Curtiss-Wright Corp. and Petrobras signed a technology cooperation agreement for the design, manufacturing, testing and operational support of a subsea canned motor boosting system at a Petrobras production field in the Campos Basin, Brazil, according to a Feb. 12 press release.

To be deployed mudline, the subsea boosting system will be for unprocessed hydrocarbon fluid and operate at a 1,500-m water depth.

The system will combine Curtiss-Wright’s canned motor pump technology with Petrobras’ knowledge in flow assurance and offshore hydrocarbon production and processing. According to the press release, Curtiss-Wright’s technology will enable subsea production with fewer topside support systems to be deployed on lighter and lower-cost vessels and support Petrobras’ goal of all-electric subsea boosting systems for long tieback production.

The system will be an alternative to subsea pump technologies, reducing planned outages and production interruptions.

Curtiss-Wright will do the design, manufacturing and water-based testing at a facility in Pennsylvania within the company’s naval and power segment. Multiphase testing with hydrocarbons at a facility in Brazil. 

The first subsea canned motor boosting system will be ready for operation in 2027.

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