Petal Valve Marine Breakaway Couplings

Minimise offshore hose transfer system oil spills

due to tanker breakout or internal pressure surge incidents

The most reliable and efficient Marine Breakaway Couplings in the world

Gall Thomson invented the Petal Valve Marine Breakaway Coupling and continues to
be the world leader in the development and delivery of Marine Breakaway Coupling
(MBC) technology.
The Gall Thomson range is the chosen industry standard and this brochure
explains why.

Minimise the risk of spills

Product transfer applications

Offshore oil spills can delay contract cargo

delivery and add costs to projects. Physical
damage to assets and the environment results
in tanker and terminal downtime and costly
clean-up operations.

The MBC is suitable for use with crude oil,

heavy fuel oil and other high viscosity products.

Personnel injury can have short and long term

consequences; likely resulting in litigation,
diminished reputation, higher insurance
premiums and investor costs.
All this can compromise the focus and
performance of a business.
The employment of a Gall Thomson Petal Valve
MBC reduces risk and will demonstrate that
the terminal operator responsible has taken all
reasonable steps to enhance terminal safety
and prevent pollution by incorporating a proven,
market leading MBC into the transfer system.

Safe shutdown when it matters

The Gall Thomson Petal Valve MBC provides
an identified safe parting point in marine hose
transfer systems and automatically shuts off oil
flow in the event of an undue overload during
tanker loading or discharging, or an extreme
pressure surge generated by the sudden,
inadvertent closure of a valve downstream of
the MBC during tanker loading.

P2

Gall Thomson also offers a different design for

employment with light, low viscosity products
such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, LPG and
similar media.

System applications
lF
 loating

hose strings at SPM CALM / SALM

buoy terminals

lU
 nderbuoy

hose strings at SPM CALM

buoy terminals

lF
 PSO

and FSO floating hose strings

lF
 PSO

and FSO export reeled floating

or catenary hose strings

lC
 BM

/ MBM submarine hose strings

lA
 rticulated

Loading Platform in-air

or Submerged Catenary Hose Strings

lS
 ubsea

high pressure live crude flexibles

lW
 ell

choke and kill emergency

disconnect systems

lO
 ther

types of offshore hose

transfer system

1. Single point mooring, FPSO, FSO, FSU and

other offshore oil terminal production and
bunker floating hose strings.
2. FPSO, FSO, FSU and other offshore oil
terminal product reeled and in-air and
submerged catenary hose strings.

3. Underbuoy and CBM/MBM submarine

hose strings.
4. Subsea and riser high pressure
live crude flexibles.
5. Well choke and kill emergency
disconnect systems.

5
4

lA
 void

major offshore oil spills

lP
 rotect the environment
lS
 ave the expense of oil spill clear up
lE
 nhance the safety of your workforce
lP
 revent costly system damage

lM
 inimise

tanker/terminal downtime
lA
 vert negative media attention
lB
 enefit from lower insurance premiums
lM
 aximise terminal integrity
lP
 roject a professional company image

P3

Performance
Proven
Gall Thomson has over 30 years of successful field experience with a track record of more than 1,500 MBCs
in service in some of the harshest environments in the world.
The Gall Thomson Petal Valve MBC possesses an unprecedented record of performing precisely as expected
saving the hose system and structure from damage and preventing costly clean-up and vessel downtime.

Zero headloss

Low maintenance
The simple but effective petal mechanism
minimises moving parts and components
which means there are no axles, shafts, hubs
or bearings to seize. This eliminates the risk of
failure and reduces maintenance costs.
This design can ensure extended, maintenance
free periods of around three to five years.

Automatic

The fully clear and smooth uninterrupted

bore, means this is the only proven system in
the world with the crucial advantage of zero
headloss: delivering efficiency and speeding up
product transfer.

Protected against erosion

and corrosion
Unlike other designs, there is no exposure of
valves and mechanisms to product transfer.
The fully sealed clear bore therefore prevents
wear, erosion and corrosion by protecting
against the product in transfer and seawater
flushing.

No clogging
Exposed mechanisms can clog due to cooled
or non-flowing viscous products such as crude
oil. The sealed sleeve bore design of the Gall
Thomson Petal Valve MBC ensures internal
mechanisms are protected; eliminating the risk
of clogging and promoting long life and low
maintenance.

P4

The system eliminates the human element: it is

automatic and instant.

Self-energised
The shut-off is powered by the energy of the
flowing product acting on the petal assembly.
This means the unit is not vulnerable to the
reliability of an external source power supply.

Re-usable
The coupling can be re-instated after a
breakout or installed into a new hose string
during a routine change out.

Breakstud reliability
Due to our rigorous quality procedures during
production, our breakstuds have a reputation
spanning over 30 years for delivering
consistent field service reliability.

Long life

Compact and lightweight

The lack of moving parts and protective design

provides a much longer life expectancy when
compared to other types of MBC.

The compact and lightweight design ensures

there is no detrimental effect on the hose
string. The unit therefore avoids external
mechanical damage and stress fatigue to
adjacent hoses.

Ease of fitting
The unit fits between standard flanges at any
point in the hose assembly.

Robust
The design ensures that operational loads such
as bending moments, torsional stresses and
cyclically applied loads created by wave and
wind motion, tanker movement and pumping
vibration are absorbed and have no adverse
effects on function or condition.

Buoyant
Due to the MBCs lightweight construction and
the reserve buoyancy of the adjacent hoses,
additional buoyancy aids are not always
required when installed in a standard floating
hose string and never required when installed
in a submarine or catenary hose string.

Self-reliant
Pigging
The clear and unobstructed bore allows for
convenient and cost efficient internal line
cleaning: eliminating the need to remove the
unit from the hose string.

The unit is completely self-contained,

requiring no outside systems. This eliminates
dependability on other components or
mechanisms.

Support
Technical expertise and global support
designed to minimise downtime.

Aftersales care
Speak to us about our maintenance and
refurbishment services, extended warranties,
parts and spares.

Minimum product outflow following activation has been confirmed by all 230
successful parting incidents to date*.
*Confirmed by field operators performance reports. 2012

P5

Specification
Sizes: 3 to 24 nominal bore.

Cantilever spring mechanism

Controlled closure

The cantilever spring mechanism is a bias and

backup system. It is not depended upon to
close the petal assembly. The springs will effect
closure should there be no product flow when
an activation occurs.

Material composition
Extensive testing of materials includes
chemical, mechanical and electrolytic reaction
during extreme and adverse conditions. The
material composition and manufacturing
process delivers the most robust breakaway
coupling on the market.

Variable closure speeds provide anti-line shock

shutdown to protect up-stream assets such as
pumps and hoses.

Calibration

Where required for bi-directional transfer

systems, a unit with controlled closure in both
directions is supplied.

The unit can be pre-set to precise linear

overload and flow pressure requirements:
to suit individual product and transfer
system parameters.

Instantaneous closure

Instantaneous closure delivers immediate shut-off.

This is suitable for operations with lower loading
rates or short piping systems where damage to
asset due to instantaneous closure is unlikely.
MBC Petal Valve options
Activation type

Controlled closure

Instantaneous closure

Linear overload and flow pressure surge

Standard

Standard

Linear overload

Stabilised

Stabilised

Linear overload and flow pressure surge

Standard

Standard

Linear overload

Stabilised

Stabilised

DOUBLE SHUT-OFF

SINGLE SHUT-OFF

P6

Double shut-off

Standard MBC
The Standard MBC will activate in two
circumstances. It is the systems safety fuse.
Linear overload:

Double shut-off provides valve closure on both

the upstream and downstream sides of the
separation point.

Single shut-off

The Standard MBC will part on linear overload.

This may occur due to a tanker moving
off station due to a manoeuvring fault, an
unexpected wave, wind or general weather
conditions. Where usually in this circumstance
a hose system without a Gall Thomson MBC will
rupture and provoke a spill, the Standard MBC
will activate and shut down the flow.
Flow pressure surge:
The Standard MBC will also activate where an
extreme internal pressure surge occurs: caused
by an unusual event such as an inadvertent
valve closure down-stream. The activation
pressure is set to suit operational requirement.

Single shut-off provides valve closure on one

side of the separation point.

Stabilised MBC
Linear overload:
The Stabilised MBC will activate on linear
overload as with the Standard MBC.
Flow pressure surge:
The Stabilised MBC will not activate due to
a pressure surge but is instead designed to
possess the same integrity as the rest of the
transfer system. The entire transfer system is
therefore designed to withstand the maximum
internal pressure surge that the system may
generate without damage.

P7

The Gall Thomson range

Petal Valve Marine Breakaway Coupling
Flip-Flap Marine Breakaway Coupling
Welin Camlock Coupling
Global support and aftersales care

Gall Thomson Environmental Ltd.,

Pommers Lane, Great Yarmouth,
Norfolk, NR30 3PE, United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0) 1493 857936

Fax +44 (0) 1493 850888
www.gall-thomson.co.uk
mail@gall-thomson.co.uk

Queens Award for Technological Achievement

Product descriptions and specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Gall Thomson recommends that all information and data
are confirmed with our technical department before specifying, ordering or commissioning. Copyright All information provided is subject to
international copyright, trademark and patent laws and cannot be reproduced without the expressed and written permission of Gall Thomson
Environmental Ltd. Trademarks protected: Gall Thomson Petal Gall Thomson Environmental Ltd. Protected by Worldwide Patents.

G.P.E1302

+44 (0) 1493 857936

mail@gall-thomson.co.uk

A Signum Technology company

www.gall-thomson.co.uk