Hyperbaric chamber simulates deepwater valve conditions

Nov. 1, 2011
ATV (Advanced Technology Valves) provides a range of valves and actuators to the oil and gas offshore industry, with a focus on subsea applications.

ATV (Advanced Technology Valves) provides a range of valves and actuators to the oil and gas offshore industry, with a focus on subsea applications. Products include gate, ball, and check valves in sizes from 0.5-in. (1.3-cm) up to 48-in. (1.2 m) and larger, in pressure classes up to 15,000 psi and 20,000 psi (1,034/1,379 bar).

The company is working on several offshore projects in regions including Brazil, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and Australia, says Enrico Sanguineti, general manager, for end-user oil companies including Petrobras, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Statoil, Noble, and Hess.

Subsea metal-seated 12-in. (30.5-cm) ball valves, 5,000 psi (345 bar), for project off Brazil.

Among ATV's recent orders are a contract to qualify and supply a subsea swing check valve of 44-in. (1.12-m) diameter and other high-pressure ball valves in sizes from 12-in. to 22-in. (30.5-56 cm) for a major oil company in Australia; and a contract for high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) gate valves of 6 5/8-in. and 5 1/8-in. with a 15,000 psi rating for a project in the Gulf of Mexico. To meet the changing scope of its offshore orders, the company is expanding to include a new hyperbaric testing facility and additional manufacturing capacity at headquarters on the northern shore of Lake Como, Italy.

The new hyperbaric chamber is thought to be one of the largest available worldwide, with internal chamber dimensions of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in diameter and 6 m (19.7 ft) in height. It offers the capacity to test equipment to a maximum simulated water depth of 4,500 m (14,764 ft). It will also be available to third parties for testing equipment such as control modules, electrical and optical connectors, rotating machinery, pressure, and subsea processing equipment.

Another new investment is a facility for assembly and testing of very large valves with fully automated weld overlay equipment and machine tools. The plant expansion should be completed during 1Q 2012.

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