Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has partnered with LB Bentley, a specialist in creating small bore subsea valves for subsea applications, to support the company in its development of its Medium Duty Rotary Gate Valve
The new gate valve incorporates a custom seal that demonstrates pioneering stem sealing technology that reduces the “risk of contamination and failure”.
The seal was specifically engineered for this compact and robust subsea valve that has already achieved field-proven success.
As subsea oil and gas exploration became increasingly difficult, LB Bentley recognised the need for a highly specialised gate valve that could handle a wide range of extreme operating pressures and temperatures.
Bentley has developed its innovative Medium Duty Rotary Gate Valve, which has minimal moving parts and a time-saving quarter-turn mechanism that can be operated manually or with hydraulics.
Even in the event of over-torque the internal parts of the valve cannot be damaged and will continue to rotate and function as normal.
Antoine Charrier, a key account manager at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, said, “Throughout the process, we constantly had to think about the safety issues and challenges that are frequently faced when working with vital subsea equipment.”
“We relished this opportunity to work with LB Bentley, developing this innovative stem sealing technology that reduces the risk of contamination and failure,” he added.
Trelleborg has developed a custom version of its Turcon® Variseal® MC with high-pressure extrusion resistance and back pressure protection in NORSOK M-710 compliant PTFE and PEEK materials to provide the main stem sealing function.
In order to cater for subsea use, Trelleborg’s Turcon® Glyd Ring® T was selected as a contaminant exclusion seal.
The standard subsea rotary gate valve was introduced into the market by LB Bentley in 1998.
Noelle Sears, R&D design engineer at LB Bentley noted, “We work hard to meet our customers’ needs and as we strive towards continuous improvement, the qualification status of our products is constantly developing.”
“This enables us to offer an expanding range of fully qualified products and we’re immensely proud of the Medium Duty Rotary Gate Valve that Trelleborg helped us develop,” she explained.
The simplicity of the gate valve operation has proven it to be hugely reliable in service, enabling LB Bentley to provide a SIL 2 rated product with the widest range of features and accessories available today.
A wide range of sizes, pressures, materials and interfaces are available from 3/8″ through to 1″ nominal bore, up to 15,000psi (1,034 bar) in both FF and HH trims. Designs are qualified to API 6A 20th Edition and API 17D 2nd Edition for the temperature range -29°C to 150°C, to a water depth of 10,000ft.
