Subsea valves face the unique challenge of being designed for zero maintenance and leakage for a relatively long period of time; this can range from 20 years to 50 years of design life. The main reason to achieve zero leakage and maintenance for subsea valves is that many new subsea projects are located at water depths between 1 km to 3 km, far from shore where maintenance is not possible. In fact, the deeper subsea projects challenge is coupled with other difficulties such as increased distance from the shore and harsh environments like the icy arctic. It should be added that subsea valves are operated in very sensitive marine environments where the spillage of oil and gas has extremely negative consequences on the environment, its biological resources, human and animal life.
Have you read the special topic article from the September issue of Valve World Americas? Contact Brittani Schroeder (b.schroeder@kci-world.com) for the full PDF.