Torque-balanced, gas-sealed wireline cables

A smooth torque balanced cable, comprising:

• an electrically conductive cable core for transmitting electrical power, the cable core having a plurality of conductive strands embedded in a polymeric insulator;
• a first polymer surrounding the cable core;
• a second polymer surrounding the first polymer;
• an inner layer of a plurality of first armor wires surrounding said cable core, said first armor wires being at least in partial contact with the second polymer disposed opposite the first polymer, the cable core polymeric insulator having a higher melting point than a processing temperature of the first polymer and the second polymer;
• and
• an outer layer of a plurality of second armor wires surrounding said inner layer contrahelically, said second armor wires having a stranded configuration, wherein interstitial spaces between the second armor wires are at least partially filled with a jacket, and wherein the outer layer of the plurality of second armor wires is encapsulated by the jacket, and wherein the jacket comprises ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene, and wherein coverage of the outer layer of armor wires over the inner layer of armor wires is less than or approximately equal to 88 percent, and wherein the second polymer separates the plurality of first armor wires from the plurality of second armor wires;
• wherein a diameter of each wire of the plurality of second armor wires is less than a diameter of each wire of the plurality of first armor wires;
• wherein the diameter of each wire of the plurality of second armor wires is from 0.025 inches to 0.05 inches, and wherein the diameter of each wire of the plurality of first armor wires is 0.04 inches to 0.07 inches;
• wherein a number of armor wires in the outer layer of the plurality of second armor wires is greater than a number of armor wires in the inner layer of the plurality of first armor wires;
• wherein the cable is coupled to a tool string including a tractor device.