A leading international oil and gas company with assets and operations spanning several countries were looking for a higher performing valve lubricant for one of their offshore operations in Asia.
The operator was experiencing more frequent instances of Non-Production Time (NPT) and unscheduled maintenance, resulting in loss of production due to their incumbent grease washing out of the valve cavity. Inspections from the third-party maintenance provider highlighted remnant grease in the cavity hardening after opening the valve bonnets for inspection, resulting in costly unscheduled maintenance.
Further concerns regarding leakages and staff exposures from an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) perspective encouraged the IOC’s well integrity manager to explore other valve lubricants.
The well integrity team were focussed on trialling a highly adhesive, hydrocarbon resistant valve grease that would withstand produced well fluids and remain in the valve cavity to protect its components.
A field trial of Valve Lubricant 601TM was initiated to run side-by-side with the operators’ incumbent valve lubricant to assess like for like performance and the results were compelling. Following RS Clare’s recommended injection and greasing protocols, the field engineers reported a significant improvement in cavity retention and Valve Lubricant 601TM did not harden under the same operating conditions as the competitor lubricant, instead it remained grease like due to its excellent resistance to all chemicals and hydrocarbons encountered in the produced fluids. The field trial successfully proved 601’s ability to reduce NPT and maintenance costs where the incumbent valve grease had been unsuccessful.
The operator also reported being able to extend their re-greasing intervals from 6 months to 12 months thanks to Valve Lubricant 601’s stable and reliable performance, reducing the volume of grease consumed and the amount of downtime needed for grease crews to regrease the valves, in addition to the maintenance cost savings for unscheduled corrective maintenance and replacement valve components. The capability to extend maintenance intervals has proven to be extremely valuable for our customer, particularly during the global pandemic where operators faced significant challenges gaining access to undertake routine maintenance. The less frequent mobilisation of staff and equipment along with the reduction in maintenance costs resulted in substantial cost savings, and the extended production intervals are an added benefit.
