Cable-based pumping system

摘要

A system for interconnecting a surface power source with a downhole pump in an oil well or similar fluid pumping installation uses a cable and associated connectors. The cable is constructed from a plurality of helically preformed wires which are heat treated and surrounded with a corrosion and abrasion resistant material. This construction provides the cable with sufficient stiffness that it does not slump, buckle or coil when inserted in the well, and with sufficient density that it is not buoyant in the fluid being pumped, but yet with sufficient flexibility that it can be unwound from a reel for insertion into the well and rewound on the reel for extraction from the well. The connectors, which are used at the ends of the cable, secure and protect the cable and allow easy adjustment of its length for optimum pump efficiency. The power consumption efficiency of the oil well is also enhanced since the cable is relatively lightweight and requires less energy to be raised and lowered during the pumping operation.