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Three IEEE standards that address submersible cable testing and specification were the first standards sponsored by the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society. The latest editions of these standards have been completely rewritten to reflect newer technology. This paper will cover the history of the standards as well as an overview of the technical aspects. Surprisingly, the latest revision of these three standards was the most difficult to gain approval. Because of issues that arose during balloting, the IEEE has changed its policy so that standards can now have dual metric/English units. Index Terms--Cable, downhole, electric submersible pump (ESP), harsh environments, history, standards, units.

Although electric submersible pumps (ESPs) have been produced for almost 100 years, the actual causes of certain electrical failures are still unknown. Why do failures occur on startup or two weeks after an electrical storm? Most of the answers to these questions can be found from an analysis of traditional grounding techniques and consideration of how electrical insulation fails. ESPs are predominantly operated on ungrounded power, which can lead to arcing faults and residual charge. Frequently the wellhead is not even used as a ground. At other times cathodic protection installers insist on no other connections to the wellhead. Some ground wire connections can actually exacerbate the electrical damage done by lightning. Three-wire power system are still quite prevalent in the off field. Ferroresonanee and lack of third-harmonic magnetizing current can produce very distorted waveforms. All these topic are investigated. A consensus seems to be building that one grounding configuration does provide superior reliability. Index Terms--Cathodic protection, electric submersible pump (ESPs), ferroresonance, ground resistance, ground wire inductance, grounding, grounding connections, lightning protection, power distribution systems, surge protection, transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSSs), wellhead grounding.

Effective grounding is critical for protection of electrical equipment from transients. Grounding for personnel safety requires very distinct considerations. The application of the grounds may be similar in some instances. However, the installation will be radically different in isolated areas. Furthermore, the grounding of controls and computers present even more unusual requirements than the grounding of power devices. Additional concerns are circulating currents and injection of spurious noise. This paper addresses grounding for transients, power, and personnel. Designs include installations in plants and for isolated and remote equipment. The methods have been effectively used for pipelines, production facilities, gas plants, and power plants. Ten case studies of diverse applications illustrate the pertinence of the techniques and procedures. Index Terms - Case studies, grounding, grounding electrodes, instrumentation, lightning protection, safety, transient impedance.

One of the most controversial issues in the field of cable technology involves trying to determine the status of used cable. There is no consensus within the industry or even among the so-called 'experts' as to how this decision should be made. This paper identifies methods and limitations of techniques used by different organizations. These range from recommended practices to company guidelines. A model for insulation is presented. The results of the model are compared with common criteria used to evaluate cable. Criteria for any installation are addressed. Simply for convenience, detailed analysis will be applied specifically to electric submersible pump (ESP) cable.

Protection for installations that have been modernized or retrofitted presents a unique mix of problems that require a different perspective from a new installation. The paper addresses lightning, transients, and radiation that cause problems on programmable logic controllers, distributed control systems, and remote electronic transducers. While complex grounding grids and networks were not required for analog systems, newer digital equipment requires a very effective means of maintaining equal potential throughout the facility. Methods of protecting circuits include a variety of sophisticated and not-so-elegant techniques. Special consideration must be given to the impact that towers have on a protection system. The investigation ranges from no air terminals to lightning arrays. The protection problem is compounded when different soils such as clay and rock are encountered. Methods of calculating the grounding circuit resistance are identified. Although the paper is based on a retrofit, the techniques are appropriate for any industrial installation using distributed control.

New regulations require electrical safety training for virtually everyone except secretaries and janitors. A program that has been successfully used for non-electrical, non-engineer personnel is described. The types of hazards are identified. The reasons, concerns, fears, and alternatives are presented with case histories and common pitfalls. The equipment terminology and hands-on experience provide insight into a real world environment.

A discussion about the background of biological effects from electromagnetics is presented. A summary of the leading interactions is presented. An electrical model is presented. The model explains the biological interactions in electrical terms. Methods of mitigating the effect of power systems on biological systems are noted. An appendix provides a comprehensive mathematical development of a universal systems model.