Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring partial discharge within a remotely located and inaccessible electric motor. One embodiment comprises a downhole electric motor of an electric submersible pump system positioned in a well. The motor includes a partial discharge monitoring system coupled to the motor's power terminals. The partial discharge monitoring system includes a filter subsystem, a processing subsystem, and a communication subsystem. The filter subsystem allows higher frequency signals to pass from the terminals to the processing subsystem. The processing subsystem identifies signal constituents that are associated with partial discharge, and may perform various types of processing or analysis of the signal received from the processing subsystem. The partial discharge information generated by the processing subsystem is passed to the communication subsystem, which communicates the information to remotely located surface equipment.

Abstract: A connector for connecting electrical power to a well pump motor has cable and motor connector portions that mate with each other in a connected position. The connector portions have insulating members, each of which has a number of passages and an end face. Electrical contact members are mounted in each of the passages. Contact members in the cable connector portion protrude past the end face of the insulating member. A debris seal insulates the electrical contact members in the cable connector and includes expansion slots so that when the material of the debris seal thermally expands, the expansion slots contract in response to the expansion without the debris seal impinging against either connector.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring partial discharge within a remotely located and inaccessible electric motor. One embodiment comprises a downhole electric motor of an electric submersible pump system positioned in a well. The motor includes a partial discharge monitoring system coupled to the motor's power terminals. The partial discharge monitoring system includes a filter subsystem, a processing subsystem, and a communication subsystem. The filter subsystem allows higher frequency signals to pass from the terminals to the processing subsystem. The processing subsystem identifies signal constituents that are associated with partial discharge, and may perform various types of processing or analyses of the signal received from the processing subsystem. The partial discharge information generated by the processing subsystem is passed to the communication subsystem, which communicates the information to remotely located surface equipment.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing or preventing partial discharge between turns of a single coil within an electric motor by placing insulating barriers between different pluralities of wire turns in a single coil. One embodiment comprises an electric motor. The motor includes a rotor and a stator, where the stator has multiple coils of wire that are positioned in passageways in the stator to form electromagnets. Each wire coil has multiple wire turns, and insulating barriers are positioned between different sets of wire turns within the coil. In one embodiment, the stator includes a slot liner in each passageway to electrically isolate all of the wire turns in each coil from the walls of the passageway. The wire coils may be formed with wire that has an insulating coating which is separate from the insulating barriers.