PACT - Piloting Electric Fail-Safe Actuator Technology

PACT is an all-electric tree valve actuator for enhanced well control and fail-safe handling of emergency situations. PACT is designed to be an integral part of automated and remote-control systems. Primary application is for topside wellheads; upper and lower master valve, wing valve, kill wing and annulus control. The actuator has a patent pending fail safe mechanism with worlds? fastest closing time to ensure containment during critical situations and ESD. Opening time of 30 to 60 seconds (depending on valve size) and adjustable closing time of 1 to 8 has been demonstrated. PACT has an embedded OPC-UA controller and sensors that enable data-driven, fact-based approach to condition based- and predictive maintenance. Aggregating real-time and historical data, component and system models, enables confidence in component performance, maintenance schedules, and even providing inputs to production targets paving the way for fully remote operations with higher degree of automation.

In the Oil&Gas industry, there are in the order of 100 or more gate valves on a typical well installation project that needs control and actuation. Safety is critical and the actuators must be able to close the valves securely and rapidly in case of a blowout or other high-risk scenario. Today, almost all these actuators are operated by hydraulic-, or semi-hydraulic systems. The associated hydraulic pump stations are large, expensive, and pose an environmental risk with possible hydraulic oil leakages. Electric drive is a much more compact and environmental-friendly technology to use for driving actuators. However, safety-critical actuation in the O&G industry has been seen as problematic to be handled by electric motors and controllers due to their potential fail rate in harsh environments. During the last decade, there has been a debate concerning fail-safe strategies to fulfill the needed safety requirements. To remove any uncertainties regarding the use of electrical actuators and minimize risk, the electrical actuators performance and reliability must be proven to be as good or better than a hydraulic actuator. A new electric actuator with state-of-the-art performance and a novel fail-safe mechanics has been designed that is a drop-in replacement for most common hydraulic actuators on the market today. This project sets out to validate and qualify this novel electric actuation technology in two sizes, through a rigorous testing scheme including full flow gas testing and a subsequent pilot installation for a full demonstration of its capabilities on an operational well.