the
pressure of the well fluid and push it to the surface. The energy to turn the pump comes from a high-voltage (3 to 5
kV) alternating-current source to drive a special motor that can work at high temperatures of up to 300 F (149 C)
and high pressures of up to 5,000 psi (34 MPa), from deep wells of up to 12,000 feet (3.7 km) deep with high energy
requirements of up to about 1000 horsepower (750 kW). ESPs have dramatically lower efficiencies with significant
fractions of gas, greater than about 10% volume at the pump intake. Given their high rotational speed of up to 4000
rpm (67 Hz) and tight clearances, they are not very tolerant of solids such as sand.

Cables

[edit]

Submersible pump cable are designed for use in wet ground or under water,
with types specialized for pump environmental conditions.[6][7][8]
A submersible pump cable is a specialized product to be used for a
submersible pump in a deep well, or in similarly harsh conditions. The cable
needed for this type of application must be durable and reliable as the
installation location and environment can be extremely restrictive as well as
hostile. As such, submersible pump cable can be used in both fresh and salt
water. It is also suitable for direct burial and within well castings. A submersible
pump cable's area of installation is physically restrictive. Cable manufacturers
must keep these factors in mind to achieve the highest possible degree of
reliability. The size and shape of submersible pump cable can vary depending
on the usage and preference and pumping instrument of the installer. Pump
cables are made in single and multiple conductor types and may be flat or
round in cross section; some types include control wires as well as power
conductors for the pump motor. Conductors are often color-coded for
identification and an overall cable jacket may also be color-coded.

Submersible Pump Cables: 3&4

Core Round and Flat Cables in PVC
and Rubber Insulation

Major types of cable include:

In 3&4 Core cable as per right side SPC types image shown, Plain
Copper/Tinned Copper used as conductor.
PVC 3&4 Core Cable
Flat Cable
Round Cable
Rubber 3&4 Core Cable
Flat Cable
Round Cable
Flat Drincable
HO7RN-F Cable

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Different types of SPC

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Submersible pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also

18/06/2014

[edit]

Centrifugal pump
Eductor-jet pump
Oil well
Sewage pumping
Booster pump

References

DRINCABLE Diagram

[edit]

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

^ A Historical Perspective of Oilfield Electrical Submersible Pumps

^ World Pumps: A Brief History of Pumps
^ Grundfoss Museum- Youtube
^ a b c Lyons (ed), Standard Handbook of Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering", p. 662
^ Other forms of artificial lift include Gas Lift, Beam Pumping, Plunger Lift and Progressive cavity pump.
^ "Submersible pump cable", The Pump Book, pp. 6774, ISBN 978-0-615-18509-5
^ Ray C. Mullin, Phil Simmons (2011), "Submersible Pump Cable", Electrical Wiring Residential, pp. 423424, ISBN 9781-4354-9826-6
8. ^ Robert J. Alonzo (19 January 2010). Electrical Codes, Standards, Recommended Practices and Regulations: An
Examination of Relevant Safety Considerations . Elsevier. pp. 317. ISBN 978-0-8155-2045-0. Retrieved 16 November
2012.
Lyons, William C., ed. (1996). Standard Handbook of Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering 2 (6 ed.). Gulf
Professional Publishing. ISBN 0-88415-643-5.

External links

[edit]

Water well pump article

Versatile Pump Works Under Water, July 1947, Popular Science
works submersible pump design

excellent cutaway drawing of large public water

Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Submersible
pumps.

v t e

Petroleum industry

[show]

Categories: Pumps Irrigation Oil wells

This page was last modified on 2 June 2014 at 00:08.

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