Plexus Wins Contract to Design HP/HT Subsea Wellhead System for Wintershall Noordzee (UK)

Plexus Holdings PLC, the AIM quoted oil and gas engineering services business and owner of the proprietary POS-GRIP® friction-grip method of wellhead engineering, has been commissioned by Wintershall Noordzee B.V. , a leading international oil and gas company, to design and develop a mudline crossover subsea wellhead system with specific high pressure/ high temperature capabilities. The engineering design contract has a value of circa £500,000.

The subsea wellhead development initiative will see Plexus design over the next six months a mudline crossover subsea wellhead system for Wintershall that will enable the company to complete and then produce from a previously drilled temporarily abandoned well which used the Plexus TRT-S Mudline system.

By using POS-GRIP technology, the Tubing Hanger diameter has been reduced to enable installation through a standard casing riser rather than through a special larger diameter high pressure riser system between the Mudline and the Surface BOP. The proposed configuration allows multiple riser strings to be re-established during the subsea production conversion of a pre-drilled mudline well, thereby complying with the industries increased reliance on multiple barriers.

Under the terms of the product development contract Plexus will own the Intellectual Property rights to the new mudline crossover subsea wellhead system. At the end of the design process Plexus will quote for the manufacture and supply of two subsea wellhead systems for installation at the end of Q2 2013.

This subsea wellhead product development contract with Wintershall is running in tandem with Plexus’ “HGSS” Joint Industry Project new subsea wellhead design initiative launched in March 2011 to develop a new method of engineering for subsea wellheads utilising Plexus’ friction grip technology.

Plexus CEO Ben van Bilderbeek said, “This is a major step for Plexus in line with our growth strategy of extending our proprietary POS-GRIP friction-grip wellhead technology into an increasing number of subsea applications. This contract not only demonstrates to the wider industry that friction-grip technology has distinct safety and performance advantages which can be applied to address specific technical problems and deliver solutions, it also acts as an endorsement of Plexus’ extensive research and development capabilities. In this vein, we have previously worked with Wintershall supplying our rental POS-GRIP wellhead systems, and we look forward to strengthening this business relationship and working with them on this new product development, as well as continuing to demonstrate to the industry our ability to address the many new and fast changing regulatory requirements as they emerge.”

[mappress]
Source: Plexus Holdings Plc, July 12, 2011;