Offshore staff
BICESTER, UK – Hardide Coatings and Master Flo Valve (MFV) have jointly developed a new technique for protecting high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) subsea choke valves.
These are the first of their kind to feature the Hardide-T coating, which is applied to choke valve stems to allow them to withstand harsher conditions.
Canada-based MFV found that alternative hard coatings applied to the stem assembly were not rated to sufficiently high temperatures, and sought a durable coating with a smooth finish to form a tight, metal-to-metal seal.
The two companies worked together to engineer a solution and develop a manufacturing process plan.
According to Philip Kirkham, CEO of Hardide Coatings, the new coating has been qualified to all API requirements and for deepwater deployment for a major oil and gas operator.
It has been applied to MFV’s P4-15K choke valve, which is rated from -20°F to 400°F (-28°C to 204°C) and to 15,000 psi (1,034 bar), while the P4-20K choke valve, rated to the same temperatures but to 20,000 psi (1,379 bar).
The valves are typically installed on subsea production trees and are used for single/multi-phase production or water/chemical/gas injection.
Another application is for use on a capping stack, designed to be deployed in the event of a blow-out.
10/11/2017
