Baker Hughes has announced the release of its DeepShield deepwater safety valve, the industry’s first V1-validated subsurface safety valve tested to help ensure fail-safe operations as defined in the new API Spec 14A. The DeepShield valve is designed to close if well control is lost—even in the presence of debris buildup—establishing a reliable safety barrier to help minimize the likelihood of reservoir fluids escaping up the wellbore and any resulting health, safety and environmental impacts.
The DeepShield valve features a patented, redundant operating system that enables the valve to function at extreme depths and pressures. Unlike conventional valves, the DeepShield valve can be held open at lower pressures, reducing infrastructure costs required to maintain higher wellbore pressures during operations.
The American Petroleum Institute announced the Twelfth Edition of API Specification 14A, Subsurface Safety Valve Equipment, in February 2015 with an effective date of Jan. 15, 2016.