History and Development of IEEE Standards for Downhole Cable

Three IEEE standards that address submersible cable testing and specification were the first standards sponsored by the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society. The latest editions of these standards have been completely rewritten to reflect newer technology. This paper will cover the history of the standards as well as an overview of the technical aspects. Surprisingly, the latest revision of these three standards was the most difficult to gain approval. Because of issues that arose during balloting, the IEEE has changed its policy so that standards can now have dual metric/English units.