Dubbed Python, the system is the result of a four-year research and development programme supported by industry heavy hitters such as Shell, BG Group and Total. The initiative was launched in response to the 2010 Macondo well control incident.
The Python system builds on the friction-grip method Plexus has deployed from jack-up rigs in more than 350 wells. Rather than using solid landing shoulders and separate seals, the technique uses external force to squeeze together metal components and form a metal-to-metal casing hanger seal that Plexus Holdings chief executive Ben van Bilderbeek says is more reliable that conventional systems.
