Prospects for the use of high-speed ESP for oil production

Increasing the ESP speed allows for a reduction in the linear dimensions of the units and the number of standard sizes. By reducing the length, wear resistant materials can be used in each pump stage. However, with an increase in the rotational speed to 10000 rpm, the head of the pumping stage increases significantly (> 35m) and the processes of friction and wear intensify. Test benches for wear testing of pump stages and thrust bearings of hydraulic protectors and submersible electric motors with a rotation speed of up to 12000 rpm have been developed. It was revealed that the greatest change in mass is observed in the guide vane due to erosive wear, which varies depending on the rotational speed in a power-law dependence with an exponent of ∼ 3.4. When testing a thrust bearing made of SiC with a rotational speed of 10800 rpm and an axial force of 6000N, the friction coefficient varied in the range 0.028 ... 0.008. Bearing made of hard alloy WC-8Co scored at 4.92MPa load. It is necessary to determine the optimal area of application of high-speed ESPs and the allowable wear values of the pump stages. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd