Innovative ASCV Retrofit Saves Time and Money
The challenge
An offshore operator was increasing the capacity of compressors on a facility located off the Dubai coast. Consequently, critical anti-surge cycle control valves (ASCVs) involved in the compression system needed to meet exacting new requirements for high‑performance compressor protection, severe‑service flow control, and rapid response valve actuation. Procuring such highly-specified valves typically takes 24 weeks. The operator needed the valves within four weeks making traditional new‑valve procurement impossible for urgent brownfield modification projects.
The solution
Innovative ASCV retrofit saves time and money.
Severn’s Technical Products and Services team devised an innovative retrofit solution delivering a fast‑track ASCV upgrade for offshore operations. It involved the development of new internal components that could be fitted into the body of the existing ASCVs, increasing their capacity and maintaining performance in line with the complex demands of the new compressor system without requiring full valve replacement, re‑piping, or shutdown extension.
Activity followed a five step process:
- Valve shipped back to the operator
- Valve stripped and relevant data gathered to inform the new internal design
- Upgraded valve trim designed within 24 hours
- Material sourced and components manufactured locally in the UAE
- Valve reassembled and witness tested
Utilising Severn’s concentric cage technology, new trim elements were sized and designed to offer comparable performance to the original valves, as well as having the same key dimensions, which allowed for the re-use of the original actuation and instrumentation reducing project cost, integration risk, and commissioning time. Severn managed the process and conducted the technical design, collaborating with our local repair partner Adyard Abu Dhabi for the manufacturing and assembly aspects. This partnership approach enabled advanced technical services to be combined with rapid turnaround for the operator’s benefit delivering a high‑reliability retrofit solution optimised for offshore production uptime.
The entire process took ten days for the first valve. It was then further streamlined enabling an additional valve with a completely separate design to be turned around in just four days demonstrating Severn’s rapid-response engineering capabilities for urgent valve remediation.
The outcome
Each of the retrofitted ASCVs has been installed successfully. Opting for a retrofit rather than procuring new valves shaved 94% off the delivery time. There was also a significant cost saving and zero interruption to offshore operations, protecting compressor performance and process integrity.
ASCV retrofit satisfies extreme demands for technical capability and rapid turnaround, making it an ideal solution for brownfield upgrades, compressor optimisation projects, and time‑critical offshore maintenance campaigns.
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