Eni Norge, an oil & gas company recently approached Sofis, a valve operations specialist to help simplify its valve processes on the Goliat oil field. Sofis provided a solution by developing a custom-built operating panel that enhances safety and increases efficiency. It does this 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 Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel built-for-use on the Goliat Field, the first oilfield to be developed in the Barents Sea.
Each panel controlled four valves and incorporated two mechanical Smith interlock key units to ensure a specific sequence of operation. The incorporation of mechanical interlocks allows 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. Used in this way the operating panel enhances safety but also serves to streamline complex processes and boost efficiency by providing a one-stop control and verification system.
