NATURAL GAS

SPECIAL
PROBLEMS
 Introduction

Special Problems There are some problems in natural gas

production operations that need to be paid special
attentions. One of them is liquid loading of gas
Introduction
production wells, which reduces deliverability of
Liquid Loading on Gas gas wells.
Wells Blockage of gas hydrates of pipelines and equipment
 Turner’s Method is another problem that reduces pipeline efficiency
and affects normal operations of gas-processing
 Guo’s Method
facilities.
Solution to the Liquid Yet cleaning pipelines during operation presents a
Loading Problem challenging task for engineers in gas-production
operations.
 Liquid Loading on Gas Wells

Special Problems High-pressure gas wells produce gas

carrying liquid water and/or condensate in
Introduction the form of mist. As the gas flow velocity in
the well drops owing to the reservoir
Liquid Loading on Gas
Wells pressure depletion, the carrying capacity of
 Turner’s Method
the gas decreases.
 Guo’s Method

Solution to the Liquid

Loading Problem
  When the gas velocity drops to a critical
level, liquids begin to accumulate in the
Special Problems well and the well flow can undergo
Introduction annular flow regime followed by a slug
Liquid Loading on Gas
flow regime.
Wells  The accumulation of liquids (liquid
 Turner’s Method loading) increases bottom hole pressure
 Guo’s Method that reduces gas production rate. Low gas
Solution to the Liquid production rate will cause gas velocity to
Loading Problem drop further. Eventually the well will
undergo bubbly flow regime and cease
producing.
Special Problems

Introduction

Liquid Loading on Gas

Wells
 Turner’s Method

 Guo’s Method

Solution to the Liquid

Loading Problem
 Accurate prediction of the problem is vitally
important for taking timely measures to solve the
Special Problems
problem. Previous investigators have suggested
several methods to predict the problem.
Introduction

Liquid Loading on Gas Turner's Method

Wells
 Turner’s Method
The method presented by Turner, Hubbard, and
 Guo’s Method Dukler (1969) is referred to as Turner's method.
Solution to the Liquid
They are the pioneer investigators who analyzed
Loading Problem and predicted the minimum gas flow rate capable of
removing liquids from the gas production wells.
 They presented two mathematical models to
describe the liquid loading problem: the film
movement model and entrained drop movement
Special Problems model.
o Film movement model
o Entrained drop movement model
Introduction

Liquid Loading on Gas

Wells On the basis of analysis on field data they had,
they concluded that the film movement model does
 Turner’s Method
not represent the controlling liquid transport
 Guo’s Method mechanism.
Solution to the Liquid
Loading Problem Turner’s entrained drop movement model was
derived on the basis of the terminal free settling
velocity of liquid drops and the maximum drop
diameter corresponding to the critical Weber number
of 30.
 According to Turner et al. (1969), gas will
continuously remove liquids from the well until its
velocity drops to below the terminal velocity.
Special Problems
Turner et al. believed that the discrepancy was
Introduction attributed to several facts including the use of drag
coefficients for solid spheres, the assumption of
Liquid Loading on Gas
Wells stagnation velocity, and the critical Weber number
established for drops falling in air, not in
 Turner’s Method
compressed gas.
 Guo’s Method

Solution to the Liquid The main problem that hinders the application
Loading Problem of Turner et al.'s entrained drop model to gas wells
comes from the difficulties of estimating the values
of gas density and pressure.
 Guo's Method

Special Problems Guo's method refers to the method presented by

Guo, Ghalambor, and Xu (2005a) Starting from
Turner et al.'s entrained drop model, Guo et al.
Introduction (2005a) determined the minimum kinetic energy of
Liquid Loading on Gas gas that is required to lift liquids. A four-phase (gas,
Wells oil, water, and solid particles) mist-flow model was
 Turner’s Method developed.
 Guo’s Method
Applying the minimum kinetic energy criteria
to the four-phase flow model resulted in a closed
Solution to the Liquid form analytical equation for predicting the
Loading Problem
minimum gas flow rate. Through case studies Guo
et al. (2005a) demonstrated that Guo's method is
more conservative and accurate.
 The gas kinetic energy has been used in the well
drilling industry to determine the minimum
required gas flow rate for effectively transporting
Special Problems drill cuttings in boreholes (Guo and Ghalambor
2002).
Introduction
In gas wells producing water, typical values for
Liquid Loading on Gas
Wells water/gas interfacial tension and water density are
60 dynes/cm and 65 lbm/ft³, respectively. This yields
 Turner’s Method
the minimum kinetic energy value of 2.5 lbf-ft/ft³.
 Guo’s Method In gas wells producing condensate, typical values
Solution to the Liquid for condensate/gas interfacial tension and
Loading Problem condensate density are 20 dynes/cm and 45 lbm/ft ,
respectively. This yields the minimum kinetic energy
value of 1.2 lbf-ft/ft³.
 Solution to the Liquid Loading Problem
Several measures can be taken to reduce the
Special Problems liquid loading problem in gas production wells.
Foaming the liquid water can enable the gas to lift
water from the well. Using smaller tubing or
Introduction
creating a lower wellhead pressure sometimes can
Liquid Loading on Gas keep mist flow longer.
Wells
 Turner’s Method
The loaded gas wells can be unloaded by gas-
 Guo’s Method lifting or pumping the liquids out of the wellbore.
Solution to the Liquid
Heating the wellbore can prevent condensation.
Loading Problem Down hole injection of water into an underlying
disposal zone is another option. Lea and Nickens
(2004) give a detailed description of solving the
liquid-loading problem.
HYDRATE CONTROL
 Hydrate Control

Hydrate Control Hydrates are crystalline structures which are

formed under certain conditions in natural gas that
Hydrate – Forming
contains water. Hydrates appear ice like and this
Conditions solid form is capable of blocking the pathway in
flow lines and other related gas handling
Preventing Hydrate
Formations equipment. In order to avoid hazardous situations,
hydrate formation has to be prevented.
Hydrate Inhibition

- Glycol Inhibition
Natural gas hydrates are solid crystalline
- Methanol Inhibition compounds formed by the chemical combination of
natural gas and water under pressure at
temperatures considerably above the freezing point
of water.
 The hydrate temperature would be less than or
Hydrate Control equal to the dew point temperature of the hydrate
forming gas.
Hydrate – Forming
Conditions For hydrate formation 3 main factors are of
Preventing Hydrate importance:
Formations

Hydrate Inhibition o Gas composition & water content

o Gas operating pressure
- Glycol Inhibition
o Gas operating temperature
- Methanol Inhibition
Hydrate Control
Hydrate – Forming Conditions
Hydrate – Forming
A hydrate-forming condition depends on the
Conditions composition of natural gas.
Preventing Hydrate
Formations Hydrate formation can be avoided by
Hydrate Inhibition manipulating one of these three factors, so that
formation of hydrates is no longer possible due to
- Glycol Inhibition
thermo-dynamical reasons. This is referred to as
- Methanol Inhibition thermo-dynamic inhibition.
 It is convenient to divide hydrate formation into two
categories:
Hydrate Control
a. hydrate formation due to a decrease in
temperature with no sudden pressure drop, such
Hydrate – Forming
as in the flow string or pipelines, and
Conditions b. hydrate formation where a sudden expansions
occurs, such as in the flow provers, orifices, back-
Preventing Hydrate
Formations pressure regulators, or chokes.
Hydrate Inhibition
Keeping in mind that the presence of H2S and CO2
- Glycol Inhibition will increase the hydrate temperature and reduce the
- Methanol Inhibition pressure above which hydrates will form. In other
words, the presence of H2S and CO2 increases the
possibility of hydrate formation. A number of
computer packages are available in the natural gas
industry for prediction of hydrate-forming conditions.
Hydrate Control
Hydrates can occur when light hydrocarbons
Hydrate – Forming
and water are present at thermodynamically
Conditions favorable pressure and temperature. In offshore
Preventing Hydrate
production systems, they typically are seen in
Formations long flowlines, but also can appear anywhere
Hydrate Inhibition in the system where gas and water are present
under high pressure and low temperature.
- Glycol Inhibition

- Methanol Inhibition
 Preventing Hydrate Formation
Hydrate Control

Hydrate formation can be prevented by heating

Hydrate – Forming if the pressure and water content of the gas remain
Conditions
constant.
Preventing Hydrate
Formations
Preventing the formation of larger
Hydrate Inhibition particles/crystalline solids by means of kinetic
- Glycol Inhibition inhibition.
- Methanol Inhibition
 Prevent Hydrate Formation in Oil & Gas Pipelines

Hydrate Control

Hydrate – Forming
Conditions

Preventing Hydrate
Formations

Hydrate Inhibition
Gas hydrates are crystalline ice-like solids formed from
- Glycol Inhibition
water and a range of lower molecular weight molecules,
- Methanol Inhibition typically methane, ethane, propane, hydrogen sulphide
and carbon dioxide. The structures of the crystals fall into
the class of clathrates with the water molecules forming a
hydrogen-bonded cage-like structure which is stabilized
by ‘guest’ molecules located within the lattice.
 There are three known hydrate structures referred to as structures
I, II and H:

Hydrate Control Structure I hydrates: contain 46 water molecules per 8 gas

molecules giving a hydrate number of 5.75. The water molecules
form two small dodecahedral voids and six large tetradecahedral
voids. The sizes of the voids are relatively small meaning that the
Hydrate – Forming guest molecules are restricted in size to essentially methane and
Conditions ethane.
Preventing Hydrate
Structure II hydrates: contain 136 water molecules per 24 gas
Formations
molecules giving a hydrate number of 5.67. The water molecules
Hydrate Inhibition form 16 small dodecahedral voids and 8 large hexakaidecahedral
voids. The larger voids are able to accommodate molecules
- Glycol Inhibition including propane, isobutane, cyclopentane, benzene and others.
- Methanol Inhibition
Structure H hydrates:were discovered recently and contain 34
water molecules for every 6 gas molecules giving a hydrate
number of 5.67. The structure has three cavity sizes with the
largest cav able to accommodate larger molecules than both sI
and sII. Once again, stability is only possible in the presence of
smaller ‘help’ molecules such as methane and nitrogen.
 FACTORS GOVERNING HYDRATE FORMATION: 
For stable hydrate crystals to form in oil and gas
production systems, four essential elements must be
Hydrate Control
present:

Hydrate – Forming 1- Supply of hydrate forming guest molecules like

Conditions N2, CO2, H2S, CH4, C2H8, and other Hydrocarbon
Preventing Hydrate molecules
Formations

Hydrate Inhibition 2- Water

- Glycol Inhibition

- Methanol Inhibition 3- Low Temperature

4- High Pressure.
  Hydrate Inhibition
Ethylene glycol and methanol are the two
chemicals used for hydrate inhibition,
Hydrate Control
Methanol is the most common chemicals being used
due to cost. Treatment concentrations depend on the
Hydrate – Forming specific thermodynamic situation but usually range
Conditions between 5 – 15 gallons per million cubic feet of
Preventing Hydrate produced gas for either methanol or ethylene glycol.
Formations The volume of ethylene glycol required for an
Hydrate Inhibition
equivalent level of protection is less than ½ that
required for methanol.
- Glycol Inhibition
Risks from hydrates are one of the main reasons gas
- Methanol Inhibition wells are usually shut in at the onset of significant
water production. About 50% of the methanol used
for hydrate inhibition will stay in the discharged
water stream; the rest vaporizes into the gas.
Hydrate Control

Essentially all of the ethylene glycol will stay

Hydrate – Forming with the produced water waste stream. However,
Conditions
when ethylene glycol is used, glycol recovery
Preventing Hydrate equipment is used due to the cost of ethylene glycol.
Formations Most of the glycol is recovered prior to discharge.
Hydrate Inhibition The exact amounts remaining may vary.
- Glycol Inhibition

- Methanol Inhibition
Hydrate Control
Methanol, Ethylene Glycol (EG), and Diethylene
Glycol (DEG) are commonly injected into gas
Hydrate – Forming streams to depress the freezing point. All of these
Conditions inhibitors can be recovered and recycled; however,
Preventing Hydrate the recovery of methanol is often uneconomical.
Formations Hydrate inhibitor injection does not always provide
Hydrate Inhibition the ultimate degree of dehydration specified by the
purchaser or required by the process conditions.
- Glycol Inhibition

- Methanol Inhibition
Hydrate Control
Glycol Inhibition
Hydrate – Forming
The EG and DEG are injected primarily at low-
Conditions temperature processing plants for extracting
natural gas liquids. The glycol prevents freezing in
Preventing Hydrate
Formations these plants during the condensation of water and
hydrocarbons. The water phase of the process liquid
Hydrate Inhibition
contains the EG or DEG, which is always recovered
- Glycol Inhibition and regenerated.
- Methanol Inhibition
Hydrate Control MEG (MONOETHYLENE GLYCOL)

Monoethylene glycol (Ethylene glycol) is a

Hydrate – Forming colorless, virtually odorless and slightly viscous
Conditions
liquid. It is miscible with water, alcohols, aldehydes
Preventing Hydrate and many organic compounds. MEG will not
Formations dissolve rubber, cellulose acetate or heavy vegetable
Hydrate Inhibition and petroleum oils. MEG has a low volatility and it
- Glycol Inhibition
is 50% more hygroscopic than glycerol at room
temperature.
- Methanol Inhibition
 HAZARDS AND SAFETY

Hydrate Control  MEG is not considered to be a health hazard

when handled under normal industry conditions. It
has a relatively low degree of acute and chronic oral
Hydrate – Forming toxicity and the average fatal dose is 100 ml for
Conditions adults. It is only slightly irritating to the eyes and
Preventing Hydrate skin.
Formations  
Hydrate Inhibition APPLICATIONS
- Glycol Inhibition  
- Methanol Inhibition
MEG is mainly used in the production of
polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
antifreeze solutions. It is an important dehydrating
agent, good humectant and an industrial solvent.
 Methanol Inhibition
Hydrate Control
Methanol injection systems are frequently
Hydrate – Forming installed at facilities where low gas volumes
Conditions prohibit dehydration. They are also temporarily
Preventing Hydrate used for situations where hydrate inhibition
Formations requires high capital investment equipment
- Glycol Inhibition before a decision regarding a permanent
- Methanol Inhibition facility is made. These systems have been
utilized in fields where hydrate problems are
relatively mild, infrequent, seasonal, or
expected during start-up.
 Pipeline Cleaning
3D ANIMATION CDP LAUNCHING & RECEIVING. FLV

PIPELINE PIG LAUNCHER (AMPL).FLV

P I P E W A Y . F LV
 Pipeline Cleaning

Pipeline Cleaning Gas pipelines are cleaned with tools called pigs.
The term pig was originally used to refer to Go-
Devil scrapers driven through the pipeline by the
Pigging System flowing fluid trailing spring-loaded rakes to scrape
Selection of Pigs wax off the internal walls. One of the tales about the
origin of the name pig is that the rakes made a
Major Application
characteristic loud squealing noise. Pipeline
Pigging Procedure operators now use the word pig to describe any
device made to pass through a pipeline for cleaning
and other purposes. The process of driving the pig
through a pipeline by fluid is called a pigging
operation.
Pipeline Cleaning
There are generally three main reasons for
cleaning an active pipeline. They consist of:
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs 1. improving the line flow efficiency,

Major Application 2. improve or insure good data on inspection tool
runs, and
Pigging Procedure
3. to improve the results of chemical programs to
increase the lifetime of the pipeline.
Pipeline Cleaning Every day there is a considerable amount of
time and money spent on making mechanical
pigging runs in pipelines, typically they are run for
Pigging System more than one reason:
Selection of Pigs
- Cleaning the internal pipe wall surface;
Major Application
- Removing free solids and debris;
Pigging Procedure
- Gathering data about the integrity;
- Applying some sort of chemistry to the inside
surface of the pipeline.
Pipeline Cleaning By adding special fluids to this process, the
effectiveness of these runs can be enhanced:

Pigging System - improving flow conditions;

Selection of Pigs - reducing differential pressures;
Major Application - removing more solids per run (more solids than
50 pig runs would achieve);
Pigging Procedure
- reducing the risk of pigs getting stuck;
- optimizing chemical inhibition programs.
 Pigging System

Pipeline Cleaning A pigging system includes pigs, a launcher, and

a receiver. It also includes pumps and compressors,.
Obviously pigs are the most essential equipment.
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs Although each pipeline has its own set of

Major Application characteristics that affects how and why pigging is
utilized, there are basically three reasons to pig a
Pigging Procedure
pipeline: (1) to batch or separate dissimilar
products; (2) to displace undesirable materials; and
(3) to perform internal inspections.
 The pigs used to accomplish these tasks fall into
three categories:
Pipeline Cleaning
 Utility pigs: used to perform functions such as
Pigging System cleaning, separating, or dewatering
Selection of Pigs  In-line inspection tools: provide information
on the condition of the line, as well as the
Major Application
extent and location of any problems
Pigging Procedure  Gel pigs: used in conjunction with
conventional pigs to optimize pipeline
dewatering, cleaning, and drying tasks
 Utility Pigs

Pipeline Cleaning Utility pigs can be divided into two groups based
upon their fundamental purpose:
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs
(1) Cleaning pigs used to remove solid or semisolid
deposits or debris from the pipeline, and
Major Application

Pigging Procedure (2) Sealing pigs used to provide a good seal in

order to either sweep liquids from the line, or
provide an interface between two dissimilar
products within the pipeline.
 In-Line Inspection Tools

Pipeline Cleaning In-line inspection tools are used to carry out various
types of tasks
Pigging System including:
Selection of Pigs
 measuring pipe diameter/geometry
Major Application
 monitoring pipeline curvature
Pigging Procedure  determining pipeline profile
 recording temperature/pressure
 measuring bend
 detecting metal-loss/corrosion
 performing photographic inspection
 detecting cracks
  measuring wax deposition
Pipeline Cleaning
 detecting leaks
 taking product samples
Pigging System  Mapping
Selection of Pigs

Major Application A typical in-line inspection tool is an ultrasonic tool.

Pigging Procedure Ultrasonic in-line inspection tools are used for
measuring metal loss and detecting crack of
pipelines.
Pipeline Cleaning

Pigging System

Selection of Pigs

Major Application

Pigging Procedure
 Gel Pigs

Pipeline Cleaning Gel pigs have been developed for use in pipeline
operations, either during initial commissioning, or
as part of a continuing maintenance program. The
Pigging System principle pipeline applications for gel pigs are as
Selection of Pigs follows:
 product separation
Major Application
 debris removal
Pigging Procedure
 line filling/hydrotesting
 dewatering and drying
 condensate removal from gas lines
 inhibitor and biocide laydown
 special chemical treatment
 removal of stuck pigs
Pipeline Cleaning
Selection of Pigs
Pigging System
The purpose of operational pigging is to obtain
Selection of Pigs and maintain efficiency of the pipeline to be pigged.
Major Application The pipeline's efficiency depends on two things:
first, it must operate continuously, and second, the
Pigging Procedure
required throughput must be obtained at the lowest
operating cost.
 The type of pig to be used and its optimum
configuration for a particular task in a particular
pipeline should be determined based upon several
Pipeline Cleaning criteria including:
Purpose of pigging
Pigging System  type, location, and volume of the substance to be
removed or displaced
Selection of Pigs
 type of information to be gathered from an
Major Application
intelligent pig run
Pigging Procedure  objectives and goals for the pig run
Line contents
 contents of the line while pigging
 available versus required driving pressure
 velocity of the pig
Pipeline Cleaning

Characteristics of the pipeline

Pigging System  the minimum and maximum internal line sizes
Selection of Pigs  the maximum distance the pig must travel
Major Application  the minimum bend radius and bend angles

Pigging Procedure  additional features such as valve types, branch

connections, and the elevation profile
 Types of Pigs
Pipeline Cleaning

1. Cleaning Pigs
Pigging System
2. Gauging Pigs
Selection of Pigs 3. Caliper Pigs
Major Application 4. Displacement Pigs
Pigging Procedure 5. Profile Pigs
6. Transmitter Pigs
7. Special Pigs
Pipeline Cleaning

Pigging System
1. Cleaning Pigs
Selection of Pigs Cleaning pigs are designed to remove solids or
Major Application
accumulated debris in the pipeline. This increases
the efficiency and lowers the operating cost. They
Pigging Procedure have wire brushes to scrape the walls of the pipe to
remove the solids.
 General characteristics of cleaning pigs:

Pipeline Cleaning The design of the wiping or sealing surface of the

cleaning pig will have an effect on how efficiently it
will be able to remove or carry debris down the
Pigging System
pipeline. The properties that have an effect on the
Selection of Pigs cleaning efficiency, which work in conjunction with
Major Application
each other, are:

Pigging Procedure
 Diameter of the material
 Hardness or type material
 Thickness of the material
 Shape of the contact edge
 Velocity of the pig
 Shape and style of brush
Pipeline Cleaning
to get into deep narrow pits to clean them out as
they restricted by the adjacent bristles that hold the
Pigging System whole brush out.
Selection of Pigs
 How brushes are mounted
Major Application
 Size of brush bristles
Pigging Procedure
 Stiffness of material in brush versus material to
be removed
 There are a number of problems encountered while
cleaning a pipeline that the pigs are not able to do
Pipeline Cleaning
that cleaning solutions can be designed for. They
include:
Pigging System
 Penetrating solids
Selection of Pigs
 Suspending large volumes of solids in fluid
Major Application
columns
Pigging Procedure  Getting deep into the pits
 Coat solids to keep them from sticking to each
other
 Brings solids out in a slurry
 2. Gauging Pigs

Pipeline Cleaning Gauging pigs are used after constructing the

pipeline to determine if there are any obstructions
in the pipeline.
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs
3. Caliper Pigs
Major Application
Caliper pigs are used to measure pipe internal
Pigging Procedure geometry. They have an array of levers mounted in
one of the pig cups. The levers are connected to a
recording device in the pig body. The body is
normally compact, about 60 percent of the internal
diameter, which, combined with flexible cups,
allows the pig to pass constrictions up to 15 percent
of bore. Caliper pigs can be used as gauging pigs.
 4. Displacement Pigs

Pipeline Cleaning Displacement pigs displace one fluid with another

based on a sealing mechanism. They can be
bidirectional or unidirectional in design. They are
Pigging System used in the testing and commissioning phase of the
Selection of Pigs pipeline, that is, hydrostatic testing, line fills, and
dewatering, and so forth.
Major Application

Pigging Procedure
5. Profile Pigs
A profile pig is a gauging pig with multiple gauging
plates, usually three plates. One plate is mounted on
the front, one in the middle, and one on the rear of
the pig. It is normally used before running an ILI
(In-Line Inspection) tool to assure the tool's passage
around bends and through the pipeline.
 6. Transmitter Pigs

Pipeline Cleaning Occasionally pigs will get stuck in a line. The

location of the stuck pig can be found by using a
detector pig with a transmitter in its body. The
Pigging System transmitter emits a signal so it can be located with a
Selection of Pigs receiver. Transmitters are normally mounted into a
mandrel, solid cast, or Polly-Pig.
Major Application

Pigging Procedure
Special Pigs
Many applications require special pigs.
Manufacturers in the pigging industry have made
special pigs for many applications. Special pig can
be used for spraying corrosion inhibitor to the
upper side of pipe interior.
 Other special pigs include pinwheel pigs, which use
steel pins with hardened tips. They were developed
to remove wax and scale from a pipeline. Magnetic
Pipeline Cleaning cleaning pigs were developed to pick up ferrous
debris left in the pipeline.
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs

Major Application

Pigging Procedure
There are many pig configurations to choose from
but some configurations will not work in some
pipelines. It is very important to compare pipeline
information to the pig specifications. The best way
to stay out of trouble is to provide the pipeline
specifications to the pig manufacturer and ask them
to recommend a pig.
 Major Applications

Pipeline Cleaning Major applications of pigging are found during

pipeline construction, operation, inspection, and
maintenance. Depending on application type and
Pigging System pipeline conditions, different kinds of pigs are
Selection of Pigs chosen to minimize the cost of pigging operations.
Tiratsoo (1992) presents a comprehensive
Major Application
description of applications of pigging in the pipeline
Pigging Procedure industry.

 Construction
 Operation
 Inspection
 Maintenance
 Pigging Procedure
Pipeline Cleaning
1. Pressure and Flow Rate
Pigging System

Selection of Pigs Any pigging operation should follow a safe

procedure that is suitable to the given pipeline
Major Application
conditions. Operating pigging pressures and fluid
Pigging Procedure flow rates should be controlled carefully. Velocity of
driving fluid is usually between three and five feet
per second during pigging.
 2. Prerun Inspection
Pipeline Cleaning
The pig must be in good condition if it is to do the
job it was selected to do. If the pig has been run
Pigging System before, it should be inspected to assure it will run
Selection of Pigs again without stopping in the pipeline. Measure the
outside diameter of the pig's sealing surface. This
Major Application
diameter must be larger than the inside pipe
Pigging Procedure diameter to maintain a good seal. Inspect the sealing
surfaces to assure there are no cuts, tears,
punctures, or other damage that will affect the pig's
ability to run in the pipeline. The unrestrained
diameter of brush pigs should also be measured to
assure that the brushes will maintain contact with
the pipe wall during the complete run.
Pipeline Cleaning 3. Pig Launching and Receiving

Pig launchers are used to launch the pig into the

Pigging System pipeline, and pig receivers are used to receive the
Selection of Pigs pigs after they have made a successful run. The
design of these pig traps will depend on the type of
Major Application
pig to be run and pipeline design conditions.
Pigging Procedure Provisions in the station design should include
handling equipment for pigs 20 inches and larger.
Caution should be taken for liquid spillage from the
pig traps.
Pipeline Cleaning
The following pig-launching procedures can be
used as a guideline for developing operating
Pigging System procedures. Because company policies vary
Selection of Pigs regarding whether the pig launcher is left on stream
or isolated from the pipeline after the pig is
Major Application
launched, the operator should verify that the trap
Pigging Procedure is isolated from the pipeline and depressurized
before commencing any part of the launch
procedure.
 4. Freeing a "Stuck" Pig

The goals of pigging a pipeline include not only

Pipeline Cleaning
running pigs to remove a product or to clean the line,
but to do the work without sticking the pig. Getting the
Pigging System pig stuck rarely happens in a pipeline that is pigged
routinely, but can happen when pigging a pipeline that
Selection of Pigs has been neglected or has never been pigged before. It
Major Application is a good practice to run a low density (2 lb/ft ) foam
pig in any "suspect" pipeline and examine the foam pig
Pigging Procedure
for wear patterns, tears, gouges, and so forth. The
pigging project should be continued only after feeling
comfortable that the line is piggable. If a pig becomes
stuck, it is important to identify the cause. Retrieving
the pig is the first priority. When bidirectional pigs are
used, the stuck pigs may be recovered with reverse
flow.
Conclusions:

Cleaning pipelines by using advanced

chemicals with specific cleaning
characteristics is preferred versus the
mechanical cleaning, the benefits to be
gained will far outweigh the cost, by
improved flow, efficiency, inspection
results and chemical programs.
=The End=