Why pigs get stuck and how to avoid it

Aidan O'Donoghue, Pipeline Research Limited, Glasgow, UK

( [email protected], www.pipeline-research.com )

Operators and contractors have been running pigs successfully for years. Every
so often, a problem occurs and one becomes stuck, stalled or damaged in the
pipeline. As the need for innovative one-off pigs for specialist applications arises,
the risk of this occurring increases. Sufficient planning and analysis should be
performed to allow the pigs to run successfully and perform their duty in the line
effectively. This includes stringent testing, CAD work and analysis. This paper
looks at the main reasons for pigs sticking and stalling in lines and examines
what can be done about it. The paper looks at several different categories of
failures, identifies the root cause of the problem and looks at how these scenarios
might best be avoided. The figures at the back of the paper may be used as
guidelines for consideration and avoidance of the problems discussed.

Introduction
The ability to successfully pig a pipeline is central to the maintenance of the line. This allows
operations such as pre-commissioning, removal of wax in crude oil lines, inspection and the
ability to swab liquid hold-up from gas lines to take place. With the increase in dual and
multi-diameter lines, this is even more critical and pigging should be treated no different to
any other offshore or pipeline equipment, with a sufficient level of design, analysis and
planning performed.

In dewaxing oil lines, there is an increasing move to use pigs rather than expensive
chemicals. The risk of plugging the line must then be considered and aspects such as the
type of pig, pigging frequency and scenario planning (for example, change in flow velocity
during pigging) employed. Multi-diameter lines are also becoming increasingly popular. The
secret is recognising when a pigging application is a special and requires more attention than
normal. The cost of a shut-down due to a stuck pig can be very large, especially offshore.
Therefore, it is increasingly critical that the pigs negotiate the pipeline successfully and
perform well.

This paper is an attempt to summarise the main reasons why pigs become stuck, stalled or
damaged in the line and to determine what can be done about it in advance to avoid the
problem. The following areas are covered: -

1. Pigs that plug a pipeline and cause a blockage;

2. Build-up of wax in front of pigs causing a wax plug;
3. Unintentional bypass leading to a stuck pig with product flowing past it;
4. Jack-knifing of dual module pig;
5. Excessive wear leading to failure of seals and drive;
6. Mechanical damage;
7. Failure due to the environment, material selection;
8. Other failures that do not fall into the categories above.

This is not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list, but an indication of known problems
to use as a starting point. The figures in the back of the paper summarise the main points
and can be used to review a pigging operation or pig design, in conjunction with this text.
1. Pigs Plugging a Pipe
An incorrectly designed or selected pig can plug the line by virtue of the components on-
board. In some cases, this can damage the pig and lead to failure. Plugging the line is a
case in point. In the worst cases, the more pressure applied to try to move the blockage,
then the more jammed the pig becomes. The solution may be a costly pig cut-out and line
repair.

A classic example of a jammed pig results from omission or loss of guide bars on receiver
outlets when receiving spheres. Figure 1 shows the sphere jammed in the offtake, that
results - quite literally - in things going pear-shaped. This can also occur in any line where
flow is directed out from such a branch. This can also occur with standard pigs. To
overcome the problem, bars need to be fitted to the tee, or in the case of a sphere, a sphere
tee or flow tee needs to be considered.

Bi-directional pigs use guide discs to keep the pig close to the centreline of the pipeline.
Guiders really need to be undersized at about 99% of the line Internal Diameter. The guider
should be sized in relation to the smallest expected diameter in the line and seals sized to
suit accordingly for sealing in all line sizes. If an oversized, hard guider is used, this can
cause problems on launching (difficulty in engaging the pig in the reducer) and lead to high
differential pressures, or a stuck pig (See Figure 2). It is also important to ensure that the
guider and seals do not interfere or lock as this may cause damage to the seals. Generally,
all the components on a pig need to be sized correctly with respect to the pipeline.

Incorrect selection of valves, fixtures and fittings in the line can lead to stuck pigs jamming
the line. Incorrect valve selection, such as a gate vale for example can lead to a stuck pig.
The valves should ideally be full-bore ball valves (see Figure 3). Allowance should be made
for ball valves that are not fully shut. This is especially true in smaller diameter lines where a
small intrusion of the valve can lead to a relatively large obstruction, damage to the pig and
possible jamming of the line.

The lack of correct information can also be a source of problems. It is common to be

informed that all the bends in the pipeline are 5D radius bends, but when the pig is run it is
revealed that there were 3D bends in the line! If there is any suspicion of lack of information,
then some conservative approach is required. This should be agreed with the client. For
example, aim for smaller bend radius, or what every the problem is perceived to be, see
Figure 4.

Figure 5 shows another classic situation that can arise when pigs catch up with each other.
The rear pig pushes into the back of the pig in front, acts on the seals pushing them harder
onto the wall, locking and a plug is formed. In this case, the more force applied to free the
pigs then the harder they become lodged in the line, until something gives way. The way to
avoid this is to provide suitable bumper noses at design time, front and back of the pig, even
if it is not planned to put more than one pig in the line.

The remote possibility of pigs meeting in tees and wyes should be considered in complex
lines. Figure 6 shows this occurring when the pig launching sequencing is incorrect.
Although this does not often occur, the way around it is to allow one pig to be broken easily
by the other. Again, a conservative analysis is required in such a case.

The use of High Friction pigs has become increasingly popular as a means to providing a
barrier during repairs in low pressure. Sometimes these pigs are designed to be set at a
thinner wall section than where there are launched. This is shown in Figure 7. The result is
very high deflections in the seals at the thick walled section, higher differential pressure than
planned and subsequent damage to the seals and the pig. In this case, the high friction pig
can become a plug (Desirable sometimes perhaps but not in the absence of control!). The
result is failure. High Friction pigs need to be designed correctly and tested in a
representative facility.

2. Build-up of wax
An extreme case of plugging a pipeline can arise when dewaxing a line. This is a special
case of line plugging which requires attention. Figure 8 shows how the wax plug can arise.
Experience suggests that huge pressures can be withstood by the wax plug before yielding
(Differential pressures up to 100 bar / 1450 psi have been reported before plugs are either
reversed or the line needs to be cut to remove the problem (a costly solution on land never
mind subsea!).

The essential model of how the plug occurs is: -

• Pig removes wax from the pipe wall;

• Wax builds up to a critical level;
• Wax immediately in front of the pig hardens as the liquid is squeezed out and the
pressure to move the plug increases;
• Eventually, the pig becomes part of the wax movement and it is the wax plug that
actually performs the cleaning!
• Finally, the pressure required exceeds what is available or safe, and the line is plugged.

To avoid this possibility, bypass is included through the pig to sweep the wax along ahead of
the pig and so avoid the problem in the first place. The rate of bypass must be carefully
selected however. If the flow rate is low, then it may be only possible to have a small bypass
rate that may not be adequate to carry the wax forward.

Finally, on the subject of debris, other debris types can also jam pigs or cause damage and
so again correctly designed bypass is required, see Figure 9. The sand can force the pig
upwards and can cause severe wear to the pig. Such dust and debris in the line should be
removed by a carefully designed and selected cleaning program. Bypass is one of the best
solutions in an overall progressive cleaning program. The correct rate of bypass to
overcome the expected volume of debris in the line must be determined.

3. Unintentional Bypass
Although bypass is used to aid in the cleaning of lines and removal of unwanted liquid, it is
also a source of potential problems. Unintentional bypass is defined as the situation arising
when the drive product flows past the pig either due to a breakdown of the seals or because
of some line components.

Figure 10 shows a typical example of this. The pig has a bypass system which routes
bypass through the pig body and then back again through a jetting head at the front of the
pig. At the tee, the low-pressure gas finds a leakage path which results in all the flow being
diverted around the front of the pig and so stalling the pig. To avoid this it is necessary to
carefully consider the flow conditions and perform the necessary calculations to ensure that
the bypass ports are properly sized.

A similar situation is possible with a sphere in a tee or indeed a Y-piece. This is shown in
Figure 11. The problem is due to the insufficient seal length of a sphere or any pig that is
shorter than the open length of the Y. To overcome this the wye internal diameter should
increase slightly, or the wye can be sloped so that the pig rolls and re-engages with the
outlet. The problem can also be overcome by careful selection of the internal geometry of
the wye, using a profiled internal. This can be used in gas pipelines to “fire” the sphere
across the gap. For standard pigs, dual module pigs are frequently employed to span the
wye opening length.

Figure 12 shows how a pig can lose drive due to travel nose down. Most pigs travel nose
down due to higher friction at the bottom of the pipe compared to the top as a result of pig
mass. This is especially relevant in dual diameter pigging where support is difficult. The pig
should be designed to maximise the flip pressure of the seals (i.e. the pressure at which the
seals blow over as a result of the pressure behind them). The difference between flip
pressure and drive pressure is a measure of the safety of driving this pig through the line.
This is especially relevant in bends and other line features. Good support systems are
available today that can be used to overcome this problem.

Pigs can sometimes fail to reverse when required to do so. Figure 13 shows what can
happen when the flow is reversed in the line. There are three possible situations (ignoring
the possibility of discs locking on guiders as discussed above): -

1. Pig body moves and the pig seals flip over to allow the pig to move backwards as
required;

2. Pig seals do not flip back but the pig judders off in reverse. Although this can be used to
reverse the pig, care must be taken as damage to the seals can occur;

3. Finally, there is too much resistance to motion and the flow blows over the seals and
bypasses the pig. The pig is therefore stalled.

To overcome this problem, the friction should be minimised and the seals supported such
that the pig moves according to situation 2.

Figure 14 shows another important situation that can arise, where a pig stalls due to line
components that are in close proximity. In this case, tees are considered but other
components such as bends, wyes, valves etc could also cause problems. This is occurring
more frequently as space considerations on the topside and on manifolds becomes a
premium. To avoid the problem, the location of seals relative to the offtakes must be taken
into account and dual module pigs employed if required.

Inappropriate buckling of seals is a problem in dual diameter pigging, but is applicable to

normal pigging too. This is shown in Figure 15. The problem can be avoided by correct
selection of seal diameter, thickness and flange diameter relative to the pipeline internal
diameter. Design methods to achieve this exist that can be used to avoid the problem.

Figure 16 shows another potential problem again from dual diameter pigging, but that should
also be considered for other applications. The length of a reducer is vital insofar as it affects
the location of seals. A Dual diameter pig means just that – it operates in just two diameters
(large and small) but not necessarily in the intermediate line sizes. This causes a problem if
the reducer is too long and therefore no seal is working effectively. This can cause a conflict
between inspection pigging (which requires a long reducer to allow the sensors to work
effectively) and conventional pigging (requires a short reducer for the reasons above). The
problem is overcome by careful design of the seals and the pig length.

Figure 17 shows another example where a bypass pig is traveling through a line at normal
production flow. Due to a reduction in flowrate, the total flow now passes through the pig and
the pig stalls. To rescue the pig, it may be necessary to launch another pig to push it out.
The necessary bypass requirements must be met, however. Such possibilities should be
considered in the pigging procedure and steps taken to avoid it.
4. Jack-knifing
It is often necessary to utilise dual module pigs in order to span wyes while still allowing the
pig to negotiate bends. An example is an inspection pig where a number of modules are
used for data logging, battery power and housing magnets and sensors. Such pigs consist
of a front module, a rear module, and some sort of joint between these modules. These pigs
should be driven on the front module to allow it to pull the rear pig along by using open
bypass ports on the rear module. Occasionally this is forgotten or circumstances arise that
transfer drive onto the rear. This can cause the tool to jack-knife and stall.

Figure 18 shows the effect of driving on the rear module. The pig is pushed laterally by an
imbalanced load. The result is that the seals move off the centreline, causing them to flip
and the pig stalls. The design should ensure that this cannot happen and drive is always
transferred to the front module via suitable pressure bypass ports. Correct controls should
be in place to ensure that this is the case before launching.

This problem can occur occasionally even with correct bypass to the front module. Figure 19
shows a dual module pig in a bend with low-pressure gas (for example during dewatering).
In this instance, gas can find a path around the pig. This in turn sets up a pressure drop
across the entire pig that effectively results in the pig being driven from the rear. As a result,
the pig is loaded laterally and fails as before. Correct selection of the support system to keep
the pig central and correct seal sizing is required to overcome this problem.

5. Excessive Wear
The pig seals provide a wiping action in the line, but also provide drive, allowing the pig to
move forward. If the seals are damaged then it is possible that the pig will stall. One way
this can happen is if the seals wear out, then flip forward and allow the product to leak past.

Wear can occur if the system is very abrasive and under a combination of one or more of the
following factors: -

• High differential pressure;

• Low Pig Velocity;
• Rough pipeline internal surface;
• Low viscosity fluid;
• Smaller pipeline diameter.

For example, a large diameter line carrying crude oil with a low differential pressure pig can
allow pig travel of several thousand kilometers/miles. On the other hand, smaller diameter
lines with rough surfaces and drier products can lead to rapid wear and pig failure.

Polyurethane is a highly abrasive resistant material in its own right. Very little can be done to
improve on it, but there are ways, and certain additives can be used to improve lubrication
etc. There can often be a trade off however, as this can result in lower strength or tear
resistance for instance.

Figure 20 shows a model used to predict how far a pig might be expected to travel in a
pipeline under certain conditions. This should be used as a first estimate of piggable
distance. If this shows that there is a risk of failure, then methods of wear mitigation need
investigating. These include addition of lubricant to the line, reduction in differential
pressure, addition of high wear kits or other commonly employed methods.
6. Mechanical Damage
Mechanical damage, defined as the loss of integrity of structural elements and components
on the pig, can lead to loss of drive or usefulness of the pig. This can be because of design
problems or unexpected circumstances in the line that leads to damage to the pig.

Velocity Excursions are sudden high accelerations and subsequent high velocities of pipeline
pigs usually in lower pressure gas pipelines. This can lead to damage at bends for example
(consider at a Z-spool for instance). The problem can be modelled and an example is shown
in Figure 21 where a sudden acceleration from thick walled sections during dewatering with
Nitrogen results in high loads on the pigs at the bends. Such excursions can lead to the loss
of inspection data since these pigs are normally required to operate between 1 and 4m/s.

Figure 22 discusses another type of damage to couplings between pig modules due to
snatch loads or high compressive/tensile loadings. The type of joint needs careful
consideration and strength calculations performed to determine the worst load cases. Stress
calculations must be performed to make sure that the joint can withstand such loads.
Another possibility is to design out the problem. For example, allowing the joint to swivel can
alleviate torsional stress in the component.

The limitations of the joint should be carefully understood before use. It is prudent to have
some backup in the event of coupling failure to keep both modules together. Only commonly
employed joints should be used (U-joints, ball and socket types etc), unless there is no
choice and then a high level qualification of the joint is essential. It is useful to set up the
pigs such that they can be pushed out by another pig in the event of being left in the line, or
at least that the two modules will drive along even if the joint breaks.

Figure 23 shows what excessive line pressure (for example in pressure tests or in deep
water) can do to a pig with an isolated cavity inside. Line pressure can cause the pig body to
collapse. Such cavities should be avoided altogether if possible or if necessary then they
should be subject to careful design, regarded as a vessel in their own right, and tested before
deployment.

When seals are oversized too much then there is a risk of tearing the discs out of boltholes.
This can rip the discs from the boltholes and cause failure (See Figure 24). This is generally
a seal selection issue and usually occurs with self-acting type seals. The best way to avoid
this is to optimise the seal thickness and oversize. Any unnatural seal thicknesses or
oversizes should be avoided. The thickness should be somewhere around the nominal
linesize of the pipe (20” pipeline with 20mm seal thickness for example). Oversizes greater
than 10% are severe.

Large diameter pigs have high masses and may freefall down risers. This can lead to
damage of the pig and the operation may be affected adversely (for example, during flooding
of the line, gas may ingress into the test water during such an event). High velocities can
also lead to burning of the polyurethane seals. Two-phase flow can result in damage to the
pig in down hill sections, as pigs are accelerated in gas into a liquid column, see Figure 25.

7. Environment
Figure 26 shows a number of environmental issues to be considered. The typical
temperature range for standard polyurethane is about 80 degrees C, but this depends on the
immersion time. This can be increased by selecting more specialised urethanes of which
there are a number on the market. High pressure can cause gas ingress into the seal or pig
material that may result in explosive decompression.
Chemicals and their effects on polyurethane are well known. For instance, Methanol
degrades Polyurethane at elevated temperatures and renders it soft and toffee-like! At low
temperatures, it behaves satisfactorarily. It is therefore necessary to understand the
operating conditions and the products in the line.

8. Others
Figure 27 shows a scenario that occurred while testing a 10” x 16” dual diameter pig.
Although a pig generally moves under a nose down moment, it is very difficult to believe that
this could have occurred. Given the forces involves, polyurethane offers very little support
against pressure forces (for example a 1 bar / 14.5psi differential pressure in 10” pipe is half
a tonne / 0.55 tons). The lesson is to “Expect the Unexpected”, but also to appreciate the
forces involved and how this can deform the pig.

The last thing to say on this is to try to avoid any unexpected situations by gathering as much
information as possible. Missing information or unknown line components can lead to a
stuck pig. If the information is not available then a very conservative analysis should be
employed.

Conclusions
There are many reasons why a pig can become stuck or damaged, but with the correct
planning, design, analysis and testing, this can be avoided. The figures presented in the
back of this paper can be treated as a preliminary checklist of possible problems and by
treating each in turn, they can aid in the process. They can also be added to, based on other
experiences.

Generally, pig differential pressure should be minimised. High differential pressures result in
large forces acting on the pig. These forces can either damage the pig or act to pull the pig
off-centre and lead to leakage or loss of drive.

Good analysis where required will provide the necessary missing information, but like
everything it is only as good as the input. If it is not known then a conservative approach is
required. A very good starting point is to accurately list and describe the Functional
Requirements for the pig - in terms of both getting the pig from the launcher to the receiver
but also in terms of functionality and getting good performance from the pig along the line.

If there is any doubt at all, then testing is necessary. A well-designed test program can be
inexpensive if executed correctly and can answer any remaining questions that might arise,
subject to the limitations of the test facility. Nevertheless, in conjunction with the design and
analysis, this should ensure that the pig negotiates the line. Judicious design can overcome
the seemingly conflicting requirements of the pig and allow a balance to be achieved

It is important that all the information is known or documented at the design stage and is
agreed between all involved. A generalised scheme to avoid stuck pigs is as follows: -

• Gather the information;

• Clearly define and agree the Functional Requirements;
• Do the design and the necessary calculations;
• Layout the pig in the line components;
• Select the pig;
• Test and revise the design if necessary (iterate);
• Implement.
It should be remembered that all pipelines are different and also an appreciation of what is a
special pipeline and what is not is important. Special pipelines, demanding special attention
are Dual diameter, slow pigging, thick wall/deepwater, heavy dewaxing/low velocity and
many more.

Safe pigging!
1. Sphere jammed in Offtake 2. Incorrect Sized Pig
Components
Sphere jams into a branch line due to
flow diversion and causes a jam. Oversized guiders can cause pigs to
misalign and jam in launcher reducer.
Pig components should be sized to the
actual pipeline with an allowance for
wear and other such factors.

Guiders need to be sized correctly to

Require to provide a bar arrangement in 99% of the smallest line Internal
receivers or special flow/sphere tees in Diameter and then seals sized to suit.
the pipeline. Avoid seals locking on guiders as this
may lead to rapid wear and seal
This can also occur with standard pigs damage.
where there is flow from branch lines.
The barring arrangements should be
checked. In dual diameter lines, special
barring arrangements may be
necessary.

3. Incorrect Valve/Valve not fully 4. Insufficient Information (Wrong

open bend radius, for example)

Use of the incorrect valve in line (valves Insufficient information regarding the
need to be full bore ball valves or design of the pipeline can be a problem,
through-conduit gate valves, ideally), or especially with older pipelines.
when the valves are not fully opened.

For instance, small radius

This is a problem especially in smaller bends can cause problems
diameter lines at 12” and smaller and with longer pigs. The pig
has been known to severely damage must be designed for the
the pig. line. If such information is
unknown, then some
Checks in the operating procedure conservative assumptions
should be in place to check the opening must be made and agreed.
of the valves, but the pig design should
also consider this eventuality.
5. Pig pushing on pig in front 6. Colliding pigs

When one pig pushes into the rear of In more complex systems, there is a
another pig, there is a possibility of possibility of pigs meeting at wyes or
plugging as it acts on the seals, forcing tees. This can cause a blockage: -
them harder against the pipe wall and
locking: -

The risk can be reduced by good

To mitigate against this it is advisable to
communications and pigging operating
have bumper noses, both front and rear.
procedures. In addition, one pig may be
This should be provided even if it is only
made sacrificial, i.e. it is broken in two
planned to have one pig in the line.
by the main pig, should this occur.

7. High Friction Pigs 8. Plugging with wax

High Friction pigs should be designed to Wax build up in front of pigs can plug a
drive in all pipe sections (thick walled pipeline. The wax is scraped off the
included) not just the section where it is pipe wall, gathers in front of the tool,
planned to set the tool: - hardens and eventually plugs the line.
The cost of rectifying this situation
should it occur is potentially huge,
especially offshore: -

This can be avoided

by correct selection
of pig and the
correct bypass rates
through the pig to
This could lead to serious damage to
allow the debris to
the pig as seals are torn from boltholes.
be maintained in
In general, all pigs should be designed
suspension
to deal with all the internal diameters of
downstream of the
the line and if in doubt, a test performed.
pig.
9. Debris in the line 10. Flow around the pig

Debris such as sand can damage a pig The flow of fluid through or around the
as it can lift the pig up and cause rapid pig at pipeline features such as
wear to the top of the pig. branches and offtakes, wyes etc must
be considered.

Again, the most effective way around

this is to provide sufficient bypass
through the pig. This can lead to a stalled pig if the
bypass system is incorrect, too much
The bypass must be strong enough bypass or too low fluid flow rate. Also,
however, to move the debris along in need to consider the position of
front of the pig. offtakes.

11. Insufficient Sealing Length 12. Nose down

At components such as wyes and tees, In dual diameter pigging, in particular,

the sealing length needs to span the but in all pigs, in general, there is a
branch opening length. If not there is a tendency for pigs to nose down in the
risk of stalling in this component: - large diameter line: -

This can cause the rear seal to flip (red

circle) and product can flow over the off-
If necessary, a dual module pig should centre front seal. Modern support
be used to span the component. techniques should be employed and
Spheres can be made to accelerate seals sized appropriately.
past the wye (by altering the internal
profile of the wye).
13. Reversal

When reversing a pig by reversing the flow in the line, it is important to get the right
interaction between the pig seal and the pipe wall: -

In diagram (a), the body of the pig moves first, then the seals reverse and normal drive
is resumed. In (b) the seals do not reverse and the pig moves backwards in a juddering
motion. Finally, in (c), the seals cannot support the pressure from the front of the pig
and collapse, allowing the flow to bypass the pig. The pig stalls. Another aspect to
consider in reversing pigs is the interference of pig component such as seals and guide
discs.

14. Proximity of components 15. Buckling of Seals

When line components are too close, Buckling of sealing discs should be
there is a risk of bypass as the sealing avoided when not required: -
length is incorrect: -

To avoid this, the configuration of the

pig in terms of seal position must be
This can now be designed out of the pig
carefully considered. In addition, in the
by appropriate selection of the seal
pipeline design, sufficient length
geometry and flange selection. The
between line components should be
problem is particularly important in dual
allowed.
and multidiameter pigging.
16. Reducer Length 17. Bypass with reduction in flow

In dual diameter pigging in particular, A reduced flow rate means that the full
the length of the reducer should be flow of fluid can go through a bypass
carefully considered: - pig. This can occur when a standard
bypass pig is in the pipeline and there is
a sudden reduction in fluid flow: -

If not, then there is a risk that no seal is

functioning correctly and the pig will
Conversely, an increase in flow rate can
stall.
mean that there is insufficient
percentage bypass through the pig.
There is a conflict here with inspection
pigging where the reducer length should
For these reasons it is necessary to
be as long as possible compared with
perform the necessary calculations to
utility pigging where it should be as
allow the correct bypass to be selected.
short as possible.

18. Driving dual module pig on 19. Dual Module Pig with leakage
rear
If a low density gas, for example, leaks
Dual module pigs driven on the rear through a dual module pig, then a
tend to move laterally, especially in differential pressure is set up across the
bends: - pig and lateral movement can result
again: -

This can be avoided using better

This results in seals flipping and the pig support for the pig and correct sizing of
stalls. To avoid this, pressure should be seals.
transferred to the front module via
bypass ports on the rear. This allows
the rear module to be towed and is
more stable.
20. Wear

Seal wear by abrasion means that there is a maximum piggable distance associated
with a given pig and pipeline. Pipeline parameters such as diameter and roughness,
combine with
operational details
such as flow
velocity, product
type to determine
the maximum
piggable distance.

This can now be

estimated given a
number of input
parameters as
shown on the left.

21. Velocity Excursions 22. Coupling Damage

In gas pipelines, a pig can be subjected The coupling between the modules of a
to large accelerations and velocities due dual module pig must be strong enough
to the compressibility of the system. to take the compressive or tensile,
This can lead to damage of the pig if lateral or torsional loads it is subjected
accelerated into a bend for example: - to: -

The graph shows pig velocity against

distance in a low-pressure pipeline with
many changes in internal diameter / wall The joint must be capable of opening to
thickness. The resulting increase or the correct angle to allow the pig to
decrease in friction causes the pig to negotiate the line features.
slow or accelerate.
23. Trapped Cavities 24. Tearing seals out of boltholes

If there is a trapped cavity on-board a Highly oversized sealing discs are at

pig, this could collapse under high risk to being pulled out of their boltholes
pipeline pressure. This must be on the pig. This is especially true in
avoided especially in high-pressure dual and multi-diameter pigging: -
pipelines or during pressure testing if
the pig remains in the line: -

To avoid this all cavities must be

pressure balanced. If a cavity is
required then it should be designed as
an externally pressurised container and
subject to qualification. The oversize needs to be carefully
selected and the bolting arrangement
such that the disc is properly clamped to
the pig.

25. Pigs in Free Fall 26. Environmental Issues

Large diameter pigs are heavy and they The main environmental issues to
can free fall in steep sections such as consider are: -
risers: -
This can lead • Line Temperature (Degradation of
to high the seal material, expansion of
velocities and metallic parts, etc);
damage to the
pig. During • Line pressure (Cavities, explosive
flooding of the decompression etc);
line for
hydrotest, this • Line contents (Incompatibility with the
can also result seal materials etc);
in gas ingress
into the test • Immersion Time.
water.
Such aspects should be checked with
There are the pig suppliers.
various
methods for
slowing the pig
down and
avoiding this
scenario.
27. Unusual Damage to 10” x 16” Pig during testing

As an example of the need to “Expect the Unexpected”, the following photograph shows
a 10” x 16” pig stuck in the straight 10” line at a flange and offtake: -

An imprint of the 2” offtake was observed on the pig nose!

Thorough design and checking of each line feature along with an appreciation of (a) how
flexible polyurethane can be and (b) the magnitude of the forces involved can aid in
avoiding these problems. In addition, if the line is perceived as being difficult to pig,
then good representative tests can show up any such problems.

As a rule, pig differential pressure or friction should be minimised. High differential

pressures result in large forces acting on the pig. These forces can either damage the
pig or act to pull the pig off-centre and lead to leakage or loss of drive.