INDUSTRY NEWS Annular Pressure Build-Up (APB) Mitigation
For Wells At Whale Development CRP Subsea, an AIS company, has recently secured a contract with Shell Offshore Inc. The contract involves the supply of crushable foam wrap (CFW) for the Whale deepwater development, 200 miles south of Houston in the Gulf of America.
The initial order is for one well-set, with additional orders for four more well-sets expected throughout 2025. Each well-set comprises 1,798 CFW quadrants, each one metre in length. The package also includes installation equipment, such as adhesive (one tube per two quadrants), adhesive dispensing guns, tie wraps, and Spanset straps.
CFW is an engineered syntactic foam, comprised of a thermoset resin and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS). It is designed to be installed around the inner drill casing, which is then immersed in the annulus fluid. As pressure within the annulus increases, the CFW will collapse at a pre-determined pressure and temperature combination, as dictated by well conditions. This controlled collapse allows for the expansion of
annulus fluid, dispersing potentially destructive pressure build-up.
Andy Smith, Head of Sales, says: “It’s fantastic that Shell has chosen us to support this exciting deepwater project.
“We’ve been manufacturing and deploying crushable foam wrap for decades, helping to protect wells around the world. This contract is a great validation of our team’s expertise and dedication to delivering high- quality solutions for the industry.”
Production of the CFW will take place at our Skelmersdale facility, with project engineering commencing imminently.
Delivery of the first well-set is scheduled for Q3 2025.
AIS Continues Success In Norwegian North Sea Field With Insulation Covers Award
Following on from earlier success in the Norwegian North Sea over the past two years, AIS is pleased to announce another substantial project award for insulation covers. Previously, AIS secured a Subsea Production System (SPS) contract for the same project in 2023/2024, and delivered insulation for Christmas Trees, Flow Control Modules, and Manifolds.
Requiring multiple highly engineered cover designs, AIS will supply over 50 removable covers to provide insulation to bulkheads and flanges. In alignment with the project’s
requirements, these will be delivered in 2025 through to 2026.
These will be manufactured at AIS’ headquarters in Gloucester, UK, utilising the high performance ContraTherm® C55-750-30. With a 25-year track record with major global operators, this material is proven to deliver excellent thermal properties while affording robust mechanical
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www.sosmagazine.biz May Issue 2025
properties.
Neil Patrick, Subsea Sales Manager, commented: “It has been a great technical challenge to secure this award, utilising our technical and engineering capability during the tender phase to ensure we deliver a bespoke solution to meet the client’s needs in a relatively short timeframe.”
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