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SPE
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SPE 13805

Electrical Submersible Pump Performance Using

Variable Speed Drives
by B.L. Wilson ● and J.C. Liu, Oil Dynamics Inc.
●SPE Member

Copyright 19S5, Sociify of Petroleum Engineers

This paper wee presented at the SPE 19SS ProductionOperationsSympaium held in Oklahoma Cw, Oklahoma, March 10-12, 1S85. The material ie
subjectto Oorrtilon by the author. Permissionto copy ia restrictedto an abstractof not more than 200 worde. Write SPE, P.O. SoXS2SS3S,FUchardson,
Texsa 75082-3S36. Telex 730S8S SPE DAL.
.
.-.
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~~~ Pm

Variable speed drive units (VSD) designed

specifically for use with electrical submersible The pump is a multistage centrifugal davice.
pumps (ESP) have been available for several years. The hydraulic performance of the pump is governed
The ability to vary the operating speed of the ESP by four factors, the phyeical design of the
greatly expands the operating range of the unit. stage, the propertied of the fluid flowing
To take full advantage of the capabilities of an through the pump, the number of stages and the
ESP operating on a VSD, it is necessary to RPM at which the pump operatee. The performance
understand the concepts of sizing and the of a particular stage is given in the form of a
operational limitations of the equipment. atage performance curve (l). The X axis
represents the flow rate through the stage and
INTRODUCTION the Y axis represents the differential head that
the atage will produce. This curve (1)
until the appearance of the VSD, there wera represents the etage performance for water
only two methods of changing the performance of an (sp.gr.=l) and a rotational apeed of 3500 RPM.
ESP from the surface. The unit could be choked or The efficiency and the required input horsepower
it could be cycled. Neither of these methods can are also represented.
tncrease the production from the unit and both had
possible detrimental effects. The VSD offere the The pump performance ia dependent on the
opportunity to increase or decreaee the production specific fluid properties which are accounted for
rate from an ESP. To understand the imitations of ‘-” -“ ---s-— .... “,.-..*+nfi
oy U5LiiEpeLLULUUwL= L“&r-.&”.. f=~~~~~e For the
units operated with VSDIS, it is necessary to sake of simplicity, these factore are not
develop a general underatanding of the design included in this discussion.
details of the VSD, the pump and the motor.
The total pump performance ia a multiple of
THE VARIAELE SPEED DRIVE the single stage performance for a spscified fla%’
rate. Except for caees involving high viscosity
The VSD belongs to a family of inverter or gae cut fluid, all the etages can be
drives. They are classified as notisinusoidalpower considered to be operating at the came point on
sources. The voltage eource type ie the most the stage performance curve.
commonly ueed with the ESP. Tha device operatea by
rectifying the incoming AC power. The DC is then Total Differential Head =
used to construct a stepped psaudo sine wave whose Head per Stage x Number of Stages (1)
frequency is adjustable. For efficient operation, ‘
the motor flux density muet be kept at the designed Total Required HP =
saturation level. The VSD accompliahee this by HP per Stage x Number of Stages (2)
holding the ratio of voltage to frequency conetant.
As the frequency increaeea, the voltage ia The relation between rotational speed and
increaeed accordingly. The VSD efficiency ranges hydraulic performance is given by three affinity
from 85 to 96 percent depending on deeign and lawe;
application.
● The flow through a pump is directly
related to the speed.

● The head produced by a pump is directly

References and illustration at end of paper. related to the square of the speed.
..- 1
llY
2 ELECTRIC SUBMERSIBLE PUMP PERFORMANCE USING VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES SPE 13805

● The power required by a pump ia directly exceeds the bearing capacity or where the
related to the cube of the speed. performance curve is so flat that slight
variation in intake pressure produces wiid
Because the rotational speed of the ESP is fluctuation in flow. The maximum operating flow
related to the frequency of the power s’upplied, is generally set either at the zero thrust point,
these laws may be expressed either in terms of RPM or where the magnitude of the upthruet exceeds
ratios or frequency ratios. Using a pump its bearing capacity. The design of some pumps
performance curve generated for 3500 RPM (60 Hz), is such thst it either never reaches the zero
curves for any other frequency or speed can be thrust point, or reaches it very near its maximum
constructed using the following relations: flow. Operating close to maximum flow with
nearly zero head is not truly useful. In these
RPM
‘lOw= ‘10w(3500)x ()
HO= ‘10w(3500)x
Hz
()
m
(3) cases an arbitrary maximum flow is selected.
Although it is possible to operate some pumps
outside their given useful range, this should
never be done without authorization from the
‘cad = %3500)+% (J ‘Head(3500)x
~’
()
(4) manufacturer.

THE MOTOR
RPM 3
‘p = ‘P(3500)X ()
mo = ‘P(3500)X
Hz
a
()
=
(5) The motor is a three phase, two pole
squirrel cage, induction motor. It is designed
to operate on a sinusoidal power source. The
The firat two relations have proven to be true operating speed of these motors is governed by
over a wide range of speeds. The third is correct the physical design of the motor, the driving
for hydraulic horsepower output by the pump, but frequency and tile 5LLp.
-“- If thle SOtar iS
because the internal losses do not exactly obey the operating at full load, the slip is constant.
cube law, careful testing may show a small increase The speed is then a function of frequency only.
%ii F2ff5~5~iKZ~“WitklhCi~ZSed OP==u.
‘--”A 1%. ~~,~~~ Th.=~fi+mwa
“.”.- n-a ..-”-~
--- Ana+tnia.4
. . ..-. ~0 ZGI) f~~~y ~o=&~ ~~
~.,=
relation can be used for pump input power because 3500 RPM on a 60 Hz power source. The apeed of
these variations are slight. A family of variable any other frequency is found by the following
speed performance curves (2) are generated for a relation:
stage using these relations.
(6)
Pump Operating Ranges

There are points on the performance curve
where the pump cannot be continually operated. It
is common practice for the manufacturer to define
one or two operating ranges. A “Best” operating
range indicates that no other pump in that
manufacturer’s series has a higher efficiency for
those flow rates. A “Useful” operating range ia
defined as the volume range over which a pump can
be operated without detrimental effects, however,
The flux density is held constant by keeping
the voltage/frequency ratio constant. The
available torque ia proportional to the square of
the voltage/frequency ratio and is therefore also
constant. The output horsepower is directly
related to the torque times the speed. The
horsepower will increase directly with the speed.
The horsepower at any frequency can be found by
the following relation:

()g
there are no industry-wide guidelines for
determining this range. There are several factors HP = ‘p(60 Hz)x 60 (7)
considered in determining the limits of the useful
range.
‘motorLimitations
Pump Thrust
The motor has mechanical and thermal
Without going into specific design, the total operating limits. The mechanical limitation are
unbalanced thrust can be represented as the baaed on design and fatigue life of the
summation of two components, upthrust and materials. The thermal limits are determined by
downthrust. Simply stated, the upthrust is a the temperature rating of the electrical
function of the velocity of fluid flowing through a insulation material. The internal motor
stage, and the downthrust is a function of the head temperature depends on the losses generated in
nrndnt.~~by
=----- the st~ge, AS flow is increased the the motor and the motor cooling rate. If the
magnitude of the upthrust increases and the motor exceeds Ita internal temperature limits,
magnitude of the downthrust decreases (3). At some the insulation will degrade and the motor will
point the two thrusts will be equal. The total fail.
resulting thrust will be zero. This zero thrust
point may or may not be in the operating range of The motor ia cooled by the well fluid
the pump. For practical consideration, most stages flowing past it. The cooling rate is a function
are designed so that they always operate in of the fluid velocity, the surface area and the
downthrust. well temperature. The manufacturers publish
minimum fluid velocities for proper operation.
-L ptIyt3iC6
—L - c z ---- -Y ------- . -- --- 1 J --
Pump Limitations ihe tO Kne 01 LOECeKJ UXIV~CtAVn UJU&L1&g,
increasing the velocity above the recommended
The minimum operating flow is generally set minimum value does not significantly increase the
where either the magnitude of the downthrust cooling. In designing motors, the diameter is
)
 BKUWLN LILL WLLMJN ANII JOSEPH CHING-CHIO LIU 3
SPE 13805

limited by the casing size. Higher horsepowers are --- For 800 BPD at 50 Hz
obtained by increasing the length. The surface (Fig. 2) Stage Differential Head = 19.2 ft/stage
area is increased proportionally and the cooling Tubing Loss = 100 ft
rate remains constant. The well temperature (Eq. 1) Pump Differential Head = 19.2 ft/stage
directly affects the internal temperature of. the x 225 stages = 4320 ft
motor. A motor that is 6esigned for a maximum well
temperature of 250° F will run safely in a 250° (Eq. 9) Fluid Level = 5000 + 100 + 200 - 4320
well if it is not overloaded. = 980 ft

ESP OPERATION WITH VSD A curve drawn through the individual

The fronmtanrvOf
---=-----
., the VSD is easilY adjuated.
It is therefore easy to run the ESP beyond its
rational limits. The horsepower required by the
pump increases by the cube of the RPM, but the
horsepower supplied by the motor functions directly
with the RPM. Since the surface area for cooling
the motor ia constant, increasing the output
horsepower increaaes the internal temperature. In
additi~a the aOCQr iS d~S@gI~d tLI operate on a
sinusoidal power source. The nonstnuaoidal power
supplied by the VSD places an additional thermal
burden on the motor. Work is presently being done
to define accurate guidelines to compensate for
this additional burden. The VSD deration factora
(5) are presented as preliminary guidelines for
motor sizing. The derated horsepower is found by
tiillidi?l~ Eh!?
~=~~*~~~~~~
._-r-.-.
~.~rfifmnver
factor.
Hp (calculated)
Hp (derated) =
Deration Factor
EXAMPLE
This hypothetical example was selected to
illustrate the points presented in this paper.
The well is presently producing with 200 feet
of fluid over the pump. A water flood is
expected to break through during the year. It
is desired to maintain the present fluid level
throughout the year.
Present production = 600 BPD
Anticipated production = 1600 BPD
Pump setting depth = 5000 ft
Fluid over pump = 200 ft
Tubing = 2-3/8 API
Wellhead pressure E 85 PSi (200 ft
The inflow performance repreaentation (5) shows the
present well performance and the anticipated future
performance. The pump ayatem performance (5) is
calculated for a 225 stage 900 BPD pump (2). The
procedure is to calculate a fluid level for a
specified flow and frequency.
Fluid Level = Setting Depth
+ Tubing Loas
+ Wellhead Pressure
- Pump Differential Head
performance points generates the pump system
performance curve. ‘me representation (5) showa
that the present fluid level can be maintained
operating the ESP at 50 Hz. The fluid level can
be maintained at the anticipated flow by
operating the ESP at 74 Hz. Note that this
representation contains no information about the
pump limitations.
Taking the flow and frequency at the desired
fluid level (5) and plotting them on the variable
speed performance curve (6), the pump limitations
become obvious. The system performance ia within
the useful operating range at 600 BPD, but it
leavea the useful range at 1100 BPD.
A pump should never be run outside the
h~ the deration ,2Sefe21
~-n-geWithout consulting the manufacturer.
The consultation revealed that the maximum flow
range for this pump was arbitrarily set. The
(8) actual limitation is the zero thrust line (6).
This pump can be operated at the maximum
anticipated requirements without detrimental
effects. The power required by the pump is found
from the affinity laws. Common accepted practice
is to use the maximum brake horsepower. This
gives an added margin of safety for unknown
conditions. The 60 Hz atage horsepower (6) is
.3 Hp/stage.
Required pump horsepower at 60 Hz
(Eq. 2) Hp = .3 IIP/stagex 255 stages = 77 Hp
Required pump horsepower at 74 Hz
s
2
(Eq. 5) Hp=77Hpx60 = 144 Hp
()
of fluid) Required 60 HZ rating of the motor to
produce the power
60
(Eq. 7) Hp=144Hpx~ = 117 Hp
()
The example motor ia designed for a maximum well
temperature of 250° F. The motor deration curve
(5) shows that there ia no required deration for
well temperature below 245° F. If the well
temperature ia 250°, the curve shows that a
deration factor of .96 should be used. If a
motor with a higher temperature rating is
(9) available, derating may not be necessary.

--- For 600 BPD at 50 Hz Required 60 Hz rating of motor for 250° well
(Fig. 2) Stage Differential Head = 22.5 ft/stage
Tubing Loas = 60 ft (Eq. 8) Derated Hp =~= 122 Hp
(Eq. 1) Pump Differential Head = 22.5 ft/stage
x 225 stagea = 5060 ft
A motor rated for 122 Hp at 60 Hz and 250° F
(Eq. 9) Fluid Level = 5000 + 60 + 200 - 5060 well temperature will operate in a 250° example
= 200 ft well at 74 Hz without excaeding ita internal
4 ELECTRICAL SUBMERSIBLE PUMP PERFORMANCE USING VARIARLE SPEED DRIVRS SPE 13805

temperature limits. This motor will be underloaded 3. Alcock, D. N.; “Operating Submersible Pumps
operating at 50 Hz in the initial well condition. with Closed-Loop Speed Control”, Oil & Gas
Journal (Oct. 1981).
Required pump horsepower at 50 Hz
4. Alcock, D. N.: “Application of Variable
(Eq. 5) Hp=77Hpx~
()
503=
44 Hp Frequency Drives to Deep Well Submersible
Pumps”, Petroleum Engineer International
(March, 1980).
Ava: lable motor horsepower at 50 Hz
5. Watson, A. J.: “ESP - The Electrical
50
(Eq. 7) Hp=122Hpx~ = 102 Hp Submersible Pump, Part 7 - Applying Variable
() Frequency Drives to ESP’s”, Petroleum
Engineer International (November 15, 1983).
The motor will be operating at 43% of its
available horsepower. In the case of a cool well, 6. Hickok, H. N.: “Adjustable Speed - A Tool
or one not requiring a derated motor for Saving Energy Losses in Pumps, Fans,
Blowers and Compressors”. IEEE PCIC-83-44.
50
(Eq. 7) Hp=l17Hpx~ = 97.5Hp
() 7. Brinner, T. R., Traylor, F. T. and Stewart,
R. E.: “Causes and Prevention of Vibration
The motor is operating at only 45% of its Induced Failures in Submergible Oilwell
-—- ..-.-
avaiiabie horsepower. Because of the underioad Pumping Equipment::,Faper SPE 11(.)43
presented
condition, the motor will not be operating at ita at the 1982 Annual Fall Technical Conference
design efficiency. This example demonstrates the and Exhibition of SPE, New Orleans, LA,
magnitude of the variations that can occur between Sept 26-29.
motor output and pump requirements when operating
with VSD.

ASSUMPTIONS

Simplifications were made in order to keep

this paper to a manageable size. There are many
other factors in pump thrust and pump limitations
that were not mentioned. The description of motor
and VSD operations are exceedingly brief. The
e~=~p~e ~g~ b=~i~ gp.~ ~e#gPaed tc ..-..W...-.=
411...++.+-La,,
..=,
points. Effects of fluid properties and their
variation with increased production were not
included. Sizing of cable and surface equipment
were not approached.

CONCLUSION

The VSD can greatly increase the versatility

of the ESP. Care should be taken in sizing for
variable speeds. It is important to represent the
system requirements on the pump performance curve
to gain a better understanding of the actual range
of the application. The pump’s useful performance
may be greater than the published curves indicate.
The increased horsepower and the nonsinusoidal
power source add to the thermal burden of the
motor. Additional margins of safety can be
obtained by specifying motors with higher
temperature ratings. For variable speed
operations, the centrifugal pump is not an ideal
match for the induction motor. For applications
requiring wide frequency ranges, the mismatch is
magnified and finding a suitable ESP may not be
possible.

REFERENCES

1. Stepanoff, A. J., Centrifugal and Axial Flow

-S John WileY and SOnSS Inc.> New york.

2. Brown, K. E., The Technology of Artificial

Lift Methods, Volume 2b, The Petroleum
Publishing Company, Tulsa, Ok.
 BRAKI
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PERFORMANCE CURVE . .

~ ONE STAQE PERFORMANCE

FROM MULTI-STAQE TEST
t ~.

RPM 9600
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10
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BARRELS PER DAY

F@. l-POrlOmanm CUM.

BRAKE PUMP
PUMP TYPE 900 BPD
IN
: VARIABLE SPEED PERFORMANCE CURVE H.P. EFP.%

HEAD CApA

60

40

30

50

40
20 (46 Hz)

10

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BARRELS PER DAY

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SPE J3805
 — ——

Fig. 3-Pump thrust.

1.0

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40 4s 50 65 ml 00 ,“ ,“

FREQUENCY (I+z)

P@. 4-h40torderatimfor vSD.

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o 1200 1400 1000
800 1000
.
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!20n 400 800

FLOW RATE BPD

~. 5-hpk -I, infiow
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BRAKE PUMP
PUMP TYPE 900 BPD
H.P. EPP.s
~ VARIABLE SPEED PERFORMANCE CURVE

so
90

80
40
70

60

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.3 0 30

.2 0 20
10

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400 600
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