Gilmore’s Innovative Flow Control Products Impact Multiple Energy Markets
Posted: March 24, 2023
It’s no secret that oil and gas companies face a number of challenges when it comes to keeping flow control operations running efficiently and capital expenditures at a minimum. OEMs, operators, exploration and production, drilling contractors, and pressure pumpers lose hundreds of thousands of dollars daily when they experience downtime. Increased safety protocols for on-site personnel, a push for higher sustainability, and preventive maintenance have proven necessary to stay competitive.
Ongoing investment in safety and compliance, workforce, operation, decarbonization, and asset reliability improvements are vital to sustainability. Companies must balance these objectives through a blend of realism, adeptness, and technological innovation. Technology investment particularly is essential to long-term system performance reliability. Selecting the right technology flow control partner that understands your business’ unique needs is key. A competent partner will help you tailor solutions through successful deployment with full-service life support to keep your systems running for years.
Flow Control Solutions that Perform
Gilmore’s GEN2 and Mark IV products for the drilling and production markets have exceeded industry standards and established a new benchmark in flow control reliability. Gilmore invested in research, design, and implementation to improve performance and modularity of their legacy products. The improvements exceed offshore requirements with an increase in cycle life proven through extreme qualification testing to meet the demand of 5-year service life under normal operating conditions.
Mark IV Shuttle Valves
Gilmore’s Mark IV Shuttle Valve series is best specified for new build equipment and system upgrades where you want to have the most reliable and serviceable shuttle valve on the market. The Mark IV Shuttle Valve includes significant engineering enhancements of improved seat geometry, serviceable shuttles and seats, and pressure-biased adapters to increase flow capacity and improved guidance.
GEN2 Products
Relief Valves
Gilmore’s GEN2 topside and subsea relief valves are fast-acting and highly reliable. The spring- or pilot-operated hydraulic valves automatically open to provide pressure relief when the sensed pressure exceeds the desired setting, in accordance with API 16D.
SPM Valves
The improved GEN2 SPM series directs hydraulic fluid within control systems. Proprietary cartridge technology provides improved durability to increase cycle life while decreasing interflow and reducing pressure spikes. Options include two-, three-, and four-way varieties, with bi-directional capabilities. The improvements also include increased seal plate thickness to resist cracking.
Check Valves
Gilmore GEN2 Check Valves feature a new poppet-style check mechanism. They are available as both standard and pilot-operated check valves. Standard check valves reliably sustain a one-directional flow in hydraulic circuits, preventing flow in the reverse direction. Gilmore’s Pilot Operated Check Valves (POCV) enable one-direction flow for a period of time, with the ability to pilot the check open for reverse flow.
Pressure Regulators
GEN2 Pressure Regulators are the perfect solution to maintain and limit downstream pressure. These robust and reliable flow control solutions feature hydraulic damping, Tungsten Carbide shear seals, and improved guidance. This creates a debris-tolerant valve that offers improved resilience, resulting in extended service life.
The GEN2 Regulator Series includes four pressure regulator valves: The Manual Spring, Compensator, Air Motor, and Hydraulic Pilot Pressure Regulator Valves. The range serves to meet application-specific requirements in various operating conditions.
Gilmore intentionally designed all four of these regulator types with the same footprint as legacy products. This was done for a twofold purpose: enabling ease of field installation, and allowing customers to upgrade their systems with minimal disruption.
GEN2 Regulators are designed to be maintenance-free, and applicable in alignment with major blowout preventer recertification cycles of three-to-five-year service intervals. The published flow and dead band performance data assist users in understanding valve operation without requiring premature disassembly and inspection.
But to further deliver precision performance in the harshest severe-service environments, Gilmore has also launched the new Agiliti™ product line.
Gilmore Agiliti™ Flow Control Solutions
At Gilmore, we know that hydraulic fracturing in completions operations is labor- and equipment-intensive every hour of every day. Our Agiliti™ valve solutions address these challenges with designs that dramatically decrease maintenance intervals, reduce labor, and improve efficiency. This allows you to achieve more stages per day, safely, with less NPT—driving value for your business and your clients.
In an intense tech-driven environment where failure is not an option, the Agiliti™ product line expands Gilmore's unrivaled technology to the unconventional market. The Agiliti™ valve advancements aim to help operators improve productivity, reduce operational costs across the frac spread, dramatically extend service life, and boost profitability.
The Agiliti™ Check Valve is a flow control solution for well-stimulation pressure control systems. The valve is a drop-in auxiliary to existing check valves, which prevents backflow to upstream assets.
With a service life of more than 400hrs, the valve minimizes maintenance burdens for pressure-pumping service providers. The check valve does not require any maintenance for the duration of a standard four-well pad.
The Gilmore Agiliti™ Relief Valve is suitable for sand slurry and high-viscosity flow control applications. It replaces inefficient relief valves or burst disks and offers industry-safe, accurate, automated, and reliable mechanical pressure relief.
To further meet the demand for operational efficiency in the unconventional market, the Gilmore Agiliti SAFEGUARD™ system serves as an economical mechanical relief package to protect your pressure-pumping assets. The system is designed with erosion- and corrosion-resistant materials in calculated locations. It is compatible with sand slurry mixtures and treated-produced water applications. Shear seal technology maximizes life expectancy, and the modular component design facilitates refurbishment.
Higher Standards Across Multiple Markets
Besides drilling and unconventional market solutions, Gilmore’s production and downhole solutions include:
- Hydraulic and Pneumatic flow control valves for various topside and subsea production control systems
- Cartridge valves for drilling and measurements
- Rotary steerable and smart completions
For improved safety, reliability, and performance of hydraulic control valves, we’ve worked with the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) Advanced Rig Technology Committee. The broad spectrum of IADC members provide deep insights into how valves are applied in their various control systems. These exceptional, highly specialized insights allow us to drive high-quality, on-point product improvements with qualification testing that directly resembles real-world applications.
Reduce NPT With Gilmore’s Flow Control Innovation
At Gilmore, we’ve been innovating since 1963. With years of experience and hands-on development of new adaptable and modular technologies, we go beyond standard applications, providing flow control solutions in the toughest environments.
Increasing operating conditions continue to push the envelope of higher temperatures and higher pressures. Despite this, our team of expert engineers always prioritizes operational efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Our solutions are designed to keep operations flowing for longer intervals between maintenance cycles. Schedule a call today and find out how we can help you reduce operational costs, keep productivity high, and maintain safety within your operations.
