Maintenance Pigging of Pipelines

Pipelines are the lifelines of energy transport, carrying natural resources over long distances. Like any transit system, they require regular upkeep to function effectively. This is where pipeline pigs come into play. Pigs are maintenance tools sent through pipelines to perform various tasks, from cleaning and inspection to repair.

Utility pipe pigs

Utility Pigs are commonly used for cleaning and product separation. Based on the utility or the purpose of the pig tool, these are classified into ‘cleaning pig tools’ used for cleaning and ‘sealing or separation pig tool’ used for separation between two products.

• Cleaning pigs are used to remove solid deposits, semi-solid deposits and debris. They are typically made of a soft material, such as foam, that can scrape against the walls of the pipeline and remove any dirt, scale, or other buildup. Cleaning pigs are typically used on a regular basis to keep pipelines running smoothly and efficiently.

Based on the pig structure, utility pig tools are further classified as, ‘foam pigs’, ‘mandrel pigs’ and ‘spherical pigs’.

Foam pigs are made out of polymer foam in capsuled shape. They are typically used in conjunction with cleaning pigs to remove any debris that the cleaning pig might have missed. Foam pigs are also used to dewater pipelines and to dry pipelines after they have been cleaned.

Mandrel pigs with Different kinds of components can be attached to this mandrel to customize the pig tool to suit different operations. For example, a mandrel pig might be used to carry a corrosion inhibitor through a pipeline.

Other pigs are available based on the approved cleaning procedure, cleaning stages and project’s requirement.

Asset Globe has the experienced team who could supervise and manage effectively any project scale based on client specification.