Considerations In Pig Trap Design

By Duncan Warriner,
Pipeline Engineering,
North Yorkshire, UK

ig trap design choices can be vitally

important in ensuring that the operational unit is practical and safe to
use. It is useful to review what is
expected from a pig trap and the role of the
various key trap components. Pig traps provide
a means of loading and unloading pipeline
tools, including intelligent pigs, into pipelines.
They take the form of a vessel that can utilize
diverted flow for either launching or receiving.
The vessel can be isolated from the pipeline
to facilitate the loading and unloading of
pipeline tools. Because the trap when in use

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is essentially part of the pipeline,

it is important that it be capable of
withstanding the pipeline conditions
such as pressure, temperature and
the effects of the service medium
i.e., corrosion.
The trap or vessel incorporates
a number of nozzles at suitable
locations for the diversion of flow,
draining, venting and monitoring.
The diversion of flow provides
the motive force to move the tool
through the vessel neck and into
the pipeline flow. The vessel neck
is critical in that it must be of a
compatible internal diameter to the
pipeline itself.
Once it has been isolated, the vessel can be
opened in order to either load or unload a pipeline tool. The opening is at the other end of the
vessel from the neck to the pipeline connection
and is generally of a larger diameter than the
neck to provide ease of loading for launching
and an increase in bypass for receiving. This

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

Rapid opening closure.

opening can take the form of a simple flangeblind flange arrangement or a more complex
quick opening hub-door arrangement more
commonly known as a quick opening closure.
For subsea applications, the same basic
principles apply. However, the trap may
require additional protection for the valves
and pipework in the form of a shielding frame

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71

to reduce the risk of damage from fishing nets

and ships anchors.
It is beneficial for subsea traps to be either
temporary or removable to facilitate loading
and maintenance.
In addition, for unmanned or particularly
hazardous or frequent pigging operation applications it is often advantageous to consider
multiple launching capabilities. This can be
via multiple valve/mechanical methods or by
more recent AMPL-type technology.

Mechanical Design
Considerations
In the first instance we need to understand
the applicable design code. As pig traps are
pressure vessels, pressure vessel design parameters must apply. However, unlike pressure
vessels, pig traps must be capable of retaining
pressure while allowing tools to be launched
and received. It is these tools which determine
the overall trap dimensions. Certain tools such
as the metal-bodied intelligent pigs are both
heavy and long and must be considered, along
with the internal pressure requirements, when
designing supports, lifting lugs and assessing
foundation loadings.
Trap design must also satisfy applicable
codes, whether it be PD5500, EN13445,
ASME VIII (Div 1 or 2), ASME B31.4,

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B31.3, B31.8, AS2885 et al. While essentially

attached directly to the end of a pipeline as
an isolatable extension, the trap can often be
designed to a vessel code rather than a pipeline
code. This in itself can often provide a significant challenge in meeting the pipeline internal
diameter with a thicker calculated vessel wall.
In this case, we have what is called a specification break between the pipeline and trap;
in other cases the trap can be designed to the
same code as the connecting pipeline.
Whichever approach, the designer must
ensure all appropriate loadings and conditions are addressed to produce a safe working
design. Typical basic design parameters to
consider include design code, design pressure,
design temperature, materials, external loadings and cyclic requirements. It is useful to run
through each of these parameters.
Design Code. This can be any of the
national or international standards and either a
specific pressure vessel code or pipeline code.
However, we should ask ourselves what a code
is for. A code is a statement of the minimum
requirements needed to protect the community. Community is generally interpreted to
include the users of the equipment, the general
public and the wider environment.
A code is not a complete guide to design. A
design can meet the requirements of a code and

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

still be a bad design for several reasons. It may be

costly, dangerous, wasteful, etc. Codes have an
important role in securing minimum standards
for protection of the community, but should not
be forced into roles they were not intended.
Pressure. This can be client-specific
or based upon the ASME/ANSI Pressure/
Temperature Class tables. The design pressure
should never be less than that of the pipeline.
Temperature. The design would take
account of the maximum design temperature,
but also the minimum design temperature in
terms of material selection.
Materials. Often specified by the client,
however, where possible it is better to allow
the trap manufacturer to select materials that
are compatible with the pipeline materials and
meet the design specification requirements.
This approach ensures that the most suitable,
cost-effective and readily available materials
that fully meet the design requirements are
selected. It is important that the line product is
specified and whether it is sour, toxic or corrosive. This will influence the selection of not
only the metallic elements, but also the elastomeric materials, which typically constitute
the closure-sealing element. All components
in sour service should be specified to meet
the requirements of NACE MR 01 75 for sour
service and where the product is very sour, con-

sideration should be given to specifying that the

materials should be HIC/SSCC-tested. Finally,
any material must be compatible with its mating
material in respect of weld ability, wall thickness, chemical and mechanical properties.
External loadings. These loads consist of
those imposed by attaching pipework acting
upon nozzles. In addition, external pressure
due to water depth in a subsea application
could fall into this category.
Cyclical requirements. Should the unit be
subject to frequent pigging operations, this
may in turn create sufficient cyclical loading
to warrant fatigue analysis. In addition, we
need to consider support loads, wind, blast
and seismic loadings, loads induced during
transportation of the units and any subsequent
lifting lug requirements.

Process Design
Considerations
As specialist pigging designers we look at
the requirements from several angles. In addition to an examination of pipeline configurations, pressures and diameters, the product and
its temperature and flow rates, we will seek to
define precisely what the systems have to do.
Will the tool(s) travel in one direction only,
forward or backward, or is two-way motion
needed? Other questions include: Is propul-

74

sion liquid, gas or both? Will the tool(s) be

used for cleaning, stabilization, separation or a
combination thereof? How frequently will the
tool have to travel and how far? What is the
performance of the line-pumping systems?
Often it is necessary to consider the suitability of industry norms to specific applications,
particularly with regard to such parameters
as nozzle sizing. Industry norms for nozzle
sizing do not always consider the practical
issues associated with the service medium.
For instance, the number and size of drain
nozzles will differ for a dry gas medium as
compared to a waxy crude medium. In the case
of waxy crude it may be necessary to consider
larger drain nozzles located at the closure and
reducer end of the major barrel.
The pigging philosophy itself may also have
an impact on the nozzle size. For instance,
when receiving, if the pig is not stopped at the
bypass barred tee and brought into the vessel
at a lower velocity than that of the medium
(with partial bypass via the line barred tee), the
bypass line may not be of sufficient diameter
to carry the flow. In this case, the bypass size
may need to be increased.
Many questions have to be considered before
a design solution begins to emerge. A thorough
analysis is essential to design traps capable of
absorbing all the necessary forces and loadings.

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

Practical Design
Considerations
In addition to mechanical and process considerations, the trap designer must consider
practical issues such as location, layout, environment and logistics.

Trap Components
The basic trap components are barrel,
reducer, neck pipe, branch nozzles, kicker,
drain, vent, blowdown, balance line, pressurizing line, thermal relief valve, pressure
indicator (pressure gauge), supports, lifting
lugs, earthing (grounding) lugs, end closure
and pig signaller.
Barrel. This is the major section of the
trap and the means by which the loading and
unloading of pigs can be carried out with comparative ease and safety. It is usually equipped
with an opening closure at one end while its
other end is welded to a reducer. For conventional pigging its diameter is usually a nominal
50 mm above the line size, while for intelligenttype pigs it is recommended that it be at least a
nominal 100 mm above the line-pipe diameter.
The barrel length is dependent upon the operating procedures, service, type of pigs, available
space, etc., but in general for launchers deploying conventional pigs - 2 x pig length, while for
receivers - 3/3.5 x pig length.

When deploying intelligent-type pigs, the

barrel length should be decided only after
consultation with the pig manufacturer.
Reducer. This is welded at its larger diameter to the other end of the barrel, and can be
eccentric or concentric. Generally, horizontal
units use eccentric on launchers, concentric
on receivers. Vertical units use concentric
throughout.
Neck Pipe. This is the minor diameter section of the pig trap and is welded at one end
to the smaller diameter of the reducer and
terminates in either a butt weld end preparation or flange at its other end. Dimensionally
it is usually very short - one pig length + 10%,
however, in the case of intelligent pig receivers
it could be as long as four meters.
Branch Nozzles. On the simplest of traps
there can be as few as four nozzles - kicker, vent,
drain and pressure indicator. On more complex
traps, additional nozzles are incorporated for,
blowdown, balance, equalizing, pressurizing
and thermal relief valves. Other nozzles may be
fitted in accordance with the clients specific
requirements, but consideration should be given
to the design requirements regarding proximity of welds etc. Running through the various
nozzles, the size and positions are generally in
accordance with the following.
Kicker. This nozzle is situated on the barrel

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at the closure end in the case of launchers, and

near the reducer end in the case of receivers.
In the case of universal (bi-directional) traps,
a single connection midway along the barrel
or twin connections, one in the launch position
and one in the receive position, can be fitted.
Kicker connections should not be positioned at
the 6 oclock position; historically, this position causes damage to the pigs.
Drain. This nozzle should be situated near
the closure end for horizontal traps and near
the neck flange on vertical launchers. For
receivers, a drain point near the barrel reducer
is recommended, or alternatively on the neck
pipe near the end flange. For receivers which
are sloped for spheres, two drain points should
ideally be specified and located together
near the closure end, but separated by half a
sphere diameter, this prevents the drains being
blocked by the spheres. Size of drain connections should be not less than two inches for
traps up to 14 inches line size and four inches
for traps above that.
Vent. This nozzle should be situated near
the closure end or highest point; a further connection may be considered near the trap neck
end flange to ensure depressurization behind
the pig in case it becomes stuck in the neck
pipe. Size of vent connections should not be
less than 1/2 inches ns.

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

Blowdown. On high-pressure gas systems

consideration should be given to the provision
of a blowdown line, incorporating a globe
valve or restriction orifice, for controlled
depressurization. Size should not exceed two
inches ns.
Balance line. This can be provided on
launchers to enable filling and pressurization of the barrel on both sides of the pig at
the same time. This is to prevent a pig which is
ready to be launched from moving forward and
thereby hitting and possibly causing damage
to the trap valve, or backwards and losing the
seal in the reducer. Consideration should also
be given to the provision of a balance line on
the receiver to prevent any possible pressure
differential across a receiving pig. Size should
be in the region of two inches ns.
Pressurizing line. This may be required
around kicker valves for several reasons speed of operation, control of barrel - pressurization and/or damage to the kicker valve seats
or other internals. Similarly, a pressurizing line
around bypass valves should also be considered, for equalizing possible high-differential
pressures. Size should be smaller than the
balancing line connection.
Thermal relief valve. This can be provided
at locations where it is anticipated shut-in or
trapped fluid could exceed the design pres-

sure. Size would be as dictated by design

conditions.
Pressure indicator. This should be fitted toward the closure end and visible to the
operator, may be incorporated with the vent
connection. Size should be in the region of 1/2
inch to one inch, threaded, with four inches or
six inches dial size.
Supports. Required to permanently support
and restrain the pig trap, supports should be
designed to carry the weight of the pig trap system
filled with water (or other fluid if their density is
greater), together with the weight of the associated
heaviest pig. Supports under the barrel should
normally be of the sliding type to compensate for
expansion of the unrestrained part of the pipeline.
Other supports may be fixed if design calculations
indicate that sufficient flexibility is incorporated
in the pipework to compensate for any axial and
transverse movements.
Lifting lugs. These are required to facilitate
lifting of the complete trap during the installation stage.
Grounding lugs. These are required to
reduce the build-up of static electricity. Static
is a seriously under-estimated yet ever-present
hazard. Being invisible to the naked eye, it tends
to be ignored. Yet, an undischarged build-up of
electrostatic can take hours, even days, to relax
back into equilibrium, resulting in a potentially

lethal workplace. If the accumulated static is

suddenly discharged within a hazardous atmosphere, the resulting spark may easily act as the
ignition source for an explosion.
End closure. This can be as simple as a
flange and blind, but is more commonly found
in the form of a quick opening door, an assembly which provides a quick, easy and safe
access to the barrel when open and seals the
bore when closed. The closure should be fitted

at a minimum with a safety bleeder device,

forming part of the door-locking mechanism,
to safeguard personnel before and during door
opening. An interlocking system between the
various valves and the closure may be considered as an additional feature.
Pig signaller. This is also known as a pig
detector, a device set on or into the pipeline
which indicates the momentary presence of a
pig at a precise location. Signallers should be

Rapid End Closure

Pig signaller-set, left, and pig signallertripped, right.

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77

installed on both sides of the trap valve. For

launchers, it should be positioned on the main
pipeline at a distance from the trap valve of at
least the length of the longest pig anticipated.
For receivers, it should be positioned on the trap
neck pipe at a distance from the trap valve, again,
equal to the anticipated longest pig length.

Generic Types
A pig trap can take a number of forms but
generally falls into the generic types such as bidirectional, vertical launcher, vertical receiver,
horizontal launcher, and horizontal receiver.

Innovations
Clearly at the forefront of any design considerations is the issue of health, safety and environment. Any reduction in manual intervention
or potential environmental risks is advantageous and we should look to achieve this where
possible for very frequent pigging operations or
those in very remote/hazardous locations. This
reduction in the number of times the vessel
needs to be opened can be achieved by the use
of multiple launching/receiving capabilities.
There are four main systems available:
Valve type Pig Launcher.
Vertical Multiple Pig Launcher.
Automatic Sphere Launcher.
Automatic Multiple Pig Launching (AMPL).

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Pig launcher

Valve Type Multiple Pig Launcher. The

trap is fitted with a set of launch valves for
each pig in the launcher. This allows line pressure to be directed behind each pig in turn and

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

launched individually as required. Although

a very reliable system, the additional valve
requirement adds considerable cost to the system, especially when fitted to a large-diameter

pipeline, due to the high cost of the large

valves required for the multiple kicker lines.
This system is used predominantly in
subsea applications with either a diver or
ROV operating the valves as required, or
the valves are fitted with remotely operated
actuators which adds to the overall cost. It
is also retrofitted to existing installation pig
launchers if an automatic launching requirement is later identified.

Multiple Pig Launcher

80

Vertical Multiple Pig Launcher. This system is based around the space-saving solution
of a vertical pig launcher used on many
offshore installations. It is basically an
extended standard launcher, but with the
addition of hydraulically operated launch
pins that protrude into the oversize barrel
of the launcher. The f irst pig is loaded into
the throat of the launcher, and then the f irst
or lowest launch pin is extended. Another
pig is then loaded
that is held
up by the launch
pin.
Subsequent
pins and pigs are
then inserted until
the traps capacity
is reached.
The f irst pig
is launched in the
normal way. When
another pigging run
is required, the lowest launch pin is
retracted, and the pig
above it falls into the
throat of the launch-

Pipeline & Gas Journal / August 2008 / www.pgjonline.com

er. This pig is then launched. Subsequent

pins are then retracted as and when further
pigging runs are required.
As mentioned earlier, this is a very
reliable multiple pig launching system.
However, the initial cost outlay can be
quite high due to the launch pins and the
hydraulics required to operate them. Extra
maintenance is needed to ensure the launch
pins operate correctly. They also require
regular inspections to ensure they have not
become bent due to excessive forces.
Automatic Sphere Launcher. Although
not strictly a pig launcher by definition, the
principles are the same. Spheres are regularly
used when large numbers of cleaning runs are
required, but the efficiency is not critical, usually where the removal of unwanted fluids is
the primary cleaning requirement.
Automatic sphere launchers operate similarly
to the Vertical Multiple Pig Launcher, utilizing
launch pins, but with the trap on a slight decline
from the horizontal. Spheres are loaded with the
front pin extended and the rear pin retracted.
When a launch is required, the rear pin extends,
holding back the remaining spheres. The front
pin retracts, allowing the lead sphere to roll

Sphere Launcher

Pipeline Engineering to meet the

need for a multiple pig-launching system that can be retrofitted to existing
launcher facilities without the need
for costly trap modifications.
The system operates in a similar way to standard pigging equipment. The pigs are either preloaded into a specially designed
cassette, which is then inserted
into the standard trap, or they are
loaded into the trap in which the
cassette has already been fitted.
The number of pigs in the cassette is pre-determined by the
length of the trap.

Inspection
into the pipeline. When the downstream signaller indicates the sphere has been successfully
launched, the front pin extends, the rear pin
retracts, the remaining spheres roll forward and
the system resets itself for the next launch.
Although widely used, this system is predominantly used for fluid removal and not for
physical line cleaning due to the sphere only
having one sealing face, and therefore a tendency to ride over solid residue in the pipe.
Automatic Multiple Pig Launching System
(AMPL). This system has been developed by

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Having made all the necessary considerations during the design phase and ensured

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compliance by manufacturing inspection, it

is important to inspect and maintain the units
during operation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
This article is based on a presentation at the 20th
international Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management
Conference sponsored by Clarion Technical Conferences,
Feb. 13-14, 2008, in Houston, TX.

Author: Duncan Warriner is general manager of metal products at Pipeline Engineering

in the UK. He is a Chartered Mechanical
Engineer with 19 years of experience dealing
with the mechanical requirements and materials used in the oil and gas, construction and
service industries, with specialist knowledge
in pipework and pressure vessel design, fabrication and material selection.

Automatic Multiple Pig Launcher