US shale gas customer deploys Rotork intelligent actuators

Rotork has announced that its intelligent full-turn electric actuators have been supplied to a customer’s upstream shale gas production wells in the US.

The company’s IQTF actuators provide reliable flow control for oil and gas operations, with accuracy to 0.3% and resolution to 0.1%.

The US customer has ordered the actuators to carry out modulating duties on wellhead rotary non-rising choke valves at the East Texas section of the Haynesville/Bossier shale gas formation.

Approximately 60 actuators have already been installed to control the flow of gas and condensate at the site, which is located near the city of Lufkin, Texas.

Two IQTF actuators have been installed on each well, and over 30 have been ordered by the customer to hold in their inventory.

The remote location of the wells means a DC power supply using a solar-powered system and battery pack is being used to power the actuators. This solution is more reliable than hydraulic or pneumatic actuation, as it avoids potential leakage common in hydraulic actuators.

In another project, over 60 Rotork IQTF actuators have been ordered for a new well site at the Eagle Ford basin in South Texas, with plans to install two per well.

Rotork’s lightweight and compact IQTF actuator provides fast and accurate valve control and can perform up to 1,800 starts per hour.

The company’s Rotork Site Services offered final commission and warranty to the customer, in addition to support during initial testing and calibrating.