There are a group of us, Boomers and older, who see the letters ESP and we think of Israel’s Uri Geller, a guy who baffled Johnny Carson and pretty much everyone else 50 years ago with his mental spoon bending and extra-sensory perception.  

And then there are the rest of us who are fans of the oilfield product line that is quietly taking over the world of oil production:  the electric submersible pump. ESP, for short.

Consider the following chart that shows JUST the ESP part of the global artificial lift market over time:

Now look at all other artificial lift types over the same time period:

In another year or two, ESP sales might trump their 2014 highs; meanwhile, we can’t see the other lift types getting to their prior records in our professional lifetimes.  

The former king of lift?  Rod lift.

The new king of lift?  ESP.

The king is dead; long live the king.