EUROPE GAS FOCUS

Valve serves both start-upo, full-flow operation functions

Trim characterization minimizes flow losses, controls high-pressure start-up differentials
Oivind Johnsen, Statoil Gulfaks, Bergen, Norway; and Paul A. Smirl, CCI, Rancho Santa Margarita, Califorina hree specially characterized multistage, 30-in. control valves are succesfully serving both line-packing and full-flow operations at Statoils Troll Kollsnes onshore gas conditioning plant in Norway. The valves control both the high pressure differential and vibration druing start-up and full-flow prodcution from the Troll platform. Another benefit from the unique dual-purpose design is that valve-related losses are virtually eliminated. Statoils Troll A facilities consist of the natural gas and crude oil production platform, located some 180 mi offshore in Norwegian North Sea waters, and the Kollsnes onshore processing plant near Bergen, Norway. The platform was designed and built at the

onshore processing complex before being towed to the Troll field. The platform, which weighs 750,000 tons and is over 1,350 ft tall, taps estimated gas reserves of 46 Tcf and 420 MMbbl of oil. During the onshore plants design phase, three extremely stringent control valve design criteria, all aimed at a 55-yr pressureboundary life cycle, were established and specified: 1. Recognizing industry-accepted validity of veloicty head as a design criterion directly related to noise, vibration and potential valve and piping system damage, the engineers specfied that velocity head must not exceed 70 psi. 2. In the interest of long-life and trouble free operation, the engineers specified that control-valve noise levels were not to exceed 70 dBA. 3. Throughout the piping system full spectrum, sound-power levels were set at extrememly low levels, depending upon location.

Early on, it was determined that startup (line packing) and full-flow operation could be provided in a special, single-valve design rather than requireing two separate valves. To accomplish this, the engineers used multistage, specially characterized valves. Table 1 shows startup and normal design pressure conditions for these large 30-in., 600 ANSI class, multi-stage control valves, which weigh 25,000 lb each (Fig. 1). Design and operation. The trim valve design and the multi-stage, tortuous-path disk stack contained within the valve assembly reduce pressure to about 40% of stroke. A slotted cage above the disk stack produces only minimal pressure drop in normal operations. Fig. 2 presents a sectional elevation of these dual-purpose valves. Fig. 3 shows the combined valve trim design, and percent of valve coefficen (CV) versus percent of stroke. During the startup phase, the plug opens to about 40% of stroke, corresponding to only about 15% CV. This flow is controlled through a stack of tortuouspath disks (Fig. 4).

Fig. 1. The three 30-in. combined startup and normal operation control valves for gas-conditioning service at the Troll Kollsnes onshore plant

Fig. 2. Sectional schematic of the dual-purpose control valve.

Fig. 3. Percent stroke versus percent valve coefficient (CV), showing the startup and normal operation characteristics achieved through combined tortuous-path and slottedcage trimshownin Fig.2.

Fig. 5a and 5b. Transition from multi-stage, pressure-controlled flow during startup (line packing) to full flow during normal operations with minimal pressure drop through the valves.

Fig. 4. A typical stack with its punch disk detailed.

To limit the stack exit velocity head (v2/2) to less than the specified 70 psi, these disks incorporate multiple right-angle turns. This controlled vleocity head minimizes noise and vibration, and eliminates the damaging vibration that could otherwise impair the anticipated lifecycle of the Troll Kollsnes onshore plant. During the transition from startup to normal operation, about 40% stroke to about 60% stroke, CV gradually increases, and flow is controlled by both the tortuous-path disk stack, and V-shaped slots in the bottom section of a slotted cage above the stack. Above 60% stroke, CV increases rapidly

and full flow is achieved, principally through the slotted cage with negligble pressure drop. Figs. 5a and 5b graphically illustrate this transition from multi-stage, pressurecontrolled flow during startup to full flow during normal operations with minimal pressure drop through the valves. In Fig. 5a, flow is totally through the stack of tortuous-path disks, and is controlled downward from 362 psi to 2 psi as the plug rises. Then, as the plug passes the top of the disk stack located a the bottom of the slotted cage, flow thorugh the disk stack decreases

because of the low pressure drop across the valve, and almost all flow ultimately proceeds thorugh the slotted cage (Fig. 5b). In many applications, the characterization feature of these multi-stage, tortuous-path control valves takes a different approach than the one presented in this case. Usually, the disk stack extends throughout the stroke, or plug travel. In these cases, characterization is achieved by varying disk design to produce different flows, and pressure drops in discrete groups of disks within the stack. In this way, almost any shape of percent CV versus percent stroke curve can be achieved to meet a specific application need.

For example, this type of full stroke characterization can be used in several groups of disks to achieve inherent linearity in percent CV versus stroke (Fig. 6), in spite of any combination of flow and upstream and downstream pressures. In addition to these three 30-in.dual-purpose valves in the gasconditioning system, some 54 other multi-stage, tortuous-path valves serve other applications in the Troll Kollsnes onshore plant. Actuators. These 30-in. combination startup and normal operation valves each are operated by a standard pneumatic actuator. Air supply varies between 65 and 138 psig, and the input signal is 4 to 20 mA.

The 18-in. valve stroke is accomplished in 10 seconds in either direction, and in the event of input signal or air supply interruption, the valves automatically go to the fully open position. Operation of these dual-function valves has been satisfactory ever since startup, in any operating mode.

The authors

Oivind Johnsen is operations manager for Statoil Gulfaks, at the Kollsnes onshore facility near Bergen, Norway Paul A. Smirl is advanced products manager for CCI, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
Fig. 6. An example of inherently linear percent CV versus percent stroke curve that can be attained through disk stack characterizatinin spite of any combination of flow and upstream and downstream pressure.

F/4M/699

Copyright 1999 by Gulf Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.