Unity, a global specialist in well integrity and decommissioning, has introduced Unity Qb, an ultra-compact blowout preventer (BOP) valve designed to provide pressure control in offshore environments where conventional BOP systems cannot be accommodated.
The new valve is approximately one-third the width of conventional BOP equipment, allowing operators to carry out well intervention activities in areas where space limitations have previously prevented the use of standard systems. Its potential applications include wireline, slickline, coiled tubing and future drilling operations.
Unity has invested around £500,000 in research and development to bring the technology to market. Known as Unity Qb, or 'cube', the valve has been developed specifically for confined spaces on offshore platforms, where the size and configuration of conventional pressure-control equipment can restrict deployment options.
Traditional BOPs are high-pressure safety devices positioned at the top of a well to prevent the uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons. Their large, cross-shaped configuration can determine where they can be installed on an offshore platform. Conventional systems use rams that move linearly from opposite sides of the well bore to seal or shear in response to a hydrocarbon release.
Unity Qb uses a different mechanism. Its rams rotate around a central cartridge inside the valve housing, creating a proprietary design that combines characteristics of a conventional BOP and a ball valve. The arrangement allows the valve to perform conventional BOP functions while occupying substantially less space.
This compact configuration could allow BOP equipment to be installed in locations where a conventional system would not fit and where historically only a Shear-Seal Ball Valve could be accommodated.
The patented valve has a pressure rating of 10,000 psi, which is twice the rating of Unity's existing CSS Valve and other traditional systems referenced by the company. It maintains the same weight while providing the higher pressure rating, allowing Unity Qb to be considered for higher-pressure wells that cannot be serviced by lower-rated equipment.
The system can also be configured in single, dual or triple stacks. Together, these capabilities allow Unity to target applications beyond coiled tubing, an area where the company's CSS technology currently has most of its work worldwide.
Gary Smart, CEO at Unity said: “The future of well intervention will be defined by technologies that deliver more capability from a smaller footprint - Unity Qb represents exactly that step-change. We recognised that the** **size and complexity of conventional BOP systems were increasingly constraining operations in space-limited environments. Rather than accepting those limitations, our engineering team reimagined the design from the ground up. The result is an ultra-compact BOP valve that delivers the performance operators expect while dramatically reducing the space required to deploy it.
“By unlocking access to constrained work environments and creating greater flexibility in system design, Unity Qb has the potential to reshape how intervention operations are executed offshore. This innovation challenges established conventions and expands what's possible for our industry.
“Our CSS valve will remain part of our offering, ensuring our existing fleet continues to support clients who need it. The new Unity Qb is intended to extend the range of interventions we can support, in addition to what we have already been delivering successfully for the last three decades.”
Unity, headquartered in Aberdeen, is part of the FrontRow Energy Technology Group. The company has a 30-year track record in supporting energy operations worldwide, with a focus on helping operators reduce risk, address operational constraints and extend asset life.
