Oil and gas company Eni Norge approached valve safety expert Smith Flow Control to simplify its valve processes on the Goliat Field. Smith Flow Control has developed a customized operating panel that enhances safety and increases efficiency by moving the control and operation of Eni Norge’s large number of valves to a single, safe location.
The electronic operating panel works as a communication and verification system and enables an operator to control a sequence of actuated valves directly from the panel. Two operating panels were installed on a FPSO built-for-use on the Goliat Field. The operating panel was specifically designed to support a pigging procedure. Each panel controlled four valves and incorporated two mechanical interlock key units to ensure a specific sequence of operation.
An operator can close valves from the panel. An LED lights up to confirm the valve has reached its fully closed status. The mechanical interlocks allow the operator to safely continue the sequence of the pigging process; after the panel has been isolated and all the valves closed and locked, the final key is released to manually unlock the pig trap door to load or unload a pig.
