CASE STUDY:

Delaware Basin ESP Fallback Prevention

SandMaze outlasts a competitor fallback tool adding up to 420 days of ESP run life in the same wellbore

Challenge

A major Delaware Basin operator was losing ESPs to sand fallback during shutdowns. As pumps sat idle, sand settled onto the stages and created hard-start conditions that triggered premature failures. A competitor fallback tool failed to solve it. To run a clean comparison, the operator pulled the competitor tool and installed SandMaze in the same wellbore: same well, same formation, same conditions, with only the fallback tool changing.

Solution

SandMaze captures sand in proprietary holding chambers as the pump shuts down, then gently reintroduces it on restart. No jetting, no hard starts, no stage damage, and no moving parts. The tool flows bi-directionally and is chemical-injection capable, so it protects the ESP without restricting operations. Results were tracked against an operator-maintained ESP install/pull tracker covering 274 installs. Learn more about SandMaze