Magney Grande Distribution

For years, oil producers across West Texas accepted a familiar refrain. Whenever an electric submersible pump (ESP) failed, the cause was deemed mechanical or attributed to unpredictable well conditions, without consideration of electrical phenomenon.

But for Magney Grande Distribution CEO Carol Grande, this didn’t add up.

When rotors parted, rotor bearings exhibited electrical fluting and motor leads failed, the symptoms pointed to something far less visible. What others dismissed as mechanical failure, Carol Grande delved deeper for a systemic issue, electrical side-effects masquerading as wear and tear.

“It was like chasing ghosts. You think it’s metal fatigue or vibration, but what you’re really seeing is misdirected energy,” explains Carol Grande.

That investigation led Carol Grande and her team to come up with a comprehensive suite of mitigation technologies, their surface protection package. This package contains an all-mode secondary surge protective device, an enhanced grounding system, and intelligent monitoring through Ziton and the Common Mode Filter. Each of these individual components addresses a range of potential sources of failure and mitigates the potential effects. The technical expertise of Magney Grande and its proven surface protection package has reshaped industry assumptions around ESP failure. The paradigm is shifting from reactive maintenance to a forward-looking model grounded in engineered protection, diagnostic precision and sustained production integrity.

Built with Resilience, Engineered for Extremes

Carol Grande had seen the pattern before, when lightning storms would routinely disable variable-frequency drives (VFD) in submersible pump systems. But unlike industrial facilities equipped with layered protections, the pumps in remote oilfields operated in isolation, exposed to relentless heat, abrasive dust and unforgiving terrain. The vulnerabilities were amplified and largely unaddressed.

Recognizing this gap, Magney Grande designed a new class of surge protective devices, engineered specifically to withstand these punishing conditions. And when producers raised concerns about inadequate grounding in low-conductivity soil, the team responded with a chemical grounding solution that is environmentally safe and effective in dissipating dangerous electrical energy.

The real inflection point came when a major oil producer posed a simple question: Why were ESPs running longer on outdated switchboards than on modern VFDs, which were supposed to optimize performance?

Carol Grande did what she always does. She led her team to the field and set up side-by-side comparisons using oscilloscopes, Fluke meters and other diagnostic tools across several wells in West Texas to find the root of this problem. The MGD team found VFDs were generating high-frequency electrical noise that was damaging the ESPs in ways traditional systems never did. The switchboards, by contrast, showed a cleaner sine wave.

Five months later, Magney Grande unveiled the first iteration of its Common Mode Filter (CMF^TM), a custom-engineered solution that filters out a type of electrical noise missed by sine wave filters (common mode noise). The CMF^TM further provides notification when the sine wave filter becomes degraded and allows an unhealthy amount of differential mode noise.

Seeing its impact, the same producer placed an order for 1,300 units. Today, a large majority of operators in the Permian Basin rely on CMFs^TM to protect their ESP infrastructure.

The innovation is now transforming operations beyond oilfields. At a U.S. geothermal facility, persistent rotor bearing fluting ceased entirely after CMF^TM installation. The findings were later presented at an SPE symposium, reinforcing how damage from high-frequency content often masquerades as mechanical issues.

In some instances, the consequences were far more severe. Tubing parting, one of the most catastrophic ESP failures, which may force full well abandonment, was traced back to these same voltage phenomenon.

“It’s like a cancer cluster,” says Carol Grande. “It doesn’t always strike in the same place, but it always attacks the weakest link, be it the penetrator, the cable, or the tubing. That’s why the failure looks different every time. But the source is the same.”

That’s also why Magney Grande does more than supply hardware. The company provides producers with diagnostic data, field insights, and strategic guidance, giving operators the tools to better understand and safeguard their electrical ecosystems.

A Million-Dollar Problem Solved

When an ESP fails, the consequences go well beyond deferred production. Retrieval operations can exceed $100,000 per pull and are especially costly when offshore. And because ESPs are typically deployed in high-producing wells, each hour offline translates directly to deferred revenue.

For one offshore operator, the stakes were even higher. ESP failures with no clear explanation were triggering repeated, multimillion-dollar recovery missions. Mechanical inspections yielded no definitive root cause. Desperate for answers beyond conventional diagnostics, the operator turned to Magney Grande.

Armed with the Yokogawa PX8000, a precision power scope capable of capturing harmonics up to the 500th order and waveform data with a 10ns sample interval, the Magney Grande team conducted an electrical analysis. This diagnostic capability contrasts with most industry standards, which stop at the 50th harmonic, leaving layers of damaging frequency distortion undetected.

When they discovered that destructive high-frequency content was silently degrading the ESP system, the solution was Magney Grande’s patented CMF^TM, engineered to warn of destructive harmonics and shunt high-frequency to ground. Once installed, runtimes increased from 20 to 24 weeks to more than four years of productive operation.

From Safeguarding Pumps to Redefining Safety

The Magney Grande legacy of problem-solving now extends beyond equipment reliability. It is reshaping the safety standards of the energy sector.

Arc flash remains one of the most dangerous threats in electrical environments. Electricians traditionally relied on 40 Cal arc flash suits, which are hot, cumbersome and physically punishing, to take basic electrical readings.

Magney Grande answered with Ziton, a SCADA-compatible (Modbus) and permanently mounted meter that eliminates human exposure to arc flash and electrical shock. Originally built as a frontline defense against arc flash, Ziton also functions as an industrial intelligence layer. It delivers real-time electrical readings of the power triangle, voltage, current, backspin and power factor without exposing personnel to danger.

At a fraction of the cost of traditional monitoring, Ziton provides budget-friendly access to high-resolution data, enabling safer, faster and smarter decision-making, without a suit or risk.

Trust Without the Noise

When influence isn’t built on glossy brochures or aggressive sales tactics, it speaks for itself. Every engagement, from domestic deployments to global partnerships, has contributed to building the reputation of Magney Grande.

“Trust doesn’t come from claims. It comes from outcomes,” says Carol Grande. “When someone in the field says, Call Carol, that’s worth more than any brochure.”

This credibility has become its currency.

Magney Grande was recognized by Darcy Partners for both production and safety innovation and by World Oil for its contributions to operational excellence. Carol Grande’s voice continues to shape the industry. She has been a featured speaker at global conferences and served on the Society of Petroleum Engineers ESP Symposium Council since 1987, bringing field-tested insight and a commitment to practical problem-solving to one of the industry’s most respected forums.

People First, Always

Carol Grande is indeed the face of the company, but she’s the first to deflect credit.
“None of this happens without my team,” she says.

Her husband, Salvatore Grande, is president of engineering. He is also a former Air Force fighter pilot who brought his systems mindset to the oilfield. After joining Magney Grande, he turned his focus to the company’s toughest technical problems, earning multiple patents for designs that now anchor key parts of their solution suite. Leo Coombs, VP of Engineering and former Marine Engineering Officer, leads field diagnostics, often in extreme environments while wearing the 40 Cal arc flash suit that inspired the Ziton. Amy Coombs, Chief Operating Officer and MSL, keeps the business running day to day with precision and care.

This four-person management team does what major senior leaders often don’t. They go on-site, run diagnostics, sit down with engineers and develop custom solutions. While many industry players scale by expanding marketing arms, Magney Grande reinvests in R&D, test equipment and field service capabilities.

“If I had $100,000 to spend, I’d rather put it into gear than ads,” says Carol Grande. “That’s how we stay ahead.”

From reducing downtime and intensive rig interventions to improving safety and run life, the company continues to elevate the standard, not with slogans, but with results.

As Carol Grande puts it, “We’re not building for the showroom. We’re building for the people who keep oil flowing every day. And that’s who we show up for.”