Weatherford signs four-year contract for deep-set safety valves with Petrobras

Weatherford, an industry leader in traditional safety valve technology, is now extending its legacy reliability to the deep and ultra-deepwater market. The Optimax deep-set safety valve protects against catastrophic loss of well control by providing fail-safe closures at pressure up to 10 000 psi (68 MPa) and are rated for setting depths as deep as 12 000 ft (3658 m). The valves are monogrammed to API-14A's highest validation grade of V1.

The Optimax ultra deep-set safety valve shuts in a well in the event of uncontrolled flow.

"The Weatherford Optimax deep-set safety valve is a victory in innovative thinking," said Mark Hopmann, President of Completions for Weatherford. Hopmann added: "Conventional deep-set valves typically require nitrogen-charged chambers to compensate for the high hydrostatic pressure of the control line. The Optimax deep-set safety valve overcomes this challenge with a design that utilises highly reliable, field-proven technology."

An integral part of the completion string, the Optimax deep-set safety valve is controlled by a primary hydraulic control line. Application of control-line pressure keeps the valve in the open position. When pressure is bled off, the valve closes to protect property, personnel, and the environment. A secondary upward-facing piston, plus heavy-duty power springs, enable fail-safe closure while keeping the hold-open pressure to a minimum.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/03102019/weatherford-signs-four-year-contract-for-deep-set-safety-valves-with-petrobras/