CCI’s DRAG® Valves Strangle Erosion Problems

After struggling with Severe Plug Erosion that required trim replacements every few months on their separator-level control valves, Accent Engineering and a leading gas producer turned to CCI to install three new DRAG® valves at an offshore platform near Sable Island, located approximately 225 kilometers east of Nova Scotia, Canada.

A lack of velocity control and the substantial concentration of sand (1% - 3%) in the platform’s process fluid were causing extreme trim erosion, which meant excessive maintenance and downtime for the facility. CCI confronted these problems with three separator-level control DRAG® valves.

The Fisher valve’s vibration, which was so severe that employees could literally see the valve shaking, presented significant problems because it damaged the plant’s piping components and created considerable safety concerns. Additionally, the vibration generated intense noise that was a nuisance to the facility’s employees, as well as those in surrounding areas, and forced personnel to constantly wear protection in an effort to safeguard their hearing.

Replacing three Fisher globe valves, these CCI valves feature DRAG® technology to limit fluid velocity with CCI’s exclusive system of right-angle turns. The valves also boast rugged construction, with duplex stainless steel bodies and bonnets and erosion-resistant tungsten carbide DRAG® trim, for maximum durability. CCI combines its velocity control principle with sturdy, erosion-resistant material to provide unparalleled protection against erosion, and this solution will ensure significantly less maintenance and downtime for the facility, increasing production and saving money.

The two companies have been so pleased with CCI’s solution at this offshore platform that they are looking to team up with CCI once again to replace several wellhead production choke valves that have proven unreliable, sometimes lasting as little as nine hours. While the problematic valves pose a serious threat to the plant’s downstream components, shutting them off to protect these components substantially limits production. A CCI solution would be sure to address these issues with long-term, problem-free performance.

Published in Solutions Winter 2003