scope:

Forward

This recommended practice, under the jurisdiction of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, presents the minimum requirements for the construction, manufacturing, purchasing, and application of electric submersible pump cable. The configuration of the cable is either round or flat, with polypropylene insulation, nitrile jacket, and armor.

Anyone desiring to use this recommended practice may do so. It is presented as minimum criteria for construction of this class of submersible cable. It is not intended to restrict innovation or to limit development of improvements in cable design. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein; however, the committee makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with the publication of this specification and hereby expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use; for any violation of any federal, state, or municipal regulation with which it may conflict; or for the infringement of any patent resulting from the use of this recommended practice.

Notice to users

Errata

Errata, if any, for this and all other standards can be accessed at the following  URL:http://standards.ieee.org/reading/ieee/updates/errata/index.html. Users are encouraged to check this URL for errata periodically.

Interpretations

Current interpretations can be accessed at the following URL: http://standards.ieee.org/reading/ieee/interp/ index.html.

Patents

Attention is called to the possibility that implementation of this standard may require use of subject matter covered by patent rights. By publication of this standard, no position is taken with respect to the existence or validity of any patent rights in connection therewith. The IEEE shall not be responsible for identifying patents or patent applications for which a license may be required to implement an IEEE standard or for conducting inquiries into the legal validity or scope of those patents that are brought to its attention.

Scope

This recommended practice establishes requirements for three-conductor round-and-flat-type oil-well cable used in supplying three-phase ac electric power to submersible pump motors. The major cable components are copper conductors, polypropylene insulation, polymeric jacket, and galvanized armor. Cables meeting the requirements of this recommended practice should be rated for voltages not exceeding 3 kV or 5 kV (phase to phase).

Conductor operating temperatures for cables should not exceed 96 °C (205 °F). Use of cable above rated temperature can cause premature deterioration of the insulation. Low-temperature handling below -10 °C (14 °F) may cause cracking of the insulation or jacket.

Cable purchased under the recommendation of this recommended practice, unless otherwise specified herein, should meet the requirements of ASTM A90, ASTM B3, ASTM B8, ASTM B33, ASTM B189, ASTM B496, ASTM D412, ICEA S-19/NEMA WC 3, and ICEA S-61-402/NEMA WC 5, where applicable.¹

This recommended practice recognizes the common practice of continuing to operate the pump's electrical system after a phase has faulted to ground and that some power distribution systems are even designed with one corner of the delta system grounded. The purpose of this recommended practice is not to condone or disapprove of such practice, but the user should be aware that such operation produces a higher than normal phase-to-ground voltage across the insulation/jacket dielectric of the two ungrounded conductors. Due to the disruption of the normally balanced three-phase field, such operation produces stresses through the insulation/jacket dielectric that shortens cable life. ICEA S-61-402/NEMA WC 5 recommends a 173% insulation level for grounded-phase operation, but this is often impractical for downhole oil-well cable; therefore, this specifying standard recommends insulation thickness based on a normal three-phase energized delta or wye system, with no phase grounded.

¹Information on references can be found in Clause 2.