SPEX Group, UK, is set to showcase its Emergency Severance Tool (EST) at the 2013 Shell Global Wells Conference. Two employees from SPEX are to attend the event, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 25 September 2013. Rae Younger, managing director, and Sidney Johnston, vice president of innovation & strategy at SPEX, have been invited to be present during the conference.

This follows on from SPEX securing a multi-million dollar contract with Shell for the development of the Emergency Severance Tool (EST) which will undergo further testing in the US over the next 6 months. SPEX plans to make the tool commercially available at the end of 2014.

The EST operates at depths up to 10,000ft, and forms an integral part of the drilling riser - the large diameter pipe that connects the drilling rig to the seabed. The EST is positioned just above the blowout preventer (BOP).

All drilling wells feature BOP safety valves, but there is a limit to their shearing capacity, and they are often unable to shear through large-diameter heavy-walled items being run into the well – items the industry has termed non-shearables.

If there is an uncontrolled event, similar to the Macondo incident, the EST is trigged and will sever the non–shearable item that is otherwise obstructing the BOP, allowing the severed drillstring to fall into the well, and enabling the BOP to safely close and seal.

As well as fully designing, manufacturing and testing the EST on behalf of Shell Houston, once the product is commercial, SPEX is licensed to manufacture, sell and service the EST on a global basis.

Other products being developed with Shell are:

Collapsible Insert Device (CID) - the CID forms part of the well casing and uses propellant to collapse a liner sleeve to significantly reduce the uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons in the worst-case event that the wellhead or BOP is damaged or breached.

Riser Severance Tool (RST) - an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) or surface deployed tool that uses explosive technologies to sever the complete riser in the event that the rig unexpectedly drifts. By severing the riser, the rig can move off-station without causing damage to the subsea BOP or wellhead, thus ensuring the well can be safely and quickly brought back under control.

SPEX aligns with clients to develop turnkey solutions for their technology problems or challenges. It comprises five key business areas – Innovation Centre, Production, Fabrication and Testing, Offshore and Engineering– working with clients including both major oil & gas operators and service companies.

The company has international reach, providing services across the globe. It has ISO 9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 accreditation.

 (Spill-international, Edited by Topco)