Patent ID: 7673684

Claim:
An ESP/separator assembly for positioning downhole in a well on a tubular string to pump downhole fluids to the surface, comprising: an electric submersible pump (ESP) having an upper end for fluid communication with an interior of the tubular string; an electrically powered motor positioned below the pump for powering the pump; an electrical cable extending downhole past the pump and to the motor; a generally sleeve-shaped shroud positioned circumferentially about the pump, the motor, and a portion of the electrical cable extending past the pump and to the motor, the shroud having an upper end connected to the tubular string and a lower end axially opposite the pump with respect to the motor; a separator having an upper end in fluid communication with and connected to the lower end of the shroud, such that the shroud supports substantially the weight of the separator, and fluid moving upward through the separator passes through an interior of the shroud and into the pump and then into the tubular string; and the pump having an outlet with an axis radially spaced from a central axis of a lower end of the tubular string, such that the pump is eccentrically positioned within the shroud to position the cable radially between an exterior surface of the pump and an interior surface of the shroud.