Russian manufacturer of ALS-related equipment, IRZ, has launched an ESP gauge suitable for high temperature (HT) wells.

The prototype of the HT gauge was finished in April 2019, with an eye to clients demanding HT gauges for use in bitumen fields in West Siberia and Tatarstan being in development with steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD).

Having reliable data on well conditions and ESP motor’s health is a vital part of flexible, low-maintenance and optimised ESP operation. It is well known that high temperature affects electronic devices in several ways, so to design a new gauge, IRZ team kept in mind every known aspect related to behaviour of electronics under high temperature, as well as ESP-specific matters, like, for example, short-term inertial overheating due to interruption of cooling by inflow of fluid during ESP shutdowns.

After R&D phase including a series of field trials and one-month continuous life test of the prototype in a lab chamber at 180 ºС, the HT gauge has proved to be suitable for operations at temperatures up to 175 ºС with short-term overheating up to 190 ºС. The gauges have already been installed in more than 100 wells in Russia.