Energy services company Expro has introduced Solus, a new high debris single shear and seal ball valve system designed to improve flexibility, safety, and efficiency in subsea well access operations across the global oil and gas sector.
The newly developed system replaces the conventional requirement of two separate valves with a single integrated valve. By simplifying the design, Solus reduces operational complexity and risk while supporting the industry’s move toward more efficient and cost effective subsea intervention technologies.
Solus has been tested and validated according to API Std 17G and is fully compliant with NACE MR0175 standards. It is designed as a fail close bi directional ball valve that can shear and seal on wire and coiled tubing, even in environments with significant debris. This capability marks an important development for subsea safety and reliability.
The system can be used in both riser and open water applications and is suitable throughout the entire well lifecycle. This includes exploration, appraisal, completion intervention, and later stage activities such as plug and abandonment and full decommissioning.
Solus has already been deployed in several operations. It has been used for an in riser completions development in the Gulf of America and installed in an open water system for a North Sea plug and abandonment campaign. The valve can provide shear and post shear sealing for both gas and liquid on slickline, braided electrical cable, and coiled tubing. It also maintains bi directional sealing capability even after pump through operations.
The technology has also been incorporated into Expro’s lightweight Plug and Abandonment Open Water Intervention Riser System. By achieving shear and seal functions within a single valve, the design enables Solus to operate effectively in open water environments.
Its modular structure allows isolation and disconnection from the well, while the compact configuration aligns with the industry’s transition toward smaller blowout preventer stacks. This also supports more efficient supply chain management and easier deployment.
The fail close design helps reduce emissions risk and provides an additional independent well safety barrier. Solus also offers strong high debris tolerance, with qualification for solids ingress of up to 15 percent.
Daniel More, Vice President Subsea Well Access, said, “In introducing Solus, Expro now offers the subsea engineering market a distinctive new system that provides the ultimate integrated shear and seal on coiled tubing and wire using just a single valve. Solus, cuts through operational complexity. Simple to use, flexible, with a compact design for smaller BOP stack sizes, this is the latest in fail-safe technology developed by the experts of valve technology and systems integration.
“When there’s no room for error, Solus is designed to provide the assurance of an independent well safety barrier, combined with the surety and confidence that comes from Expro’s integration experience and expertise at the ‘whole system’ level. It’s the latest example of Expro’s engineering excellence and deep understanding of customer needs to move our industry forward,” added Daniel.
Solus is available within Expro’s ELSA landing string assemblies portfolio. It can be deployed in riser as a single valve, with an optional latch mechanism, as part of a subsea test tree, or integrated within the Open Water Intervention Riser System.
