Single Source HIPPS from BEL Valves and Hima-Sella

BEL Valves manufactures high integrity valves for the Oil and Gas Industry. It is part of the British Engines Group and has a reputation for investing heavily in the latest capital equipment, partnerships and people skills.

As a result, BEL Valves offers a complete Safety Instrumented Solution to a technology innovation known as HIPPS (High Integrity Pressure Protection System). This incorporates system design, engineering and supply and the partnership with Hima-Sella will be demonstrated by exhibiting a single source HIPPS at this year’s Offshore Europe Exhibition 8-11 Sept 2009, AECC Aberdeen. HIPPS is a Safety Instrumented System (SIS) that is an Economic Enabler to facilitate HP/HT and Deepwater Production developments.

By combining their specialisations in Systems Integration and High Integrity Valve Manufacturing, BEL Valves and Hima-Sella are able to supply a complete SIS that is flexible, reliable and easy to install and commission. The complete HIPPS loop, including the sensors, logic solver and the final elements under control, fully meets Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) and the requirements of IEC 61508 and IEC 61511. It offers the ultimate in asset and personnel protection where pressure relief valves and bursting discs are impractical because of safety and environmental constraints. HIPPS are the only systems to protect against over pressure scenarios and the loss of containment simultaneously.

The decision to include HIPPS depends on multiple assessments to mitigate the risk but a first step is to find a qualified supplier with an established reputation who can provide a complete solution. A HIPPS needs to meet stringent SIL requirements and each installation has a unique set of calculations for Risk Assessment. Between them Hima-Sella and BEL Valves have more than seventy years of experience in proving technology and installing tried and tested products in international markets. By combining their resources to provide a complete solution to HIPPS they are able to design, engineer, supply, warrant and certify each particular application.

BEL Valves operates from an integrated production facility in Newcastle upon Tyne and provides a full range of services including: In-house Design, Integrated Manufacturing from raw material sourcing and in-house foundry to product finishing and Tungsten Carbide coating, extensive product testing, including deepwater, and after-market service and training.

It provides a range of valves, actuators and controls for surface and subsea applications, worldwide, with a specific focus on high pressure and high integrity applications. The configurations include; on-off, through conduit slab and expanding gate valves, high-integrity ball, globe and check valves, an eccentric ball valve (e-ball) and a range of small bore gate, check, needle and rotary disc valves for the subsea market.

These bespoke products meet all the main industry codes in bore sizes from ½” to 42”; pressures up to 16,500psi and water depths to 3000 metres. They are designed and manufactured to API 6A, 6D, 17D, ASME 16.34, ASME VIII and satisfy ISO 9001, GOST and Norsok standards. They can be supplied in materials for sweet and sour service, which are suitable for a combination of high pressures and high temperatures, and for applications which require zero leakage to the atmosphere.

This has led to close liaison with the industry which means a unique exposure in delivering product-engineering solutions that has enabled BEL Valves to satisfy many major projects in the UKCS, the Norwegian North Sea, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, Canada, the Far East, Middle East and FSU areas in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

BEL Valves, Tel: 0191 265 9091
Website: www.belvalves.com

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