Innovate how you protect your offshore equipment and extend operating life: Subsea Valve Applications
North Sea oil and the oil and gas sector as a whole is operating in a tough market environment at present and operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the wider supply chain is having to adapt.
As manufacturers and operators scale back to reduce their cost base, it is important that engineers do not overlook the opportunity that surface engineering presents to reduce capital cost and improve operational efficiency.
Over a series of Blog posts we will be examining how the Oil and Gas industry can innovate equipment repair and maintenance processes to become leaner and more efficient.
Extend equipment lifespan
The decision on whether equipment can be refurbished or salvaged is driven by many factors, including the functional properties required and the operating environment, further highlighting the need to work with a technical partner appropriately equipped to thoroughly investigate the situation and diagnose the appropriate solution. When assessing repair and refurbishment jobs, it is also crucial that customer approvals and accreditations are considered, which is why any potential supplier must perform refurbishment work in-line with current regulatory frameworks and customer requirements.
Methods of repairing, maintaining and preserving subsea valves
Pressure and flow control equipment such as valves are important oilfield assets that can often be repaired or refurbished to extend their service life. Typically valve bodies and seats can suffer from corrosion and abrasive wear in use when particles are introduced between two moving surfaces.
In addition to coating newly manufactured valve gates to increase wear resistance, thermal spray can refurbish them to their original condition using HVOF coatings, and seat faces can be resprayed to ensure an effective sealing surface. HVOF coatings on the external surfaces of ball valves protect them from wear and corrosion, and used ball valves can be returned to their original condition eliminating the need to purchase new parts. HVOF coatings can also be applied onto sealing surfaces and valve bodies to extend their service life.
Our next Blog post in the How to Protect Your Offshore Equipment and Extend Operating Life series will focus on the repair and maintenance options for subsea drilling equipment.
Download our new white paper: Providing a new lease of life for oil and gas equipment in stormy times or contact us now to discuss how we can help you repair and maintain offshore oil and gas equipment.