Deep Water Subsea Ball Valves

By
David R. Mefford, P.E.
Vice-President Engineering
Cameron

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written authorization from Cameron .

DEEPWATER SUBSEA BALL VALVES

With the growing development of deep water oil and gas fields and the increasing need
for larger bore, higher pressure valves, a move to consider ball valves as another option
to traditional gate valve solutions has been growing in popularity. With improvements in
seals and materials, the reliability of ball valves has reached a point where they must be
considered as viable options to gate valves in many subsea applications.

The Gate Valve Tradition

When people think of deepwater valve applications, API 6A gate valves typically come
to mind because the first ventures into subsea at any depth have been exploration drilling.
Typical BOP (blowout preventer) choke and kill stack valves will be 3-1/16 10,000 or
15,000 psi API 6A gate valves.
When operators elect to develop an oil & gas field using subsea completions rather than
installing a surface-piercing structure (fixed bottom platform, TLP or spar), Christmas
Trees will be placed directly on top of the subsea wellhead. Virtually all subsea
Christmas tree valves are comprised of gate valves ranging in sizes from 1-13/16 to
6-3/8 bores. These valves are covered by API 17D, which are API 6A valves with
additional requirements for subsea usage. Until recently, a large subsea completion
would utilize 7 tubulars and 6-3/8 bore valves (NB: One or two 9 inch completions are
being considered). For many years, the most common size trees installed in the North
Sea were 5-1/8 5000 psi working pressure (wp). Large completions in the Gulf of
Mexico have been 4-1/16 bores. The migration to completions installed in deeper water
and at distances far from shallow water host facilities has resulted in 10,000 psi
completions becoming common and 15,000 psi completions already a reality. It should
be noted that there are numerous 20,000 psi land completions and there were even a few
30,000 psi land completions in the early 80s, so the basic gate valve design and sealing
technology was already in place. It just needed to be able to get wet.and go deep.

Subsea Manifolds
Subsea production from a number of satellite wells has led to the need for subsea
manifolds (See Figure 1). With the initial move to ultra deep fields, the target depth for
developing technology was 10,000 feet with products and technology being developed
generally in the order they were needed. Therefore, the first equipment qualified for
deepwater use was drilling and exploration wellhead, followed by completion equipment,
and then production equipment. As the need for subsea manifolds materialized, a logical
choice for the valve requirements were gate valves. It is for subsea manifolds that the
advantages of ball valves began to receive serious consideration. However, industrys
lack of confidence in the long-term reliability of ball valves in production service versus
the successful track record of gate valves has limited their use in subsea applications.

Figure 1: Subsea Manifold

Ball Valves in Subsea

Ball valves have been used for many years in subsea applications. Downstream of the
production Christmas trees, ball valves were first used on land with the development of
the gas industry and gas pipeline valves. Up to that time, pipelines were liquid only and
pipeline gate valves were the standard. Even today it is typical to see gate valves
specified for liquid pipelines and ball valves specified for gas pipelines. Both
configurations have significantly different requirements from the drilling and Christmas
tree valves both in pressure and size. Common pipeline pressures are generally in the
1000 to 2000 psi range with sizes up to 48 in the Americas and 56 in such regions as
the FSU and Algeria.
When gas wells were completed in the Gulf of Mexico in the 60s, ball valves were
installed in pipelines both as isolation valves and as terminal valves to tie-in lateral lines
from future wells and platforms. This system of subsea pipelines brought gas from the
Gulf into Louisiana and Texas for processing and distribution.
In the late 70s ball valves were installed in the North Sea and problems occurred.
Valves were specified based on the product they were to carry like non-corrosive oil or
gas. In fact, the harsh conditions of the North Sea meant that piping and valves had as
much as two years exposure to raw seawater before commissioning. Valves trimmed for
the final production conditions did not stand up to the months or years of conditions
during construction. As an example, one of the early pipelines had over 100 tons of
debris pigged from the pipeline when commissioned and every valve leaked. This
created considerable rethinking on the design and use of ball valves in subsea
applications.

Later, ball valves were installed subsea as ESD (Emergency Shutdown) valves to prevent
gas in a pipeline from flowing back to a platform in the event of a major leak (See Figure
2). This practice became law in the UK sector of the North Sea after the Piper Alpha
disaster in which a failure on the platform allowed gas to flow back and the gas cloud
eventually ignited.

Figure 2: 24 1500 ANSI North Sea ESD Valve

Large subsea manifolds were designed in the early 90s and there were some sizes only a
pipeline valve could meet. Some users began developing a preference for ball valves.
While subsea drilling and production Christmas tree valves had many years of proven
experience, pipeline gate valves had less experience in subsea applications than ball
valves and there were many advantages for choosing a ball valve.

Ball Valve /Gate Valve Comparison

There are both strengths and weaknesses of one valve type against another when
comparing designs and their intended application. Rarely does one design provide THE
perfect answer. For some applications, there are a number of benefits that a ball valve
provides over an API 6A gate valve that would potentially make it the best choice. Some
of the features to consider are size, weight, height, speed of operation, seal wear,
weldability, depth sensitivity, ROV intervention, fluid displacement during operation,
and low pressure sealing.

Size
As flow lines are brought together at the manifold, the headers and pipelines increase in
size. Where API 6A valves are considered large at 6-3/8 bores, pipe sizes of 10 inch to
18 inch are commonly utilized. The larger size is no problem for ball valves; however
there is a pressure issue. Due to the need to consider the possible failure of the choke or
valves on the Christmas tree, the manifold valves are usually required to carry the same
pressure rating as the tree valves. Where size is a real challenge for the 6A gate valves,
the increasing need for 10,000 psi ball valves has been the biggest development effort for
ball valves. Its a trade off between pressures that are common for gate valves (but sizes
which are not) versus the common sizes for ball valves but with a much shorter track
record in service up to 10,000 psi. For both valve types, the design rules of the past are
being rewritten to optimize new designs.
Size has revealed another anomaly in subsea manifolds for all valves. Specifications are
calling for 5000 or 10,000 psi valves meeting API 6A or 17D requirements in pipeline
sizes that do not exist in either specification. Where a 5-1/8 or 6-3/8 6A valve size
defines the bore, pipe sizes are utilized in manifolds and other downstream piping, and
pipe is defined by the outside diameter. A manifold specification calling for 8 10,000
psi valves will likely be met with a valve having a 6-3/8 inch bore. The pipe grade and
wall thickness must be known to properly select the valves. Table 1 below compares
some typical API 6A sizes and heavy wall pipe.

Nom. Pipe
Size

Std. Valve Bore

as per API 6A
10K Flanges

Reference:
Sch. 160 Pipe I.D.

1-13/16
2-1/16
2-9/16

2.624

4-1/16

3.438

5-1/8

5.189

7-1/16

6.813

10

8.500

12

11

10.126

16

13-5/8

12.814

Table 1

1.689

Weight
Depending on the specific design approach, ball valves can be significantly lighter than
gate valves. Since gate valves are always top entry design and they stroke up and down
to open and close, the body center piece must be long enough to allow the gate to fully
stroke. This fundamental design requirement, combined with the top entry feature, will
inherently create the heaviest valve. On the other hand, a ball valve only rotates about an
axis so the body is shorter relative to the piping.
Ball valves come in four body styles: welded body, two-piece bolted body, three-piece
bolted body and top entry. A welded body ball valve can be as little as half the weight of
a gate valve and a two or three-piece ball valve somewhat less than a gate valve. A top
entry ball valve could actually weigh more than a gate valve depending on size and
pressure. The top entry outlet to receive the full spherical diameter of a ball is greater
than that for a gate and this offsets the longer body of the gate valve.
Concerns over reliability due to the North Sea problems in the late 70s drove some
major operators to develop and specify subsea retrievable valves and subsea insert
retrievable valve internals. After spending several million dollars to develop these
valves, few were ever purchased.
As the reliability of ball valves improved, users focused on top entry subsea valves and
more recently favor the welded body designs because of the significant weight savings
and minimal leak paths. For aggressive service where non-ferrous or super duplex
materials are required, the welded body designs have limitations and a take apart design
is needed. For deepwater and high pressure service, two and three-piece body designs are
not a good solution due to the extra leak paths and the bending loads being transferred
into the body bolting. Despite the weight penalty, that leaves top entry valves as the most
viable option for exotic trims.

Height
Gate valves incur the greatest height penalty. The longer body has already been
discussed, but in addition to this the actuator of a gate valve runs vertical of the gate and
must also stroke the same distance as the gate. A ball valve requires only a quarter turn
to open and to close. Ball valve actuators are mounted close to the top of the valve and
the stroking runs parallel to the piping. Even the helical and vane style ball valve
actuators are shorter than equivalent gate valve actuators. This height difference for
equivalent valve functionality has offered significant cost savings when ball valves are
used in a subsea structure. This feature, combined with the weight savings of a welded
body ball valve design, can result in appreciable cost savings to the overall project.

Speed of Operation
Other than during ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) intervention, most subsea valves are
hydraulically actuated. (It should be noted, however, that the development of complete
electrically operated subsea and surface trees is nearing reality.) As water depth increases
and hydraulic control lines become very long, the response time to react to a signal and
time to stroke valves become excessive. To reduce time, control systems and actuator
designs have increased from 1500 psi in the 70s to 3000 psi in the 80s. Most deepwater
applications now utilize 5000 psi control system pressure. This reduces the piston size
and consequently the swept volume of any valve. Clever designs allowing the hydraulic
fluid to transfer from one side of the piston to the other have also improved the speed of
operation.
If a really fast closing time is required, a ball valve with only a quarter of a turn to close
is the fastest. Some of the ESD ball valves installed in the North Sea in the late 80s had
special slam shut actuators that closed in as little as one second. This makes ball
valves an attractive candidate for the new HIPPS (High Integrity Pipeline Protection
System) valves.

Stem Seal Wear

Ball valves generally have only one mechanism for stem seal wear. The stem rotates a
quarter of a turn to open and a quarter of a turn to close. Gate valves have two
mechanisms causing stem wear. The most common gate valve is the rising stem type,
however, an ROV operated non-rising stem manual style will sometimes be used. The
non-rising stem puts considerable wear on the stem seal. For example, a 6-3/8 gate
valve may require as many as 30 turns to open or close versus a quarter of a turn for a
ball valve.
At high pressures, testing has shown that linear movement reduces wear on stem seals,
with one notable exception. Rising stem gate valves move the stem from inside the flow
environment to outside. Any contamination, scaling or other material could pass through
or damage the stem seal. During the 80s, it became a popular requirement for many
operators in the North Sea to require metal-to-metal stem seals. While these make very
poor stem seals over long periods, they did act as excellent scraper rings protecting the
standard seals. Further development of the non-metallic gate valve stem seals has taken
place since the 80s and metal stem seals are now rarely specified. Ball valves utilizing
gate valve stem seal technology provide outstanding reliability.

Weldability
For manifold valve applications, there is a preference to integrate piping and valves by
welding to save weight, eliminate leak paths and create a stronger connection. Having
not been designed originally for pipeline applications, API 6A and 17D gate valves have
two limitations. First, they are designed to use high strength, low alloy steel bodies
requiring stress relieving which may lead to possible distortion or damage to internals.
After FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing), valves may have to be disassembled for
installation and then reassembled and tested after stress relieving. Additionally, where
ball valves have floating seats, 6A and 17D gate valves rely on very flat and parallel seat
pockets for effective sealing. Distortion of valve bodies from welding has led to the use
of special spool pieces and other means that add complexity and leak paths to a gate
valve. Pipeline ball valves use materials that are designed for welding into pipework and
weld ends per ISO 14313 must have a Carbon Equivalency no greater than .43 using the
long formula (i.e., CE equals C + Mn/6 + (Cr+Mo+V)/5+(Ni+Cu)/15). They can be
welded into the line without stress relieving or supplied with pups already attached to
allow a simple pipe-to-pipe weld.

Depth Sensitivity
Subsea hydraulic actuators are typically single acting. Pressure is applied to stroke the
valve and hold it open. The loss of hydraulic control pressure will allow a spring to
return the valve to its original position (i.e., Fail-close Type). Gates valves are
intrinsically failsafe since the rising stem is actually sized, not for strength, but to act as a
piston with internal pressure to return the valve to the fail-close position. In deepwater
applications, this can result in the requirement for huge springs. Under certain conditions
in 10,000 feet of water there could be over 4400 psi external hydrostatic pressure acting
on the stem to open the gate valve with little or no internal pressure. Add to that another
50 psi acting on the entire actuator piston area due to a 100 foot platform height above
the water and springs with thousands of pounds of force are needed to keep the valve
from self-opening. Other than platform height, ball valve actuators are unaffected either
by increasing water depth or the possibility of having lower pressure inside the valve than
outside.

ROV Intervention
Some of the desirable features in surface pipeline ball valves are now being incorporated
in deepwater ball valves. The capability for double block and bleed along with sealant
injection for stem and seat seals are currently being built into ROV interface panels
mounted on the ball valve (See Figure 3).

Figure 3: Subsea Valve with ROV Panel

With the increased torque availability of modern ROVs, the quarter-turn feature of ball
valves allows for lower cost, higher reliability operations to be performed. Where valves
are rarely operated, they are being installed in deepwater with no actuator or gearbox.
ROVs can remove a simple protection cover, dock into a reaction plate and open or close
the ball valve. There is no additional actuator cost or reliability to consider since this
capability is located on the ROV, which returns to the surface.

Fluid Displacement During Operation

One of the advantages of ball valves over gate valves is fluid displacement. Gate valves
actually have two modes of fluid displacement. The first is pumping fluid in and out of
the valve body during stroking. Unless the valve has a tail rod to offset the rising stem
volume, fluid is displaced from the body as the stem enters and must return as the stem
rises. This is generally not a significant valve performance issue except in viscous
services like drilling mud or if two-piece split or expanding gates are used.

The second mode of displacement is actually becoming an important issue in deepwater.

When a gate valve strokes, the fluid must be transferred from one end of the gate to the
other end of the gate. Although the situation is rare, debris such as sand may build up in
the cavity causing the valve to stall and not fully stroke. More recently however, the
most significant deepwater issue is the formation of hydrate blockages in valves that
completely prevent operation. Various techniques of methanol injection and other
chemicals are being utilized, but it is still a problem. Ball valves sweep the same path
going open or closed and the two displacement modes seen in gate valves do not exist in
ball valves.

Low Pressure Sealing

One of the undesirable by-products of mixing pipeline and Christmas tree specifications
is the inconsistency in pressure test requirements. For example, if a low pressure test is
specified for an API 6A/17D 10,000 psi gate valve, the pressure is 500 to 1000 psi (510% of working pressure). For API 6D, a low-pressure test is specified as 80 psi air.
A common deepwater requirement for today is to specify a 10 10,000 psi valve meeting
API 17D, PSL3 with an 80 psi air test. Besides the issue that the 10 valve size does not
exist in 6A or 17D, it is very difficult to design a dynamic seal interface to seal bubble
tight at 80 psi which does not also overstress the interface at 10,000 psi. Whether 80 psi
sealing is truly needed or not, designers are finding that the upstream sealing, floating
seat designs used in trunnion mounted ball valves are meeting this challenge.

Reliability
Reliability has been saved to the last since that has been the greatest concern of those
wanting to take advantage of other ball valve features. API 6A gate valves located on top
of the wellhead see the most arduous service conditions. Over the last two decades, two
areas of technology improvements have made gate valves more reliable: non-metallic
seal development and mechanically bonded coatings.
First, there was the move away from elastomers exposed to the flow media. Whether
using fluoroelastomers, hydrogenated nitriles or other elastomer seal materials, there is
always some substance in the well stream or temperature condition that may cause
performance degradation of elastomer compounds. It is virtually impossible to select an
elastomer suitable for service in CO2, H2S, chlorides, aromatic hydrocarbons, acids,
amine inhibitors, methanol, di-methyl disulfide and water along with temperature
extremes. Also, these factors change with time and therefore the knowledge does not
exist to predict precisely what the future requirements will be. Todays best gate valve
designs primarily utilize metal-to-metal closure seals and various fills of PTFE or PEEK
for dynamic seals.

The second area is the gate coating. Metal-to-metal sealing was already a standard
feature in the 60s and 70s with overlays like Stellite 6 and Colmonoy 5; however
these coatings would, at best, achieve surface hardness in the lower 50s on the Rockwell
C scale. In the early 80s, various deposition techniques were developed to apply
tungsten carbide at high velocity and mechanically bond them to the metal substrate.
Through the 80s, gate valve manufacturers lived through a number of failures usually in
the form of blistering, disbonding and porosity of the tungsten carbide coating. Through
rigorous testing, the type of gun, coating chemistry and consistent processing were
determined to be the critical factors. These are now continually monitored and the
reliability among the top 6A gate valve suppliers is well known.
Ball valves for deepwater are following the same path as gates valves in achieving
superior reliability. A number of suppliers have eliminated elastomer seals and plastics
like PTFE, PEEK, Ryton, Nylon 12, Nylon 6 and Tefzel are commonly used. In some
cases, the work could stop here as ball valves with PEEK seat inserts have performed
very well in sandy service. However, the latest step is to go purely metal-to-metal and be
able to successfully apply and finish mechanically bonded tungsten carbide to balls and
seat rings. In this case, the finishing and nondestructive verification of the finish has
been the challenge. To get a consistent metal seal on a gate valve, gates had to be flat
within millionths on an inch. That can be converted to light bands and measured with
optical flats. However, balls are spherical and to specify a ball to be finished to 50
millionths of an inch sphericity, for example, it must currently be by qualifying and
controlling a process that is capable of achieving 50 millionths repeatedly. There are
now suppliers who can do this.
Conclusion
There are deepwater applications for which ball valves can provide operational and cost
advantages over gate valves. Improvements in non-metallic seals and coatings are raising
the reliability of ball valves to the point where users are now specifying ball valves and
their use is growing in deeper water depths. Already, several consortiums are looking at
ball valves for hot tapping existing pipelines in 10,000 feet and mud pumping manifolds
in 10,000 feet for under balanced drilling (See Figure 4).

Figure 4: Deep Water Hot Tapping System with Ball Valve

References:
Stellite - Stoody Deloro Stellite, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
Colmonoy - Wall Colmonoy Corporation, Madison Heights, Michigan
Ryton - Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Houston, Texas
Tefzel - E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware

David R. Mefford, P.E.

Vice-President Engineering
Cameron
www.c-a-m.com