An introduction to pipeline pigging

iii

CONTENTS

Foreword ....................................................................... vii

What is a pig? ........................................................... viii
The history of pipeline pigging ..................................... ix
Acknowledgements ........................................................ xi
Important notice ............................................................ xi
PPSA - Presidents and Officers ................................... xii
Chapter 1: Why pig a pipeline? ................................ 1
Safeguarding assets and optimizing efficiency ............ 1
Government regulations, safety and the environment 4
Practical requirements................................................... 4
Pigging during construction ................................. 5
Debris removal ............................................. 5
Cleaning ....................................................... 6
Initial gauging .............................................. 6
Geometry or caliper pigging ..................... 7
Hydrostatic testing ...................................... 7
Dewatering ................................................... 8
Drying ........................................................... 9
Commissioning ........................................... 10
Pigging during operation .................................... 10
Debris removal ........................................... 10
Condensate removal .................................. 11
Product separation (Batching) ................ 12
Batch inhibition ......................................... 12
Inspection pigging ............................................... 12
Pigging for general maintenance and repair .... 13
Pre-inspection cleaning ............................. 13
Isolation ...................................................... 14
Pigging during renovation/rehabilitation .......... 15
Gel pigging ................................................. 15
Applying in situ coatings ........................... 15
Chemical cleaning ...................................... 17
Scale removal ............................................. 17

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An introduction to pipeline pigging

Cleaning for product conversion ............... 18

Decommissioning ....................................... 19
Chapter 2: Designing a pipeline for pigging ...... 21
Line pipe ....................................................................... 21
Bends ................................................................... 22
Offtakes ............................................................... 23
Wye junctions ...................................................... 23
Valves ................................................................... 26
Mechanical couplings .......................................... 26
Relative position of features ............................... 27
Pig traps and pigging stations..................................... 27
Basic configuration ............................................. 27
Types of pig trap ................................................. 27
Trap dimensions .................................................. 31
Closures ............................................................... 32
Pig signallers ....................................................... 33
Handling equipment ........................................... 33
Safety ................................................................... 33
Operating conditions .................................................... 34
Pig speed .............................................................. 34
Temperature ........................................................ 35
Pressure ............................................................... 35
Chapter 3: Equipment description and uses ...... 37
Cleaning and construction utility pigs ....................... 37
Cleaning pigs ....................................................... 39
Mandrel pigs .............................................. 39
Foam pigs ................................................... 41
Solid-cast pigs ............................................ 42
Spheres ....................................................... 42
Sealing pigs ......................................................... 42
Mandrel pigs .............................................. 43
Foam pigs ................................................... 44
Solid-cast pigs ............................................ 45
Spheres ....................................................... 45
Gauging pigs ........................................................ 46
Dual-diameter pigs ............................................. 46
Industrial pigging systems ................................. 48
Specialist utility pigs .......................................... 48

An introduction to pipeline pigging

Magnetic cleaning pig ................................ 48

Pressure by-pass pig .................................. 49
Pin-wheel pig.............................................. 49
Shunting pig ............................................... 51
In-line inspection tools ................................................. 51
Metal-loss (corrosion) pigs .................................. 52
Geometry pigs ..................................................... 54
Leak detector pigs ............................................... 55
Mapping pigs ....................................................... 56
Bend-detector pigs .............................................. 57
Photographic pigs ................................................ 57
Wax-deposition measurement ............................ 58
Product-sampling pig .......................................... 58
Pig signallers, locators, and tracking systems ........... 59
Pig signalling - basic methods ............................ 60
Pig locators .......................................................... 61
Pig location and tracking services ..................... 62
Pig-trap closures ........................................................... 63
Chapter 4: Pigging a pipeline ................................ 65
Designing and running a cleaning programme .......... 65
The selection process .......................................... 65
Operational conditions........................................ 68
Selecting the pig .................................................. 71
Establishing the procedures ............................... 73
Designing and running an inspection programme .... 75
Selection criteria ................................................. 76
Pre-survey preparation ....................................... 77
Preparing the line ............................................... 77
Survey results ..................................................... 78
Pigging management ................................................... 78
Purchasing and quality assurance ..................... 78
Inspection, repair and maintenance .................. 79
General management ......................................... 79
Appendix A: definitions and terminology ................. 81
Appendix B: abbreviations and acronyms ................ 84
Appendix C: descriptions of pipeline imperfections
and conditions ..................................................... 85

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An introduction to pipeline pigging

Appendix D: some useful conversion tables ............. 89

Length .................................................................. 89
Volume ................................................................. 90
Velocity ................................................................ 90
Mass ..................................................................... 91
Weight of water ................................................... 91
Approx. weight of carbon steel ........................... 91
Pressure ............................................................... 91
Miscellaneous conversions ................................. 92
Useful formulae ................................................... 92
Appendix E: Further reading .................................... 92

An introduction to pipeline pigging

vii

Foreword

HE Pigging Products & Services Association was formed in

1990 with the following stated aims:
To promote the knowledge and practice of pipeline
pigging, and to ensure that the Members are aware
of the needs of the markets for the related products
and services, by providing a channel of
communication between the Members themselves
and the users and other interested parties.

In pursuit of these aims, PPSA has since replied to literally thousands

of requests for information, and now distributes its annual Buyers
Guide and Directory of Members to over 2000 named individuals
throughout the pipeline industry, world-wide.
One of the most common requests has been for information concerning
pigging generally. This enables even those pipeline operators who
already use pigs or pigging services to get a better idea of how they
might use them more effectively, or how they might be able to use
them for different purposes. It is hoped that this book, An Introduction
to Pipeline Pigging, will meet this need. It is anticipated that it will
be updated periodically, and PPSA would welcome any comments or
suggestions as to how it might be improved in subsequent editions.
Finally, on behalf of its Members, PPSA would like to thank you for
your interest in its activities and remind you that it has been created
to help with any aspect of pipeline pigging, so do not hesitate to
contact us if the need arises.

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An introduction to pipeline pigging

What is a pig?

IGS ARE devices which are inserted into, and travel throughout
the length of a pipeline, driven by the product flow. They fall into
two categories: utility pigs - which perform a function such as
cleaning, separating or dewatering the pipeline, and in-line inspection,
or more simply, ILI tools (sometimes referred to as intelligent pigs
or smart pigs) - which provide information on the condition of the
line as well as the extent and location of any problems.

An introduction to pipeline pigging

ix

The history of pipeline pigging

The Pigging Products & Services Association is indebted to J.Frank
Gray of Pipeline Dehydrators, Inc., for providing the following brief
history of pipeline pigging.

HE HISTORY of pipeline pigging is interesting and probably

lacking in full truth; however, the following is usually accepted
as an answer to many questions about the history of pipeline pigs.
The first pigging operation took place around the year of 1870, a few
years after Colonel Drake discovered oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
Before pipelines were used for transporting it, the oil was trucked to
the refinery by horse-drawn tank wagons. This proved to be very
difficult during winter months because of heavy snows and frozen
wagon tracks, and in wet weather when wagons would sink in the
mud. To improve upon this method of transportation, a pipeline was
constructed, the material of which is not recorded, but each length
of pipe was almost certainly joined by the bell-and-spigot method
that we see today in plastic pipe. After transporting crude oil for a
year or two through this pipeline, the flows began to decrease, and
the pumping pressure increased, indicating that there were deposits
building up on the inside walls of the pipe. Many things were tried
to remove the paraffin deposits, but nothing worked effectively for
any period of time. Eventually the idea of pumping something
through the pipeline was considered. It has been suggested that a
bundle of rags tied in a ball was used, and with positive results.
Later, bundles of leather were used in place of the rags. Leather will
swell when wet, so it created a tight seal going through the pipeline.
Another story concerning the history of pipeline pigging takes place
around 1904, when a 4-in steel gas line was installed in Montana.
During the construction, there was a rock slide which covered the
line, and it was not known whether there was a buckle or a flat spot,
so a rubber ball was made to pump through the pipeline to find out.
Upon exiting, it was determined that if there was any damage to the
pipe, it was not sufficient to restrict the flow. It was also discovered
that a lot of debris was left in the pipeline such as rocks, dirt, sand,
tools, etc. Rubber balls (spheres) have been used ever since as
displacement pigs and for meter proving.

An introduction to pipeline pigging

The question most people ask is How did a pig get its name? One
story goes that two pipeliners were told to go out to the pipeline and
listen for the pipe cleaner to go by. This pipe cleaner consisted of a
steel pipe or mandrel body with flanges welded on both ends. Discs
made of leather sheets were stacked together to provide thickness,
and attached to the flanges. As the pipe cleaner travelled down the
line pushing out debris, it made a squealing, scraping, noise. As the
cleaner went by, one pipeliner made a comment to the other about
hearing that pig squeal. These stories are generally accepted as
possibly being true.
Whether they are true or not, they at least indicate that pigs have
been around for a long time. For more than half of a century pigs
consisted of steel bodies and rubber, leather, or urethane cups or
discs. They were equipped with wire brushes, scrapers, knife blades,
and other devices for ploughing. Until 1960, most pipe cleaning was
limited to the oil and gas industry. Then the foam bullet-shaped pig
was developed; it was referred to as the Polly Pig because it was
made of polyurethane foam. Although the oil and gas industry
remains the largest user of the foam pig, many new industries such
as municipal water and sewer, processing industries, petrochemical,
mining, and other industries are now using pigs in their pipelines,
realizing gains such as energy savings, increased flows, decreased
pumping pressures, cleaner product, and salvaged product.
The lessons learned from standard pigging operations to clean,
dewater, fill, and displace product from pipelines, and the pressures,
speeds, and problems incurred, have contributed greatly to the
development of instrumented pigs. These were introduced in the late
1960s, and development is continuing to the present day.
The development and improvement of all types of pipeline pigs has
been a continuing process, and this trend is set to continue. There are
now literally hundreds of different types, some with specific or
limited use and others which are standard products. Apart from the
main functions of sweeping, drying, wiping, cleaning, scraping,
inspection, and integrity monitoring, semi-intelligent pigs now
perform additional functions such as alerting and initiating actions
involving pumps and valves, and making an input in computerized
operations, sometimes by through pipe-wall communications.

An introduction to pipeline pigging

xi

There is no doubt that the pigging industry will continue to make full
use of new technology as it emerges, in order to meet the challenges
of tomorrow.

Acknowledgements

HE PIGGING Products & Services Association would like to

acknowledge the help it has received from its Members and
others in producing this booklet. Special thanks are due to the Gas
Research Institute (GRI) in the United States for permission to
reproduce sections from the Appendices to the Topical Reports: GRI
91/0365: In-line inspection of natural gas pipelines, and GRI 91/
0367: Magnetic flux leakage technology for natural gas pipeline
inspection. Special thanks are also due to On-Stream Systems Ltd.,
and Hershel Vanzant, for permission to reproduce sections from
their pigging manual entitled All about pigging.

Important notice

HE PURPOSE of this publication is to inform the reader of

general pigging practices in modern pipeline operations. It is
not intended to be an instructional manual, but rather a
general guide to pigs and pigging practices. In general, the
practices outlined in this book will be applicable up to a point; but in
the final analysis, specific programmes will have to be tailored to
meet the specific purpose, the line conditions, and company operating
policies and procedures.

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An introduction to pipeline pigging

PPSA - Presidents and Officers

Founded 1990

1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04

President

Vice-President

C F Kershaw
G L Smith
G L Smith
P C Porter
J F Gray
J L Wright
H Fisher
M Humphrey
H Diehl
D Thomson
M Walters
M Beller
C McDonough

G L Smith
G Kopp
P C Porter
S Burchell-Davies
J L Wright
H Fisher
M Humphrey
H Diehl
D Thomson
M Walters
M Beller
C McDonough
T Sowerby

Treasurer

Executive
Secretary

Technical
Adviser

C F Kershaw
C F Kershaw
T Sowerby

J L Cordell
G D Hornby
G D Hornby

J L Cordell
J L Cordell
J Pitchford

Officers:

1991-98
1998-00
2000-04