Surface · ESP
Wellhead Penetrator
A pressure rated electrical feedthrough held in the tubing hanger. It carries the three phases through the wellhead without letting well fluid or gas out.
What it does
Keeps the wellhead pressure barrier intact while connecting the downhole cable (lower pigtail) to the surface cable (upper pigtail).
Basics
| Also called | Feedthrough, mandrel |
| Held by | Tubing hanger |
| Connections | Lower and upper three phase pigtails |
| Selected by | Pressure, temperature, voltage and current |
Common failures
- Seal leak that lets gas or fluid to surface
- Electrical failure at the pigtail connectors
Troubleshooting
- Symptom
- Ground fault that clears when the surface cable is disconnected
- Likely cause
- Fault in the surface side, not downhole
- What to check
- Test each side of the penetrator separately
- Symptom
- Gas at the wellhead around the feedthrough
- Likely cause
- Seal failure
- What to check
- Isolate the well and replace seals per manufacturer