Oliver Valves: Valves for a Sustainable Future

Oliver Valves recognises that those industrial sectors that are now identified as “hard to abate” i.e. where switching to less environmentally impactful operations is not possible or extremely difficult; will need to adopt alternative, high density fuel sources such as Hydrogen, and/or invest in technologies that capture the greenhouse emissions from their activities.

Therefore, we are extremely proud to announce that the Oliver Valves family of companies intends to drive its decades of oil and gas valve know-how, coupled with world leading R&D capability, into the green energy and emission abatement sector using the newly incorporated Oliver Hydcovalves Ltd company as the vehicle.

For more than four decades the Oliver family of companies including Oliver Valves, Oliver Twinsafe and Oliver Valvetek have designed, developed and manufactured cutting edge, reliable products for traditional oil and gas industries, however, times are changing…

Climate change due to Global Warming is now proven to be symptomatic of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. Since the dawn of the industrial revolution the majority of our energy demands have been met by the combustion of fossil fuels, the greenhouse gas emissions created have rapidly accelerated the global warming effect.

The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, and those countries party to it, have set a limit on the increase in average global temperature to no more than 1.5°C by 2050. Many governments, including our own, recognise the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions well in advance of the 2050 deadline in order to achieve the Paris Agreement limit. In fact, UK government is so committed to reducing emissions it has set in law the world’s most ambitious climate change target to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 when compared to 1990 levels. Noting the timescales defined in these commitments, we can draw the conclusion that this is a plan to transition away from fossil fuels rather than one which demands we simply turn off the pumps.

Recognising that industry as a whole, not just the energy sector, now faces the challenge of transitioning to a future with net zero emissions, Oliver Hydcovalves Ltd became the latest addition to the Oliver family. Incorporated with the primary objective of providing valve technologies that support the net zero emission targets of industrial users, the company will build on the decades of expertise held within the Oliver companies.

Post Combustion Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) entails capturing CO₂ from industrial emissions then transporting it to be permanently stored. There are already several differing technologies used to separate the CO₂ from the remaining flue gases, with almost all then compress the CO₂ into liquid form for transportation to depleted oil and gas reservoirs or other geological storage sites, with the most cost-effective transportation method being via pipeline. With the percentage of CO₂ captured from flue gases continuing to increase towards 100%, CCS provides a means to decarbonise the use of fossil fuels whilst transitioning to alternative energy sources.

Valves from the Oliver Twinsafe range are ideally suited for the new pipeline infrastructure that will be required for this rapidly expanding decarbonisation technology. Where subsea CO₂ storage is required, valves from the Oliver Valvetek range have already been successfully deployed at the injection wellhead subsea tree. Reliability at depth is vital, even when injecting CO₂ rather than extracting oil or gas; the Hydcovalves portfolio of adapted Twinsafe and Valvetek products, easily match client expectations in these extremely arduous applications.

One alternative energy source that is expected to meet industrial demands for high energy density and zero emission combustion is Hydrogen. “Hard to abate” industries i.e., those where switching to less environmentally impactful operations is not possible or extremely difficult; will need to adopt alternative, high density fuel sources including hydrogen.

With some of the most rigorous development and testing regimes in the industry, valves from the Twinsafe range can meet the requirements for the safe transportation of hydrogen in pipelines or storage vessels.

Valve development for the emerging hydrogen transport and refuelling industry is ongoing with testing to ISO19880-3:2018 underway at our industry leading R&D facility in Knutsford.

As Oliver Hydcovalves continues to develop products for the emerging technologies needed to meet the world’s net zero ambitions, we are dedicated to supporting customers that strive to deliver a more sustainable future. For further information contact Rob Porter at rporter@valves.co.uk or simply call us on +44 (0)1565 632636.