Caspian's new deepwater platform uses high-integrity instrumentation fittings and valves

Caspian's new deepwater platform uses high-integrity instrumentation fittings and valves

Keywords: Instrumentation, Tubes, Valves

Parker Instrumentation's high-integrity tube fittings and valves are employed exclusively on a new drilling platform currently being commissioned in the Caspian Sea. Constructed by KeppelFELS and the Caspian Shipyard Company, the new semi-submersible has been delivered substantially ahead of project schedule to Maersk Contractors (Plate 2).

Parker Instrumentation's global supply chain has helped to keep the project on track, starting with supplies to KeppelFELS in Singapore where key platform components were constructed, and followed by supplies from Parker's support facilities in Baku for the assembly and finishing operations.

 Plate 2

Parker is one of the first instrumentation suppliers to have a comprehensive supply chain in place in Baku, and it was this resource – combined with the technical merits of the instrumentation components themselves – that helped to secure the contract.

“This semi-submersible will be the biggest and most powerful drilling platform in the Caspian Sea,” says Steve Mullen of Parker Instrumentation.“Large-scale fabrication projects like this often run late, so early completion is a major tribute to the organisational skills of the constructors KeppelFELS and Caspian Shipyard Company. The strict delivery schedules they imposed put a lot of pressure on Parker to have an efficient stock and technical support operation in the Baku region, and we're now well-positioned to support the rapidly growing oil and gas business in this region.”

The new four-column, twin-catamaran pontoon rig is based on the DSS-20-CAS-M design, developed by Marine Structure Consultants of Holland and KeppelFELS of Singapore. Construction of the rig has taken 3 years. It has a deckload capacity of around 4,000 tons and is rated to drill to 30,000 ft in just over 3,000 ft of water, serving the deepest areas of the Caspian Sea.

Parker products supplied as part of this project include A-LOK instrument tube fittings, discrete valves, and manifolds. Total project value for Parker's products is estimated to be in excess of a quarter of a million dollars,including all the items supplied to equipment OEMs.

To combat corrosion, Parker is supplying tube fittings which have been treated using the proprietary Suparcase process. This process hardens the back ferrule – the part of the fitting responsible for ensuring a strong grip on the tube – without adversely impacting susceptibility to corrosion. The process additionally extends the lifetime of the fitting, allowing joints to be remade for maintenance purposes, helping to reduce the total lifecycle costs of the instrumentation systems.