Member Article

Engineering Powerhouse Successfully Delivers Bespoke Testing Program

One of the North East’s leading independent engineering companies has successfully completed the qualification testing of a new subsea landing string valve system for one of the largest providers of technologies and services to the oil and gas industry.

Red Marine – based in Hexham - has completed a programme of qualification testing on a new vent valve for the global subsea provider FMC Technologies. Used during workover operations, the valve allows rapid redistribution of high pressure oil and gas within the landing string system to allow for emergency riser disconnection.

Providing a turnkey service, Red Marine worked with FMC to develop and deliver a bespoke test programme to validate the performance of the vent valve against industry standards including ISO 10423 (API 6A).

Speaking about the test programme, Joe Orrell, Managing Director at Red Marine, said: “Having already worked closely with FMC Technologies on a number of projects – including developing an industry first subsea clamp solution – we are delighted to have supported the company with qualifying their new valve design.”

“This is a critical subsea component and FMC Technologies prides itself on designing and qualifying its solutions to the very highest industry standards.”

“Successfully and safely testing equipment to these exacting standards is a significant undertaking and requires a pro-active and intelligent approach. We were delighted to be involved at all stages of the programme – from developing the test procedures, the supply of bespoke test equipment to completion of testing and analysis of results – the project clearly demonstrated the value our testing with intelligence service can provide for clients developing high integrity subsea equipment.”

Delivered in 12 weeks, the test programme included the design and supply of the test assembly and its complex multi-pressure hydraulic control system.

Working closely with members of the FMC Well Access Systems team, the test equipment was initially used to complete a variety of static pressure tests of up to 15,500 psi (1,067 bar) and demanding cycle tests to assess valve function and seal endurance. On completion of this phase, a series of outstanding rapid decompression tests were also completed using water, sand slurry and nitrogen gas test media.

At all stages, Red Marine engineers provided comprehensive analysis of the results to allow its client to fully evaluate and understand the valve performance and decompression capabilities.

As for Red Marine, the company continues to carve its reputation in the industry for its excellent customer service and a highly experienced team of engineers that are quickly becoming recognised as a valued extension of their client’s team.

“We are extremely happy with the proactive and responsive actions taken by Red Marine to ensure that the project ran as smoothly as possible in order to be delivered on time and within budget,” said Matthew Keenan at FMC Technologies. “The company offered a great deal of flexibility and strong communication, both of which has helped us to collectively deliver an extremely high quality result.”

Red Marine’s core services include offshore installation engineering, subsea solutions and qualification testing. The company is well known in the industry for the rapid delivery of intelligent solutions to complex engineering challenges. Clients include Subsea 7, Technip, FMC Technologies and GE Oil and Gas.

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