# US 10,374,542 B2 · Electric submersible pump variable speed drive controller

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- Number: US 10,374,542 B2
- Document ID: US10374542B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/955,864
- Filed: 2018-04-18
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-04-21
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Summit ESP, LLC
- Inventors: Tom G. Yohanan; Ryan Bridwell Ashbaugh; John Vanderstaay Kenner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374542B2

## CPC

- H02P 27/047: {V/F converter, wherein the voltage is controlled proportionally with the frequency}
- H02K 17/16: having rotors with internally short-circuited windings, e.g. cage rotors
- H02M 5/458: using semiconductor devices only
- H02M 5/4585: {having a rectifier with controlled elements}
- H02M 7/00: Conversion of AC power input into DC power output; Conversion of DC power input into AC power output
- Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53})
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

An electric submersible pump (ESP) variable speed drive (VSD) controller is described. A VSD control system includes a pump assembly including an induction motor operatively coupled to a pump, a power cable and a transformer electrically coupled between the induction motor and a VSD controller that controls a speed of the induction motor, the VSD controller including a converter section that sends a direct current (DC), a DC link including a DC smoothing capacitor that smooths the DC, an inverter that converts the smoothed DC to a pulse width modulated (PWM) output voltage, the inverter including at least one silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor module, and a PWM filter that filters the PWM output voltage to produce near sinusoidal voltages, the PWM filter including inductors, and the PWM filter sending voltage to the transformer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A variable speed drive (VSD) control system comprising:
a pump assembly comprising an induction motor operatively coupled to a pump;
a power cable, a pulse width modulated (PWM) filter, and a transformer electrically coupled between the induction motor and a VSD controller, the PWM filter conditioning voltage sent to the transformer; and
the VSD controller controlling a speed of the induction motor, the VSD controller comprising:
a converter section that sends a direct current;
a DC link comprising a DC smoothing capacitor that smooths the direct current; and
an inverter active switch section that converts the smoothed direct current to a PWM output voltage, the inverter active switch section comprising one of at least one silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) or at least one SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the inverter active switch section comprises the at least one SiC IGBT device, the at least one SiC IGBT device further comprising:
a first SiC IGBT device electrically connected to a second SiC IGBT device by a terminal; and
the terminal serving as a drain of the first SiC IGBT device and a source of the second IGBT device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the inverter active switch section comprises the at least one SiC MOSFET, the at least one SiC MOSFET further comprising:
a first SiC MOSFET electrically connected to a second SiC MOSFET by a terminal; and
the terminal serving as a drain of the first SiC MOSFET and a source of the second SiC MOSFET.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the pump is a horizontal surface pump.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the PWM filter filters the PWM output voltage to produce near sinusoidal voltages, the PWM filter comprising a plurality of inductors.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein PWM filter conditions the PWM output voltage to produce near sinusoidal voltages.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the converter section comprises a three-phase, six-pulse, full-wave diode bridge.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the one of the at least one SiC MOSFET or the at least one SiC IGBT device forms at least one SiC power semiconductor module.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The VSD control system of claim 8, wherein each of the at least one SiC power semiconductor modules is packaged in a housing and comprises a heat sink baseplate.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The VSD control system of claim 1, wherein the VSD controller comprises an LCL input filter and the converter section comprises an active front end, the active front end comprising at least one SiC power semiconductor module.

### Claim 11

A variable speed drive (VSD) control system comprising:
a pump assembly comprising an induction motor operatively coupled to a pump;
a power cable, a pulse width modulated (PWM) filter, and a transformer electrically coupled between the induction motor and a VSD controller, the PWM filter conditioning voltage sent to the transformer; and
the VSD controller controlling a speed of the induction motor, the VSD controller comprising:
a converter section that sends a direct current;
a DC link comprising a DC smoothing capacitor that smooths the direct current; and
an inverter active switch section that converts the smoothed direct current to a pulse width modulated (PWM) output voltage, the inverter active switch section comprising at least one silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor module.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one SiC power semiconductor modules comprises at least one SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET).

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein PWM filter filters the PWM output voltage to produce near sinusoidal voltages, the PWM filter comprising a plurality of inductors.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one SiC power semiconductor modules comprises at least one SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein the converter section comprises a plurality of second SiC power semiconductor modules, each of the plurality of second SiC power semiconductor modules comprising at least one pair of SiC MOSFETs.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein the converter section comprises a plurality of second SiC power semiconductor modules, each of the plurality of second SiC power semiconductor modules comprising at least one a pair of SiC IGBT devices.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The VSD control system of claim 11, wherein the pump is a multi-stage centrifugal surface pump.