You are currently viewing the James Walker Global website.

Close
Wellhead banner

Seals and components for wellheads, trees and manifolds

Our aim is to create the most cost‑effective solution with a focus on optimising the lifetime cost of equipment ownership for our customers.

The O-ring, or toroidal seal, is an exceptionally versatile sealing device which James Walker has been manufacturing since this sealing method was introduced in the 1930s. We precision mould O-rings in over 100 grades of high performance and general purpose elastomers to international, national and industry standards, as well as to customer specifications.

O-rings have many benefits, they:

  • Can be suitable for both static and dynamic duties
  • Occupy little space
  • Will seal in both directions
  • Are compatible with most fluid media
  • Elastomeric O-rings can function between –65°C and +327°C (–85°F and +620°F) dependent upon material type

For oil and gas duties we offer a range of highly qualified materials which are certified to industry standards such as Norsok, ISO, NACE and API in addition to specific customer standards such as Total and Shell MESC for performance parameters including chemical resistance, temperature, pressure and resistance to rapid gas decompression events.

Click here for O-rings and materials suitable for subsea oil and gas applications.

Springsele is a range of single piece, bi-directional seals developed by James Walker to meet the demanding environmental requirements of the oil and gas industry. The product has been designed for high pressure applications where extrusion damage is high risk, and a single piece product is beneficial. The seal has the ability to cater for larger clearance gaps at elevated pressures and temperatures, minimising the risk of failure in installation and service.

Springsele is the preferred design for the majority of oil and gas applications, except where the duty is dynamic. This is due to ease of installation and its ability to work efficiently with large clearances. In addition, Springsele has gained acceptance as the standard for sealing casing receptacles in surface wellheads, where it is often used in conjunction with our FS seal.

Springseles can be:

  • Fitted at original equipment stage
  • Retrofitted in to any existing housing designed for O-rings and back-up rings
  • Custom designed and manufactured to fit non-standard housings

Click here to discover Springsele.

Our machined components enhance the efficiency and reliability of exploration and production operations at oil and gas fields around the world.

Typical areas of application include:

  • Wellheads
  • Manifolds
  • BOPs
  • Production safety valves
  • Risers
  • Valves
  • Chokes
  • Pipelines

The benefits of using our services and products include;

  • Totally conversant with industry standards and quality plans
  • Many years’ experience of oil & gas industry applications
  • Understand sweet and sour environments and the materials required
  • All high-performance alloys are sourced from trusted suppliers in the USA and Western Europe
  • Full materials traceability, with permanent records held
  • All machining undertaken is fully controlled in-house
  • Precision machining capabilities up to 2.3m (90.6in) diameter
  • High integrity metal-to-rubber bonding
  • NDT, coatings and heat treatment conducted by approved and certified subcontractors

Click here for our custom metal machining options for subsea oil and gas applications.

All our API certified ring joints are underpinned by our rigorous quality control systems with the following third party assessed Quality Systems approvals:

  • BS EN ISO 9001
  • API Spec Q1-Standard 6A and API 17D which entitles us to apply the API monogram and our licence  
         number on API–related ring joint gaskets
  • Quality-approved supplier status for numerous original equipment manufacturers across the world
  • Total traceability - every component we manufacture can be traced back to the original batch of metal 
         and a specific billet.

Our computerised records that follow each machined item contain:

  • Mill Certification and heat treatment documentation from the material supplier
  • Our in-house hardness test verification results for that batch of material
  • Which machines were used to manufacture the component
  • In-house dimensional report from our Inspection Department
  • Final hardness test results, to ensure that any work hardening has not exceeded customer specifications
  • Full details of any post machining annealing, coating or NDT work undertaken
  • Third party inspection results, to customer’s specification, as required

Click here for more information on API ring joints.

Devlon thermoplastic materials are amongst the toughest and hardest wearing available. Produced by monomer casting and extrusion, they provide a comprehensive range of wear resistance, impact strength and toughness with almost limitless application potential.

Devlon is designed to solve the problems of wear, corrosion and lubrication, directly replacing traditional engineering components manufactured from materials such as bronze, brass, hardened steel, laminates and incorrectly specified low performance plastics.

The advantages are clear:

  • lower cost
  • 1/6th the weight of bronze
  • zero corrosion
  • low friction
  • resistant to shock loading
  • significantly improved lifespan
  • exceptional resistance to wear
  • does not support marine growth

Click to discover our engineered plastic solutions for subsea applications.

Metal endcap (MEC) seals are normally deployed in equipment on the seabed, typically Christmas Trees, Blow-Out Preventers, Tubing Hangers and Tubing Hanger Running Tools. The seal acts as a barrier to prevent sea water from entering the oil well and critically, to prevent the crude oil and chemicals used in drilling from escaping into the environment. These seals can be deployed in water depths in excess of 3000 m and are subjected to extreme pressure (both internal and external) as well as high temperatures and chemical attack from the media they are sealing.

Every MEC seal is a bespoke design for the customer’s specific application requirements as it serves such a critical role in their well system. Basically it is an elastomeric ring sandwiched between two metal rings. The metal is rigid and supports the rubber preventing it from suffering extrusion damage in high pressure situations and results in a tough robust seal. Achieving the design dimensions is important, as the metal cannot flex like the rubber can for fitting and installation, and so it is critical that the elastomer is not pulled away from the metal and a solid bond is achieved.

Follow this link for more information on metal endcaps and materials for subsea oil and gas applications.

Meet our experts at these upcoming events

Expert to Expert

Want to discuss your project, engineering or materials challenge expert to expert? Simply provide us with your contact details and a little information about the application you are working on, and one of our experts will contact you as soon as possible.

Contact us