Load harmonics analysis and mitigation

Load harmonics in electrical submersible pump (ESP) systems could interact with the inductance of the transformers and shunt capacitance of the downhole cable creating a severe resonance condition. Although load filters are developed by some drive manufacturers as standard products or even integrated as part of the drive, such filters might not work well for ESP systems. In this paper, the load harmonics mitigation methods from the referenced literature were reviewed. Load harmonics characteristics for low voltage and medium voltage drives are presented. The importance of the load harmonic analysis for ESP systems is addressed by a case study. It is found that load harmonic analysis should always be conducted as part of the ESP system design.