Iranian Journal of Oil and Gas Science and Technology
Quarterly Publication

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

Articles in Press

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.

10.22050/ijogst.2026.569795.1769
Abstract
Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs) are widely used in oil and gas production, yet 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 longer characteristic life with wear-out-dominated behavior, and Brand C shows higher susceptibility to hydraulic instability driven by gas interference. Several KPIs, including Motor Temperature Margin (MTM), Current Imbalance (CI), and Gas Interference Index (GII), consistently provide early-warning indicators of failure.

The proposed framework enables cross-brand benchmarking, improves interpretability of ESP health monitoring, and supports the development of predictive maintenance strategies independent of proprietary vendor systems.

Keywords

Electric Submersible Pumps (ESP)
Failure Mode Analysis
Health Monitoring
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Reliability Engineering
Subjects
Iranian Journal of Oil and Gas Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 June 2026

  • Receive Date 30 December 2025
  • Revise Date 14 June 2026
  • Accept Date 28 June 2026

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