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.
