Rotork actuators used for precise oil and gas flow control on a Brazilian FPSO vessel

Electric and fluid power actuators from Rotork have been installed on a new Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel in Brazil.

Customer Metroval specified Rotork intelligent IQ3 multi-turn electric actuators, as well as CP and GP pneumatic actuators, to control plug and butterfly valves on an FPSO, which will operate in the LIBRA oil fields in the Atlantic Ocean’s Santos Basin. The FPSO operating at the site is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The actuators will be operated by end user Modec to control the flow of oil and gas from the FPSO to the metering system, with the accuracy of the IQ3, CP and GP actuators a key factor in the customer’s decision to purchase Rotork’s products. Rotork Site Services assisted with installation of the actuators on site by providing valve adaptation, mounting the actuators on to the valves and commissioning.

Rotork’s versatile, modular CP range of pneumatic actuators use a scotch yoke design available in both spring-return and double-acting configurations. The actuator’s compact and efficient design is capable of producing high output torques of up to 4,500 Nm (39,800 lbf.ft) even at low pressures. Corrosion resistant cylinders are made from carbon steel and are electroless nickel-plated while the CP is suitable for use in Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) applications, certified to IP 66M/67M for environmental protection and explosionproof to ATEX 2014/34/EU standard.

The GP range of scotch yoke actuators provide quarter-turn movement for either on/off or modulating duty. Available in spring-return or double-acting variants, the GP can produce output torque up to 600,000 Nm (5,000,000 lbf.ft) and is suitable for use in SIL2 and SIL3 systems. Certification to IP66M/67M and ATEX 2014/34/EU is included as standard.

Rotork’s intelligent IQ3 electric actuators can be used for isolation or regulating duties of up to 60 starts per hour, with a direct torque output range from 14 Nm (10 lbf.ft) to 3,000 Nm (2,200 lbf.ft). The actuator features advanced data logger technology to record detailed information including valve torque profiles, operational starts profiles, vibration and temperature trend logs, and event logs. All data, which can be viewed on a dual-stacked advanced display, can be securely transferred to a PC for analysis using Rotork’s Insight 2 software.