January 2014 Tube Products International
45
products & developments
Production of umbilicals
tubes
Tubular solutions provider Vallourec has
launched a new offering for the offshore
oil and gas market: the production of
welded stainless steel tubes to be fitted
into umbilicals.
Although they do not transport any
produced oil or gas, umbilicals are a
key component in a subsea installation.
They are used to connect the equipment
on the seabed to a control station at
the surface. Thanks to an innovative
manufacturing
process,
tubes
for umbilicals produced at the new
Vallourec Umbilicals plant in Venarey-
Les Laumes (Côte-d’Or, France) offer
strength and mechanical properties.
With Total as technical sponsor, the new
product widens Vallourec’s offering of
solutions for offshore operations.
The continuous production process
developed by Vallourec (rolled and
longitudinally welded tubes) capitalises
on the knowhow acquired by the group
in the production of long welded tubes.
It allows for the production of tubes of
10 to 30km with a minimum number of
butt welds.
Vallourec’s tubes will be inserted in the
umbilicals alongside other components
(electric cables, carbon rods and
optical fibres), and will carry utility fluids
necessary for production operations.
Vallourec’s tubes are thinner, so the
umbilicals they will be integrated into
will be lighter and easier to install at sea.
After having obtained ISO 9001 and
Bureau Veritas certifications, Vallourec
Umbilicals has become an approved
supplier of Total, and is currently in
the qualification process by its clients,
the main umbilicals manufacturers.
The plant is working on a prototype
order, and actual industrial ramp-up is
expected to take place in 2014.
Dominique Richardot, managing director
of Vallourec’s pipe project and SURF
(subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines)
activities, declared, “By offering a
product with unique characteristics to
the market, we are positioning ourselves
to meet the growing demands of
deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore
fields. This new premium activity
reinforces Vallourec’s position on the
subsea construction market and our
ability to provide integrated solutions.”
This new product completes the
range of integrated solutions offered
by Vallourec for subsea construction,
which also includes line pipe, risers and
welding services.
Vallourec
– France
Tubes in a section of an umbilical
Vallourec tubes on a reel
Tube and hose assemblies
AFV Natural Gas Fuel Systems, a
provider of tube and hose assemblies
used in natural gas vehicle fuel systems,
is moving into a larger facility to keep
up with rapid growth. AFV will occupy
30,000ft
2
at a site in Twinsburg, Ohio,
just minutes from sister company SSP.
“In addition to more than quadrupling
the manufacturing floor space, we have
expanded our product engineering
capacity and added personnel to
improve our supply chain, inventory and
kitting performance,” stated Mark Hurt,
director of sales. “Likewise, AFV has
worked to enhance our manufacturing
and business processes and we are
presently looking to add to our sales
staff.”
AFV’s fuel line systems are a critical
component in compressed natural gas
(CNG) fuelled vehicles. Overall vehicle
life, dependability and ease of fuel line
kit installation are the key features that
have driven AFV’s growth since its
founding in 2009. “Today’s automotive
engineers are looking for experienced
partners with proven quality systems
and history. Original equipment
manufacturers, converters and upfitters
alike require a company that is familiar
with the certification and manufacturing
requirements of CNG fuelled vehicles,”
commented Kevin Dickey, general
manager.
AFV Natural Gas Fuel Systems
– USA
