Pig Launcher

Pig launchersare used to launch the pig into the pipeline, and pig receivers

are used to receive the  pigs after they have made a successful run. The choice of these pig traps will depend on the type of pig to be run and pipeline design conditions. Provisions in the station design should include handling

equipment for pigs 20" and larger. Caution should be taken for liquid spillage from the pig traps

there are basically three reasons to pig a pipeline:

• To batch or separate dissimilar products;
• For displacement purposes;
• For internal inspection.

Utility pigs are inserted into the pipeline to remove unwanted materials, such as wax, from the line. Inline inspection pigs can also be used to examine the pipeline from the inside, and specialty pigs are used to plug the line or isolate certain areas of the line. Lastly, gel pigs are a liquid chemical pigging system.

 

 

Similar to cleaning your plumbing line, utility pigs are used to clean the pipeline of debris or seal the line. Debris can accumulate during construction, and the pipeline is pigged before production commences. Also, debris can build up on the pipeline, and the utility pig is used to scrape it away. Additionally, sealing pigs are used to remove liquids from the pipeline, as well as serve as an interface between two different products within a pipeline. Types of utility pigs include mandrel pigs, foam pigs, solid cast pigs and spherical pigs.

Inspection pigs, also referred to as in-line inspection pigs or smart pigs, gather information about the pipeline from within. . The type of information gathered by smart pigs includes the pipeline diameter, curvature, bends, temperature and pressure, as well as corrosion or metal loss. Inspection pigs utilize two methods to gather information about the interior condition of the pipeline: magnetic flux leakage (MFL) and ultrasonics (UT). MFL inspects the pipeline by sending magnetic flux into the walls of the pipe, detecting leakage, corrosion, or flaws in the pipeline. Ultrasonic inspection directly measures the thickness of the pipe wall by using ultrasonic sounds to measure the amount of time it takes an echo to return to the sensor
Specialty pigs, such as plugs, are used to isolate a section of the pipeline for maintenance work to be performed. The pig plug keeps the pipeline pressure in the line by stopping up the pipeline on either side of where the remedial work is being done.
A combination of gelled liquids, gel pigs can be used in conjunction with conventional pigs or by themselves. Pumped through the pipeline, there are a number of uses for gel pigs, including product separation, debris removal, hydrotesting, dewatering and condensate removal, as well as removing a stuck pig.
Because there now exist multi-diameter pipelines, dual and multi-diameter pigs have been developed, as well.

Sumber :
http://www.tremcopipeline.com.au/pdf/girard/launching_retrieving_procedures1.pdf
http://www.rigzone.com/training/insight.asp?insight_id=310&c_id=19
ppsa-online.com/about-pigs.php