Subsea connector specialist SECC Oil & Gas reports that a full-bore, straightthrough, pressure-balanced hot stab – hailed as an industry first – based on its patented technology is being specified for a series of subsea injection and pumping projects in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to SECC the Max Flow hot stab has been designed to achieve the highest stab connector flow rates in the industry with exceptionally low pressure drops. Unlike traditional hot stabs, it is based around a straightthrough bore with no obstacle or change of bore angle to throttle the rate at which fluids can travel through it. Measuring 1/4in to 4in and with zero head loss caused by directional change, the innovative design is said to enable operators to achieve very high flow rates using a smaller equivalent diameter bore without having to pump at higher pressures or use larger and heavier connectors and lines.
The Max Flow stab uses pressure-balanced technology to eliminate net forces that would otherwise push the stab out of position and creates reliable connections. A simple J-latch is used to align the ports and protect the connection against loads on the attached hose.
Gareth Black, engineering manager at SECC Oil & Gas, said his company’s high-flow solution was ‘ideal for subsea injection and pumping projects, including those involving high viscosity fluids and high flow requirements, such as tooling, intervention, testing and flooding’. It ‘also helped reduce the risks associated with working at high pressures’, he added. ‘Ultimately, we are helping service companies and operators to achieve high flow rates more efficiently and increase potential flow rate thresholds with significantly smaller bores than they might traditionally use.’
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