Oliver Valvetek Double Gate Valves on the Norwegian Continental Shelf

Oliver Valvetek has manufactured a number of 1” Double Block Subsea Gate Valves with manual and hydraulic actuation destined for the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

This dual functioning valve consists of a 1” hydraulic gate valve and a 1” multi-turn manual Gate valve both positioned on a single unitary forged valve block for dual redundancy and functionality.  This unique and customised design brings additional benefits to subsea tree engineers in that it now provides flexibility to be used as stand-alone and fully functioning valves on other applications of the tree due to its standardised valve footprint.

To date, Oliver Valvetek has manufactured more than 150 double gate valves with the hydraulic gate valve being a coil spring design as specified by the end-user.

Interestingly, a continental shelf is a shallow and relatively flat stretch of seabed that extends from the shoreline to water depths of around 200 metres, before dropping off to deeper waters in what’s called the continental slope.

The importance of the continental shelf to Norway is that it holds huge natural resources such as oil and gas, but also fishing. The best-known fishing areas are found on the Shelf and at the edges where it meets the deep sea. Under international law, coastal states are entitled to their continental shelf up to 200 nautical miles from their shores with some exceptions made to lengthen this, with NCS being one.