New Parker Subsea Small-Bore Valves Deliver Leak-Free, Long-Term Performance in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
June 9, 2020
Parker Hannifin has recently launched a new range of small-bore subsea ball valves and subsea needle valves for leak-free and reliable, long-term performance in subsea applications up to 10,000 PSI (689 bar) and depths down to 3,050 m (10,000 ft).
Developed by Parker Instrumentation Products Division, Europe (IPDE) in response to the increasing challenges of oil and gas subsea exploration and production, these subsea valves have the ability to withstand long-term corrosion effects from high salt content sea water and perform in extreme temperature and pressure conditions, making them ideal for regions such as offshore Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa and Asia.
Parker’s small-bore subsea quarter turn ball valve, featuring floating ball design, utilises the same field-proven design technology as the standard Parker’s Hi-Pro series ball valve. This small-bore subsea ball valve design additionally incorporates shaft and end adaptor O-ring ingress seals, which prevent the ingress of sea water to any threaded or rotating parts of the valve.
The 2-way small-bore subsea ball valve design features PEEK self-relieving seat for excellent resistance to chemicals, heat, and wear/abrasion and PTFE packing for increased cycle life and reduced operating torque.
Parker’s non-rising, non-rotating stem subsea needle valve features metal-to-metal seat for bubble-tight shut-off, longer stem/seat life, greater durability for repeated on/off cycles and reinforced PTFE/PEEK chevron packing below stem threads for dependable stem and body sealing.
This subsea needle valve incorporates double O-ring stem ingress seals on bonnet housing to prevent water and silt ingress into the valve.
Franck Grignola, Parker IPDE subsea valves Product Manager, said: “Ensuring safe, leak-free and smooth operation in subsea conditions were the main priorities for us when developing these subsea valves. With owner / operators now having to go to deeper depths with increased pressure and temperatures, this range of small-bore subsea ball and needle valves meets the challenges the industry is facing. Coupled with our extensive expertise in material science, Parker is well placed to partner with engineering houses, OEMs and owner / operators”.
The subsea valves are available in a range of corrosion resistant alloys and a wide range of connections including cone-and-thread, buttweld and NPT.
Supplied with a handle or a paddle, the valves are designed to facilitate operation either manually or by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) as an option.
The valves have been designed to meet orexceed the rigorous qualification test requirements of API6A/17D PSL 3 (ball valves) and API6A/17D PSL 3/3G (needle valves) fortemperature classes P/V (-29oC to 121oC). The structural integrity and performance havebeen confirmed by independent third-party inspectors.
