In British Columbia, ConocoPhillips is field testing 3D printed water-valve parts at its Montney water hub.
In this example of additive manufacturing, the Canadian business unit has been trying to resolve corrosion issues with a swing check valve trim assembly used at its water treatment facility, which retreats saline produced water for re-use in future fracs.
The team improved the internal design of a 4” swing check valve and developed a 3D printed polymeric version of it. If the 3D printed valves prove worthy, the business unit is planning to retrofit more than 20 valves with the same solution. Not only will this solution prevent business unit personnel from having to replace the entire valves with a more expensive super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) solution, but it will also enable them to print the internal valve parts in only days compared to the 32-weeks lead time associated with the SDSS solution.
“The Montney is a tremendous asset for the ConocoPhillips Canada business unit,” said Lee Osness, Senior Facilities Engineer. “This asset carries its own unique set of challenges, and we look for innovation in these challenging spaces. It’s all about being creative. It’s about noticing a problem that needs to be fixed.”
Energy News
