TransCoil

rigless-deployed
ESP system
Product testing and analysis report
Executive summary
36-in. (914-mm) radius and
then returned to straight using
a bending fatigue test machine
This report outlines the equipment tests and calculated (see Figure 1).
tests used to validate the TransCoil™ rigless-deployed Test results showed that the
electrical submersible pumping (ESP) system. Included are power cable can withstand the
component testing and in-house system integration testing equivalent of more than 180
(SIT), with the following primary areas of focus: trips in and out of a well before
• Thermal expansion during operation being compromised. Test failure
was noted when the cable was
• Tensile strength of all components
no longer able to contain its 500
• Bending stresses of the TransCoil system power cable psi preload (see Figure 2).
• Fatigue testing
Tensile testing (production)
• Finite element analysis (FEA)
The strip material in the power Figure 2: Sample of a failure
cable used with the TransCoil point after the equivalent of
180 trips in and out of the well
ESP system was in the
Component testing un-annealed condition. Some
cold work hardening occurs during the forming process.
Due to the materials that make up the power cable,
This section deals with all of the parts and sub-assemblies
it cannot be annealed like normal coiled tubing.
included in the final TransCoil system assembly.
Tensile tests were completed for each run of cable.
TransCoil system power cable testing These tests provided material strength for the
Each new design and material used in the TransCoil system as-manufactured condition.
power cable was subjected to a battery of tests carried out The tensile strength has to be sufficient for the power cable
at both the Baker Hughes, a GE Company (Baker Hughes), to support its own weight, the weight of the ESP system, and
Artificial Lift Research and Technology Center (ALRTC) the weight of other tools that may be in the string. Pump
in Claremore, Oklahoma, and the Baker Hughes thrust acting on the string also adds to the weight carried by
Coiled Tubing Research and Engineering Center in the coiled tubing. These factors control the depth of install.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Pressure testing (Production)
Bending fatigue testing (prototype) The proprietary manufacturing process includes a pressure
During installation, the power cable used with the TransCoil test to ensure that there are no leaks before the deployment
ESP system was subjected to low-cycle bending fatigue cable leaves the factory (see Figure 3).
(similar to a coiled tubing string). Bending fatigue testing
was required in order to obtain a baseline fatigue life for the
materials selected.
Samples of the power cable were cut to 8-ft (2.43-m) lengths
and capped at both ends. 500 psi (34.48 bar) internal
pressure was applied and the cable was bent around a

Figure 1: Bending fatigue test machine Figure 3: Pressure test setup for the power cable

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 Thermal growth testing (prototype)
TransCoil ESP systems are suspended from the wellhead.
They produce well fluid up the power cable annulus. The
well fluid, along with natural heating of the power cable,
causes the coil to thermally grow in length. An accurate
representation of the amount of growth observed is used
to size the seal stack and stinger at the bottom of the
completion system.
Thermal growth was calculated using available material
properties and then validated through testing (see Figure 6).

Figure 4: Pressure and temperature test curve

The ends of the cable were capped and pressured up to

1,600 psi (110.3 bar) with nitrogen at 115°F (46°C) for 24 hours.
The pressure decay rate over the 48-hour test must be less
than 2%. The acceptable 2% decay rate is due to absorption
of the nitrogen in the elastomers in the power cable. See
Figure 4 for the final pressure and temperature test results.

Corrosion testing (prototype)

The inability to anneal the cable enclosure after
Figure 6: Thermal growth setup
manufacturing can leave the material in a state that is
more susceptible to corrosion. The greatest threats are from
Well conditions, the length of the cable, and the size of
exposure to H2S and chlorides. This necessitated testing of
the ESP all factor into thermal growth. The physical testing
materials to identify suitable candidates for different levels
provides the ability to predict the overall growth based
of corrosives.
on factors such as downhole temperature, change in
All corrosion testing conformed to NACE standards. temperature caused by the ESP, and the pump-generated
Samples of materials were welded and formed to a higher down thrust.
stress level than would be experienced in actual downhole Cable samples were put through five temperature cycles up
conditions. These samples were then subjected to wellbore to 300°F (149°C) with electrical testing after completion.
conditions inside autoclaves. The samples were checked
Initial testing of 1.62-in. diameter coiled tubing made out of
after the required amount of time specified by NACE and
825N material showed a growth rate of 8.3 x 10-6 in/in/F.
corrosion was noted (see Figure 5).
Thermal growth on a 375 series ESP system over a 6,000-ft
(1829-m) length can be as much as 10 ft (3 m). If you do not
allow enough float in the seal stack, the ESP will bottom out
and compress the ESP string. ESPs are not designed to be in
compression or a buckling type scenario.

Figure 5: Corrosion test samples

Based on the testing—which was conducted in multiple

saturation levels of H2S (15%, 5%, and 1%)—we developed a
tiered material offering that matches expected levels of H2S
and chloride exposure.

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Electrical testing
(production) ESP connection to
The power cable is
electrically tested before
power cable
installation to verify that
it has not been damaged Tensile testing of slips (prototype)
during the manufacturing
Each material used to make the TransCoil system power
process (see Figure 7).
cable has different physical characteristics. Continual testing
The power cable is is done in house to verify that the teeth on the slips will make
tested on the coiled proper contact with the coiled tubing and can safely support
tubing spool per API-11S6 the ESP string during deployment and retrieval.
requirements, and must
Pull testing is done on each material to verify a load capacity
be below the maximum
adequate for the job specifications (see Figure 9).
acceptable conductor
resistance per IEEE-1018
(0.162Ω/kft at 77°F).
Figure 7: Electrical testing

Finite element analysis (prototype)

Along with actual physical testing of components, FEA
analysis was performed on all components that will be
exposed to extreme tension and bending during installation Figure 9: Actual test sample of coiled tubing loaded to 90,000 lb
or operation over the life of the ESP system. (40 823 kg)

This analysis is critical in finding high stress areas of a design This testing allows us to define proper torque settings for
that can be corrected before the design is prototyped. tightening the slips nut during installation.
It can also help with reducing weight and saving costs in
part design. Electrical connection (installation)
Typical items that an FEA are run on include bolted or The electrical connection between the motor and the
threaded flange connections, coiled tubing hanger bodies, power cable sets the TransCoil system apart from all
slips, and splices (see Figure 8). rigless-deployed ESP systems available in the market.
With the power cable encased inside a protective enclosure,
the electrical connections are entirely sealed off from well
fluid (see Figure 10), completely eliminating the need for a
traditional ESP motor connector.

Figure 10: Electrical connection from the ESP motor to the power cable, with
the shear sub shown in blue

Electrical testing consisted of conductor resistance testing

and phase resistance testing. The check valves were also
tested to confirm that they were operating properly.

Figure 8: FEA snapshot showing slips tooth penetration of the tubing at Shear sub design and testing (prototype)
95,000 lb (43 090 kg) loading
The shear sub is tailored for each application. The shear
force required is determined by the weight of the ESP and the
tools hanging from it.
Shear pins can be added or removed to achieve the desired
shear force. The shear sub is set to shear at a weight that is
greater than that of the equipment below it and less than the
yield strength of the tubing.

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Each shear sub has a fishing neck that gets exposed if the
shear sub is activated. As the sub shears away, the power
cable unplugs from the connection chamber so no cable
or debris is left in the well. This helps make any contingency
fishing operation more efficient.
Figure 12: Spoolable connector used to pull equipment

ESP component testing (production)

Tubing Research and Engineering Center. The connectors is
Factory acceptance testing designed to splice the coiled tubing together and fit through
Standard factory acceptance tests are run on the the injector.
following equipment:
Testing completed on this splice connector shows that the
• Pumps—Pump curves are created on the pump test bench. connector is capable of completing 10 trips in and out of
If they fail to meet industry defined standards, the pump is the hole.
torn down and rebuilt.
• Motors— Motors are run on a test bench and must pass Systems integration testing
multiple tests including a coast test. If the motor fails the This section discusses the in-house SIT testing conducted
coast test, it must be reworked. in the ALRTC. All efforts were made to simulate a field
installation. An injector tower was constructed for use with
• Seals—Seals are filled with motor oil and go through a load
the coiled tubing rig.
test while the shaft is rotated at motor speeds. Elastomeric
bags and seals are all pressure tested.
System integration testing (prototype)
• Connection assembly—Pressure tests are performed on the
Baker Hughes conducts system tests on ESP systems in test
connection chambers along with electrical testing.
wells at the ALRTC. Each ESP system is assembled, coupled
• Gauges—Gauges are set up and electrically tested as part into the vertical test well system, and energized with a
of the SIT training, explained later in the System Integration variable speed drive. Data is collected and recorded as
Testing (Prototype) section of this document. specified in the test procedure.

Field service special tooling (installation)

Slips setting tool
After the slips nut is tightened with pipe or torque wrenches,
this tool uses hydraulics to apply a load to the slips.
After a predefined load is applied, the nut can be retightened
before set screws are put in place. This process prevents the
slips from backing off due to high pump thrust (see Figure 11).

Power cable retrieval

splice connector
The retrieval splice
connector is only
Figure 13: Coiled tubing unit and test well in the Baker Hughes Artificial Lift
used while pulling
Research and Technology Center
equipment from the
well. It is not capable of
The objective of SIT testing for the TransCoil system was to
splicing the electrical
successfully deploy a polished bore receptacle, seal stack,
conductor, but it provides
ESP, and gauge carrier assembly. We then engaged the ESP
a strong connection
system to evaluate it against expected performance. The SIT
between the cable on the
test was conducted after each serialized component passed
spool and the cable in the
factory acceptance testing. SIT testing subjects the ESP
well, giving the injector
assembly to operating conditions and qualifies the assembly
something to grip onto
based on project functional design requirements.
(see Figure 12).
This splice connectors
was designed and
tested at the Coiled Figure 11: Slips setting tool

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Project specific Deployment in the test well
installation instructions Test well setup replicates the actual well in the field as closely
and checklist as possible.
The instructions and
The ESP was assembled and installed in accordance with
checklist allow us to
Baker Hughes “ESP System Test Procedure 1801.13.001 Rev. A”
perform an install in our
and BHI ALRTC document 3151.13.006, with the former
test well as it would be
taking precedence.
done in the field.
At every step of the installation where a power connection is
These documents are
touched or exposed, the equipment and power cable must
living documents, and are
be tested for conductor resistance and phase resistance.
updated to include better,
safer, more efficient An additional phase resistance test (2500 Meg Ω for
methods discovered 1 minute) is also performed every 1,000 ft (305 m) while
during the SIT testing. This running in hole.
helps save time, energy,
and money on the actual Energizing and flow test points
well site. After landing the ESP in the wellhead, all electrical
connections are made to the VSD.
Safety issues The gauge is also connected at this time. Data from the
forin-house testing gauge can be compared to the test well results during the
The safety of all personnel standard flow test to generate a pump curve.
conducting and observing testing is our highest priority. Safe
working practices were observed at all times during testing. System retrieval
All personnel had the authority—and were expected—to stop
Pulling a TransCoil system from the well with an injector
work when any hazardous condition was identified.
requires specific tools and processes. It is recommended
A hazard risk assessment was completed before starting that a service tech be onsite for training to help ensure safe
testing. The lead test engineer, lead test technician, and an system retrieval in the field.
HSE representative reviewed the test setup and testing area
to identify potential risks. Before energizing the test circuit Component teardown and analysis
each time, the lead test engineer and lead test technician
After the ESP system has been pulled from the test well,
reviewed the test setup and testing area before starting.
it is torn down and all internal parts are reviewed. Motor
High voltage power systems are a potential source of danger bearing wear patterns are inspected along with oil samples.
to personnel and access to such systems was restricted. Seals have multiple oil samples taken before tear down
Safety barriers were used around all operating equipment and all wear locations are inspected. Pump stages are also
and observing personnel and visitors were required to inspected along with their thrust washers.
remain outside the barriers in a safe area. All personnel were
required to wear proper personal protective equipment
(PPE) at all times (at a minimum, steel toed safety shoes,
safety glasses, hard hat, and ear plugs). All required PPE
was communicated by the lead test technician. Daily safety
meetings were conducted by the lead test technician or
designee before starting work.

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