Investigation of start-up conditions on electric submersible pump driven with flux switching motor

Abstract

One of the motor types that is recently considered to be a candidate for electric submersible pumps (ESPs) is the flux switching motor. Therefore, it becomes crucial to verify that this type of motor can stand ESP conditions. The main subject of this paper is to investigate the start-up condition of ESP along with considering the long power supply cable to study the motor performance, where the real aspect of the ESP conditions is investigated. Since there is not any model of pump load that models the dynamic behavior of ESP correctly, first, a model for the pump is developed. Then the flux switching motor model is modified to apply the long cable to the model. The model is simulated and the results are presented. The main advantages of this paper are modeling the height change of fluid, pump efficiency, and pump load torque during the time (from start to steady state when the flow rate of fluid outcome from the well is stable), and considering the long cable. In addition, the flux switching motor model is validated by a built prototype motor.