Study of Electrical Contact in a System for High Power Transmission Through Well Piping

The study examines in detail the possibility of using well casing as a means for power transmission downhole to high-power equipment, such as pumps. The ultimate goal is to transmit single-phase AC to the well bottom and then convert it into three-phase power to operate the downhole equipment, which is a major challenge for such applications. The focus is set on the particular problem of the contact between the packer slips and the casing, and the study aims to examine it in detail. An analysis of high-voltage effects (arcing, etching, contact welding, and heating) and possible mechanical and chemical failures (fatigue, corrosion, surface treatment, contact pressure, and stresses) is performed. These effects are evaluated using common physics laws, and the mechanical structural behavior of the contact is analyzed through Finite Element Method simulation. The performed calculations and analyses show that this is a viable and innovative solution that eliminates the use of cables (umbilicals), especially for long distances and in deep wells. The main contribution is the validated conceptual design, with physical prototyping and tests planned for the next stage of this research.