Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has developed a seal for a ground-breaking valve designed by Schoolhill Hydraulic Engineering for BP’s Shah Deniz field.
The high-flow, high-integrity, safety-critical subsea quick exhaust valve (QEV), believed to be the first of its kind, has been created for a subsea high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) at the South Caspian Sea site.
Trelleborg created a bespoke version of its Captive Glyd Ring® in its low friction Zurcon® Z43 high modulus thermoplastic to feature in the QEV, which was selected as the seal was required to slide across mating surfaces that had dimensional changes. The seal is retained in a split groove, which prevents the sealing surface from being damaged by a counter part with variable diameter or when passing holes.
The QEV has a 30-year design life with a valve qualification water depth range of 3,000 meters and a safety integrity level (SIL) rating of SIL3 with 23,000 accumulated cycles.
With a volume flow rate of 260l per minute, the device has been designed to ensure quick and safe emergency shutdowns on the ocean bed. It is the culmination of a five-year project by Aberdeen-based Schoolhill Hydraulic Engineering. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions was commissioned to develop the seal.
