PIGGING

PIGGING IS THE TERM USED TO

DESCRIBE THE PASSING OF A
TOOL THROUGH A PIPELINE
FROM ONE END (THE
LAUNCHER) TO THE OTHER END
(THE RECEIVER).
WHY DO WE
PIG
PIPELINES?
THERE ARE MANY REASONS
WHY WE PIG PIPELINES. HERE
ARE JUST A FEW.
• CLEANING
• GAUGING
• BATCHING
• DEFORMITY/RESTRICTION DETECTION
• METAL LOSS DETECTION
• CATHODIC PROTECTION MEASURING
(CPCM)
CLEANING
PIGS
WHY DO WE
RUN
CLEANING
PIGS?
WE RUN CLEANING PIGS THROUGH
PIPELINES IN ORDER TO REMOVE DEBRIS
FROM THE LINE. DEBRIS IN A PIPELINE CAN
OBSTRUCT THE FLOW AND SEVERELY
REDUCE ITS EFFICIENCY. DEBRIS CAN ALSO
PREVENT THE RUNNING OF INTELLIGENT
PIGS AND AFFECT THE QUALITY OF THE
DATA THAT THEY PROVIDE.
THERE ARE A LARGE VARIETY OF CLEANING PIGS
ON THE MARKET DESIGNED TO REMOVE THE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEBRIS ENCOUNTERED IN
PIPELINES. PIPELINE CLEANING MAY REQUIRE A
SPECIALIST COMPANY AS ATTEMPTING TO
CLEAN A LINE TOO AGGRESSIVELY COULD
RESULT IN THE LINE BECOMING BLOCKED.
TYPES OF
CLEANING
PIG
• FOAM PIG
• BI-DIRECTIONAL SCRAPER DISC
• BRUSH PIG
• SCRAPER ARM PIG
• PIN WHEEL PIG
• MAGNETIC PIG
BRUSH PIG (BI-DIRECTIONAL)
MAGNET PIG (BI-DIRECTIONAL)
GAUGING
PIGS
WHY DO WE
RUN
GAUGING
PIGS?
WE RUN GAUGING PIGS THROUGH PIPELINES
PRIOR TO RUNNING AN INTELLIGENT INSPECTION
TOOL. INTELLIGENT INSPECTION TOOLS HAVE A
STATED MINIMUM BORE PASSING CAPABILITY
(WITH SMOOTH TRANSITION) AND WE NEED TO
CHECK THE PIPELINE TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE
NO RESTRICTIONS WITHIN THE PIPELINE THAT
WILL IMPEDE THE PASSAGE OF THE INTELLIGENT
INSPECTION TOOL. BAKER HUGHES INTELLIGENT
INSPECTION TOOLS TYPICALLY HAVE A 25%
MINIMUM BORE PASSING CAPABILITY (WITH
SMOOTH TRANSITION).
 TYPES OF
GAUGE PIG
WE TYPICALLY EMPLOY TWO TYPES OF GAUGE
PIG;
• CONICAL CUP
• DI-DIRECTIONAL DISC
CONICAL CUP GAUGE PIG
BI-DIRECTIONAL DISC GAUGE PIG
 CALLIPER
INSPECTION
TOOLS
 WHY DO WE
RUN CALLIPER
INSPECTION
TOOLS?
SOMETIMES IT IS NECESSARY TO RUN A CALLIPER
INSPECTION TOOL THROUGH A PIPELINE TO DETECT
DEFORMITIES AND RESTRICTIONS. SOME CLIENTS
FAVOUR CALLIPER INSPECTION TOOLS OVER GAUGE
PIGS BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE A GREATER DETAIL OF
INFORMATION. SOMETIMES IT IS NECESSARY TO RUN
A CALLIPER INSPECTION TOOL AFTER THE RUNNING
OF A GAUGE PIG TO CONFIRM THE EXACT LOCATION
AND SEVERITY OF A DEFORMITY OR RESTRICTION
INDICATED BY THE GAUGE PIG. ALL BAKER HUGHES
INTELLIGENT INSPECTION TOOLS INCORPORATE
CALLIPER DATA TECHNOLOGY AS STANDARD.
INTELLIGENT
INSPECTION
TOOLS
THERE ARE GENERALLY TWO RECOGNIZED
TECHNOLOGIES EMPLOYED IN THE INTELLIGENT
PIGGING INDUSTRY FOR DETECTING METAL
LOSS IN PIPELINES.

• MAGNETIC FLUX LEAKAGE (MFL)

• ULTRASONICS
 WHY DO WE
CARRY OUT
INTELLIGENT
PIGGING
INSPECTIONS?
 BECAUSE
PREVENTION
IS BETTER
THAN CURE.
WHEN PIPELINES ARE BUILT AND LAYED THEY ARE
PROTECTED WITH EXTERNAL COATINGS AND
SOMETIMES INTERNAL COATINGS. ONCE LAYED
THEY ARE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT FURTHER
PROTECTED BY THE USE OF CATHODIC PROTECTION
AND CORROSION INHIBITOR ADDITIVES. SHOULD
ANY OF THESE PROTECTIVE BARRIERS FAIL OR
BECOME COMPROMISED THE PIPELINE WILL
BECOME SUSCEPTABLE TO THE EFFECTS OF
CORROSION. IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT THE
PIPELINES ARE INSPECTED AT REGULAR INTERVALS
TO MONITOR THEIR CONDITION AND INTEGRITY.
THE RUNNING OF INTELLIGENT INSPECTION
TOOLS CAN SOMETIMES SEEM A HINDERANCE
TO PRODUCTION BUT WHEN COMPARED TO THE
COST OF HAVING TO CLOSE DOWN THE PIPELINE
BECAUSE OF A LEAK, BOTH FINANCIALLY AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY, IT PALES INTO
INSIGNIFICANCE.
WHAT DOES
CORROSION
LOOK LIKE?
18” BADRI – MORGAN 1
18” RAMADAN 6 – RAS SHUKHIER
MFL INTELLIGENT
INSPECTION
TOOLS PROVIDE
THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION.
• PIPELINE LENGTH
• A LIST OF PIPELINE FEATURES (WELDS, TEES, VALVES,
BENDS, SUPPORTS ETC)
• METAL LOSS (DEFECT) DETECTION
• DISTANCE TO DEFECT
• DEPTH OF DEFECT (% METAL LOSS)
• LENGTH OF DEFECT
• WIDTH OF DEFECT
• ORIENTATION OF DEFECT
• LOCATION OF DEFECT (INTERNAL/EXTERNAL)
• ANY PIPE DEFORMITY
• GRID REFERENCES (WHEN USING IMU)
 CATHODIC
PROTECTION
CURRENT
MEASURING
(CPCM)
THE CPCM INSPECTION TOOL IS A RELATIVELY
NEW INNOVATION DEVELOPED BY BAKER
HUGHES TO ENABLE CUSTOMERS TO EVALUATE
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR CATHODIC
PROTECTION AND THUS REDUCE THE RISK OF
CORROSION DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR PIPELINES.
CPCM INSPECTION TOOL