Weatherford strikes four-year safety valve deal with Petrobras

HOUSTON - Weatherford International has announced its largest-ever contract for deep-set safety valves. Under terms of a deal with Petrobras, Weatherford will deliver 24 Optimax deep-set safety valves in the next four years.

Weatherford, an industry leader in traditional safety valve technology, is now extending its reliability to the deep and ultra-deepwater market. The Optimax deep-set safety valve protects against catastrophic loss of well control by providing fail-safe closures at pressure up to 10,000 psi and are rated for setting depths as deep as 12,000 ft. The valves are monogrammed to API-14A's highest validation grade of V1.

"The Weatherford Optimax deep-set safety valve is a victory in innovative thinking," said Mark Hopmann, president of completions for Weatherford. Hopmann added, "Conventional deep-set valves typically require nitrogen-charged chambers to compensate for the high hydrostatic pressure of the control line. The Optimax deep-set safety valve overcomes this challenge with a design that utilizes highly reliable, field-proven technology."

An integral part of the completion string, the Optimax deep-set safety valve is controlled by a primary hydraulic control line. Application of control-line pressure keeps the valve in the open position. When pressure is bled off, the valve closes to protect property, personnel, and the environment. A secondary upward-facing piston, plus heavy-duty power springs, enable fail-safe closure while keeping the hold-open pressure to a minimum.