Read the article in OE by Jerry Lee on how Marathon and ConocoPhillips teamed up to drill difficult deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico using a custom MPD system onboard the Maersk Valiant drillship.
“CORTEC worked with the Valiant project group to design a 6in orifice drilling choke as well as 3in and 4in orifice pressure relief valves that were capable of providing the control necessary to flow at desired conditions,” says Stephen Corte, vice president marketing and business development, CORTEC.
CORTEC supplied the buffer, choke, and metering manifolds.
“This creates an ideal scenario for ‘compact’ manifolds,” Corte says. “Our compact valve division, CORTEC Manifold Systems, specializes in the design of compact ball valves and manifolds, which optimize weight and space savings while maintaining or exceeding API standards. Utilizing compact ball valve and manifold technology allowed this entire large bore system to fit within a space that is 7ft tall and 11ft wide, running along the rail of the vessel’s moon pool.”