A New Era in Fugitive Emission Control: Oxford Flow's Cleverly Designed ES Valve

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported in 2019 that methane emissions, largely from oil and gas operations, equated to 82 million metric tons. The task of identifying sources of these "fugitive" emissions has often been sidelined. However, following the US-led Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26, the critical role of fugitive emissions is gaining much more attention.

Numerous aspects of the production process can result in fugitive emissions, with valves being a major contributor. Given that a single processing facility can house between 8,000 and 25,000 valves, the risk of considerable methane emissions from valves alone is enormous. In fact, valves are responsible for up to 60% of fugitive emissions. This has created a mounting pressure on upstream and downstream operators to address this issue.

The Need for Improved Valve Technology

Until recently, the valve industry has merely offered minor "iterative" enhancements to the traditional valve design. This has proved insufficient, as most leaks and failures occur at the dynamic stem-seal interface of conventional control valves. This situation has trapped operators in a costly cycle of spending millions on maintenance to manage leaks that have already escalated safety risks or harmed the environment.

Oxford Flow's innovative ES valve presents a revolutionary solution for the oil and gas industry, offering a way to prevent fugitive methane emissions. The key to this technology is its simplicity. By drastically reducing the active components and eliminating the stem and mechanical drive train, it has effectively removed all leakage pathways to the atmosphere.

The ES axial flow valve, with its integrated hydraulic piston, surpasses the industry standards significantly. Its unique design not only eradicates the possibility of fugitive emissions, but also offers operators a valve package that is half the size and weight of traditional valves, resulting in considerable savings on maintenance costs.

Achieve 30% Reduction in Maintenance Costs

Operators currently spend millions annually on integrity inspections and preventative maintenance plans. Yet, these efforts often fall short in preventing fugitive emissions. The ES axial flow valve's innovative design is transformative, especially for operations with numerous critical control valves or operators with aging assets. This design significantly decreases the need for continuous maintenance.

By replacing conventional valves with the ES valve, operators can avoid allocating valuable resources to trace fugitive emissions from a portion of their valves. Additionally, the need for extensive maintenance procedures will reduce since drivetrain-related failures are eliminated and stem repacking maintenance is no longer required. This could lead to a 20-30% reduction in ownership costs and double the mechanical lifespan of the valve.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of valves in oil and gas infrastructure, both onshore and offshore, leak fugitive emissions. This poses a considerable challenge for operators in identifying and mitigating leaks.

However, the ES valve offers a comprehensive solution. When considering the reduced costs, weight, size, enhanced availability, reliability, and performance, and reduced maintenance, the case for its use in retrofitting and new installations is strong. Most importantly, its ability to entirely eliminate fugitive emissions is game-changing.

For more information about our groundbreaking ES axial flow valve, feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn DM or email at [email protected].