Remote Canadian destination for Rotork pipeline valve actuators

Published: 31st March 2011 | Issue 16

An engineer at the C E Franklin workshop tests the hydraulic manual override on one of the Rotork gas-over-oil actuators (model number GO-085S-180H/D1) bound for the Tupper West Gathering System.

The remote area of north eastern British Columbia in Canada, where ambient seasonal temperatures can fluctuate between +30˚C and -40˚C, is the destination for a major order for Rotork GO range gas-over-oil pipeline valve actuators.

The application is a new Class 300 sour gas (0.1% H2S) gathering system and pipeline owned by the Murphy Oil Company Ltd. Known as the Tupper West Gathering System, the project follows Murphy Oil’s acquisition of the Tupper Field leases in 2007. Twenty Rotork GO actuators have been ordered, three for barrel isolation and seventeen for pipeline ESD (emergency shutdown) duties.

The Rotork actuator design was selected due to the remote geographic location and challenging environment of the application, demanding both long term reliability and low maintenance.

Rotork GO actuators are designed to use pipeline gas as the power source and are available with control configurations to suit virtually any operational requirement. Low or high pressure control logic options, speed control in both directions and hydraulic manual override are amongst the standard features. With torque outputs up to 600,000 Nm (5,000,000 lbf-in), Rotork GO actuators are certified to IP66M/67M, ATEX 94/9/EC and in accordance with PED 93/27/EC. For this project the actuator electrical components are CSA Class 1, Division 1 approved. A separate sweet fuel gas line provides the power source for the actuators.

The order has been supplied by Rotork Fluid Systems’ agent in Alberta, C E Franklin. Franklin has also fitted the actuators to16 inch ASME Class 300 ball valves in its workshop facilities at Edmonton. The Tupper West Gathering System project, which is being engineered by Equinox Engineering of Calgary, is a major installation for Rotork GO actuators in Canada. The project is also utilising Rotork pneumatic actuators at manned compressor station valve sites.

Rotork Fluid Systems, Tel: +44 1225 733200
Website: www.rotork.com

Rotork UK