SWEED, located in Gold Hill, Oregon, announced its system for processing electric submersible pump (ESP) cable, commonly referred to as REDA cable. This system, operated by a team of two, has recently achieved a milestone of processing over 500,000 pounds of cable in just one month.
According to a release from SWEED, REDA cable serves as a vital component in the oil industry, specifically engineered for ESPs deployed deep within oil wells. Ensuring a continuous power supply to these critical components is of utmost importance. Therefore, it’s common practice to consider replacing the REDA cable when a pump is taken out of the well for maintenance or other reasons. This approach is believed to contribute to maintaining the pump’s continuous operation, which is a crucial aspect of the oil production process.
The composition of REDA cable can vary, but most commonly features a steel outer armor. Within this protective layer, there are typically three copper conductors individually insulated with plastic/rubber sheathing and lead insulation. REDA cable is available in both flat and round configurations, with SWEED’s REDA Cable Slitter System currently designed for processing the flat cable.
SWEED’s REDA Cable Slitter System despools the cable from a reel and feeds it into SWEED’s SS6K series slitter system. The slitter slices through the cable and splits the steel armoring off to convey it away to a roll-off dumpster, exposing the inner layers. As the cable is pushed out of the slitter system, the lead material drops into a hopper chopper that cuts it into smaller pieces and is then conveyed downstream. Just before the material leaves the conveyor, an air pick-up duct is employed to eliminate any lightweight materials like paper or plastic, guaranteeing the lead is clean and free of contaminants when it’s deposited into a gaylord container. The three copper conductors are then directed into a customized SWEED chopper, where they are chopped into manageable pieces for further processing and copper recovery.
The SWEED REDA Cable Slitter System maintains a daily processing rate averaging between 26,000 and 35,000 pounds per day, operating at speeds ranging from 70 feet per minute (fpm) up to 105 fpm.
