Curtiss-Wright Corp. and Shell Exploration & Production Co. signed an agreement to create and support a new electro-submersible pump for a Shell platform offshore Gulf of Mexico (GoM), according to a May 1 press release.

The joint initiative is intended to demonstrate the Curtiss-Wright canned motor technology is an effective and reliable alternative to current subsea pump technologies. Curtiss-Wright’s pump is also designed to reduce unplanned outages and production interruptions.

As part of the agreement, a test facility will be constructed by Curtiss-Wright to enable full-power testing and demonstration of the 125-foot-long, fully assembled pump's capability and performance prior to its shipment and subsea deployment.

The canned electro-submersible pump is planned to be tested and delivered by the end of 2023.

"We are excited to be working with one of the leading innovators in subsea oil and gas technologies to deploy Curtiss-Wright's first-of-a-kind subsea canned motor pump," Lynn M. Bamford, chair and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corp. said in the press release. "By proving our canned motor technology in a subsea application, we have an opportunity to bring tremendous value to Shell and to expand Curtiss-Wright's existing pump technology into an adjacent market."

Curtiss-Wright is a global business with interests in the aerospace & defense markets, as well as the commercial power, process, and industrial markets. Curtiss‑Wright developed the canned motor pumps used in the nation’s first nuclear submarine, according to the company’s website.

Offshore