Weatherford has signed a four-year deal with Petrobras to provide 24 of the company's Optimax safety values to the state-led Brazilian player.
According to the service company, the deep-set safety valve "protects against catastrophic loss of well control by providing fail-safe closures at pressure up to 10,000 psi (68 MPa)", with a rating suited up to up to 12,000 feet.
The valves meet standards set by the American Petroleum Institute with the "highest validation grade of V1." Financial details were not disclosed.
"Conventional deep-set valves typically require nitrogen-charged chambers to compensate for the high hydrostatic pressure of the control line," said Mark Hopmann, president of completions for the company.
"The Optimax deep-set safety valve overcomes this challenge with a design that utilises highly reliable, field-proven technology."
In further describing the technology Weatherford said: "An integral part of the completion string, the Optimax deep-set safety valve is controlled by a primary hydraulic control line.
"Application of control-line pressure keeps the valve in the open position. When pressure is bled off, the valve closes to protect property, personnel, and the environment. A secondary upward-facing piston, plus heavy-duty power springs, enable fail-safe closure while keeping the hold-open pressure to a minimum."
Weatherford International is currently undergoing a restructuring process after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July, a process that aims to wipe $8.35 billion in debt from the company's balance sheet.
