A custom compact double block and bleed valve from the Instrumentation Products Division of Parker is helping to reduce the size and weight of a groundbreaking skid produced for the Chevron Tahiti platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Built by Test Automation & Controls, the equipment is believed to be the largest chemical injection skid ever produced, and has been designed to operate at more than 1,000bar to withstand the pressures required for operations in the Tahiti field's deep, sub-salt reservoirs.
The integrated valve provides a double block and bleed function rated in excess of 1,000bar. At this operating pressure, such valve configurations are usually constructed using discrete components, involving a large amount of space, weight, and numerous potential leak paths. The number of components is often made higher because the cone and thread interfaces used to make connections at these pressures are usually fitted with an additional anti-vibration accessory, to combat the common issue of vibration-induced problems associated with threaded connections.
To simplify the project, Parker suggested a version of its single-piece 690bar double block and bleed manifold, fitted with the company's 1,000bar rated MPI compression tube fittings. The resulting manifold is estimated to have reduced the mounting space and weight budgets by around 50%, and replaces around nine individual components (three valves and six anti-vibration glands) a feature that has greatly reducing potential leak paths. The manifold also helps to eliminate threaded connections, a common source of reliability problems.