Iranian Journal of Oil and Gas Science and Technology
Quarterly Publication

Comparative Analysis of Failure Modes and Health Indicators of Major ESP Brands

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Yasin Khalili 1
Mohammad Ahmadi 1
Mostafa Keshavarz Moraveji 2

1 Department of Petroleum and Geoenergy Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22050/ijogst.2026.569795.1769
Abstract
Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) are widely used in oil and gas production; however, their reliability is challenged by diverse failure modes and inconsistent monitoring practices across manufacturers. This study develops a vendor-agnostic key performance indicator (KPI) framework to enable objective comparison of ESP performance across different brands. A representative dataset comprising 330 ESP runs across three major ESP brands was analyzed using standardized failure classification and statistical techniques, including Weibull reliability modeling. Failure modes were categorized into mechanical, electrical, hydraulic/gas-related, material, and operational classes and correlated with vendor-independent KPIs derived from thermal, electrical, hydraulic, and operational measurements. The results reveal distinct brand-specific failure patterns. Brand A is dominated by electrical failures associated with reduced thermal margin, Brand B exhibits a longer characteristic life with wear-out-dominated behavior, and Brand C shows greater susceptibility to hydraulic instability driven by gas interference. Several KPIs, including motor temperature margin (MTM), current imbalance (CI), and gas interference index (GII), consistently demonstrate potential as early-warning indicators of failure. The proposed framework enables cross-brand benchmarking, improves the interpretability of ESP health monitoring, and supports the development of predictive maintenance strategies independent of proprietary vendor systems.

Highlights

·         A vendor-agnostic key performance indicator (KPI) framework is developed to enable objective ESP health monitoring and cross-brand performance comparison.

·         ESP failure modes are standardized using API RP 11S1 and ESP-RIFTS, enabling consistent reliability benchmarking across brands.

·         Distinct brand-dependent failure patterns are identified, linking electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic failures to corresponding KPI behavior.

·         Key indicators, including motor temperature margin (MTM), current imbalance (CI), gas interference index (GII), and mechanical vibration index (MVI), demonstrate strong potential as early-warning signals.

·         Weibull reliability analysis reveals significant differences in characteristic life and failure behavior among ESP brands.

Keywords

Electric submersible pumps (ESP)
Failure mode analysis
Health monitoring
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Reliability engineering.
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 30 December 2025
  • Revise Date 14 June 2026
  • Accept Date 28 June 2026

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