BP Boqueron Extends Valve Life by Choosing Latest CCI Technology

Based on excellent service life experienced with CCI DRAG® technology in their separator units in Boqueron, British Petroleum - previously ARCO de Venezuela - recently purchased four additional valves for their upgrade and expansion.

During testing of the facilities and the first phase of the project in 1999, ARCO tested a ball valve and a CCI valve in this service with an inlet pressure of up to 480 psig (33 BarG) and an outlet pressure as low as 45 psig (3 BarG). The valves would work under a continuous basis flowing up to 330,000 lb/hr (12,000 kg/min) of crude oil with substantial levels of sand. The results were impressive. The ball valve lasted up to three weeks and required a complete replacement of the trim. The CCI control valve was still in operation six months after installation when the end user decided to upgrade the trim to handle additional capacity required for the second phase of the expansion project.

To achieve this service life in choke and separator level control valves, DRAG® technology takes full advantage of the combined benefits of multi-path multi-stage pressure reduction trim design, specialized materials of construction, and assembly techniques. The multi-path multi-stage feature involves many stages of pressure reduction through a series of tortuous (right-angle) flow paths in each of many stacked disks that make up the trim. This trim design effectively controls the fluid velocity levels and avoids high pressure drops between the pressure reducing stages, thus preventing flashing and cavitation. In addition, the bonded, tungsten-carbide trim components increase the resistance to the erosive effects of the liquid and the high levels of sand, which are typical in separators servicing multiple wells.

This special design for choke and separator-level control valves was covered in detail in the March 2001 issue of OFFSHORE magazine as it pertains to another crude-oil production facility in the North Sea.

Published in SOLUTIONS Summer 2001