Apparatus for monitoring an electrical submersible pump

• US 9,476,425 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Atherton, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): COMLEY, ALEXANDER BRYANT
• Application Number:
  US14/092,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20140086765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 166/105, 166/250.15, 731/68, 734/93, 735/040.2, 417/1, 417/44.1, 417/63, 417/423.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/128 Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/008 Monitoring of down-hole pump systems, e.g. for the detection of "pumped-off" conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/08 for submerged use
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/10 adapted for use in mining bore holes
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/00 Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0088 Testing machines
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0094 Indicators of rotational movement
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/21 Devices for sensing speed or position, or actuated thereby specially adapted for machines having non-mechanical commutating devices H02K29/06, H02K29/14
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/132 Submersible electric motors H02K5/128 takes precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for monitoring an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) are provided, and example of an apparatus includes a rotation rate or other sensor located in, for example, an ESP gauge. When the ESP is started the rotating elements rotate in a first direction while the static elements will experience an opposing torque in a second opposite direction. The small rotational movement of the ESP gauge housing, for example, is sensed by the sensor and is used to determine the direction of rotation of the motor and pump to ensure proper ESP motor and/or ESP assembly configuration.

Claims

1. An apparatus to determine a direction of rotation of a motor and pump of an electrical submersible pump, comprising:

an electrical submersible pump assembly including a motor, a pump, a housing, and at least one sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate; and

a processing system being configured to determine a direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor responsive to a signal output from the at least one sensor to thereby determine if the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor of the electrical submersible pump assembly is rotating in an intended direction, wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates one or more values exceeding a first threshold and one or more values exceeding a second threshold; and

wherein the first threshold is set at a first percentage above a maximum rotation rate detected during a time period, and the second threshold is set at a second percentage below a maximum negative rotation rate detected during the time period.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an angular rate-sensing gyroscope positioned so that an axis of sensitivity of the gyroscope corresponds to a vertical axis of the electrical submersible pump assembly.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to measure rotation rate by measuring a Coriolis force on one or more vibrating elements of the electrical submersible pump assembly.

4. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a rotation rate sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate of the housing.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an angular rate sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate of the housing.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a rotational acceleration sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate of the housing.

7. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first percentage is between 1% and 50%, and the second percentage is between 1% and 50%.

8. An apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates one or more values exceeding a first threshold and whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates one or more values exceeding a second threshold;

and

wherein the first threshold has, in a mode of operation, a positive value of between 1 deg/s and 15 deg/s, and the second threshold has, in the mode of operation, a negative value of between 1 deg/s and 15 deg/s.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the signal output is time-dependent;

wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a first value meeting or exceeding a first threshold and whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a second value meeting or exceeding a second threshold; and

wherein the processing system is configured such that;

when the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached before the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached, the processing system determines a direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a clockwise direction, and

when the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached before the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached, the processing system determines the direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a counter-clockwise direction.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the first threshold has a positive value related to a maximum positive value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor, and wherein the second threshold has a negative value related to a maximum negative value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the signal output is time-dependent;

wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a first value matching or exceeding a first threshold and whether the signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a second value matching or exceeding a second threshold; and

wherein the processing system is configured such that;

when the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached before the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached, the processing system determines a direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a counter-clockwise direction, and

when the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached before the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached, the processing system determines the direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a clockwise direction.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the first threshold has a positive value related to a maximum positive value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor, and wherein the second threshold has a negative value related to a maximum negative value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine one or more detection quality factors, and wherein each detection quality factor includes a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during a second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a first time period T1 and a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during the second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a third time period T3, wherein T3>

T2>

T1.

14. An apparatus to determine a direction of rotation of a motor and pump of an electrical submersible pump, comprising:

an electrical submersible pump assembly including a motor, a pump, a housing, and at least one sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate; and

a processing system being configured to perform the operations of;

determining whether a time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a first value matching or exceeding a first threshold and whether the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a second value matching or exceeding a second threshold, and determining a direction of rotation of the motor responsive to the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor to thereby determine if the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor of the electrical submersible pump assembly is rotating in an intended direction; and

the processing system being further configured such that;

when the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached before the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached, the processing system determines a direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in the intended direction, and when the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached before the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached, the processing system determines the direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a direction opposite the intended direction;

wherein the processing system is further configured to determine one or more detection quality factors, and wherein each detection quality factor includes a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during a second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a first time period T1 and a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during the second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a third time period T3, wherein T3>

T2>

T1.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the first threshold has a positive value related to a maximum positive value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor, and wherein the second threshold has a negative value related to a maximum negative value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor.

16. An apparatus to determine a direction of rotation of a motor and pump of an electrical submersible pump, comprising:

an electrical submersible pump assembly including a motor, a pump, a housing, and at least one sensor positioned to measure a rotational rate; and

a processing system being configured to perform the operations of;

determining whether a time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a first value matching or exceeding a first threshold and whether the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor indicates a second value matching or exceeding a second threshold, and determining a direction of rotation of the motor responsive to the time-dependent signal output from the at least one sensor to thereby determine if the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor of the electrical submersible pump assembly is rotating in an intended direction; and

the processing system being further configured such that;

when the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached before the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached, the processing system determines a direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a counter-clockwise direction, and when the second value matching or exceeding the second threshold is reached before the first value matching or exceeding the first threshold is reached, the processing system determines the direction of rotation of the pump, the motor, or both the pump and the motor to be in a clockwise direction, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine one or more detection quality factors, and wherein the detection quality factor includes a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during a second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a first time period T1 and a ratio of a maximum detected rotation rate during the second time period T2 to a maximum detected rotation rate during a third time period T3, wherein T3>

T2>

T1.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the first threshold has a positive value related to a maximum positive value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor, and wherein the second threshold has a negative value related to a maximum negative value indicated by the signal output of the at least one sensor.