Project Insight: Pigging Recommendation for a 170m Seawater Pipeline
Pigging of Seawater Pipelines – Our Customer's Enquiry
Our customer required cleaning pigs for the pigging of seawater pipelines in the North Sea. The pipelines are 170 metres long and contain numerous bends. The specific enquiry from the customer was as follows:
style="padding-left: 30px;" Due to our given internal diameter of di = 229.2 mm with da = 280 mm (SDR11), I would like to enquire which options you see for pigging the pipeline (seawater).
Would it be possible to manufacture pig types adapted to this diameter?
Furthermore, it would be interesting to know which levels of interference fit (pressing) would be considered?
For example, with a pipeline diameter of 229.2 mm -> pig outer diameter 240 mm.
Certainly, the pressing will depend on the pig type, as well as the medium, flow rate, and operating pressure.
Additionally, please note that the pump delivers approx. 3.5 bar at a flow rate of 172 m³/h during operation.
From our point of view, the customer’s information was somewhat limited to allow us to recommend suitable cleaning pigs immediately.
Therefore, we asked the customer to answer the following questions:
-
What medium flows through the pipeline? Is it, for example, a cooling line?
- What kind of deposits are expected? Hard incrustations or light build-up?
- What is the total length of the pipeline?
The customer's responses were as follows:
- : Seawater used as a heat source, 20°C / North Sea
- : None initially
- : Interested in fine, medium and coarse pigs. Fine pigs are intended for regular maintenance. It is also important to understand which options are available in the case of incrustation.
- : Approx. 170 m total length, consisting of 2 sections. Each section includes: 12 x 45° bends and 2 x 90° bends
Pigging of Seawater Pipelines – Our Recommendation
After we got all the information about what was needed, we looked at the case from a technical point of view. We then suggested one of the following pig types for the customer's regular maintenance operations:
For maintenance cases involving more persistent or harder deposits, we recommended:
Our red pigs are medium-hard, and the blue pigs are hard pigs. In this particular pigging scenario, medium-hard pigs are sufficient.
If you would also like to submit an enquiry, please make sure to document your case in detail, as shown above, so that we can provide you with the best possible advice. As illustrated in the example above, multiple rounds of questions and answers may be necessary in order to develop the optimal solution – but it’s well worth it! This ensures you receive exactly the right cleaning pigs for your specific cleaning challenge.
For technically complex cases, we also consult directly with the pig manufacturer to offer you the optimal specification.
To cover all your application needs and challenges, we offer 17 different types of pipe cleaning pigs.
Curious about who’s behind this?
Here’s a direct link to the LinkedIn profile of Dr. Daniela Brandt, the author of this post. Or simply scan the QR code with your phone:
Cleaning Pig M-S-VB with Plastic Spikes, Fully Coated, Medium-Solid, DN 75 - 800 mm
Cleaning Pig LM with Plastic Spikes and Slats, Partially Coated, Medium-Solid, DN 80 - 800 mm, against Sand and Mud.
Pipe Pig M-KB Cross-Belt Coated, Medium-Solid, DN 50 - 810 mm
Cleaning Pig M-VB Fully Coated, Medium-Solid, DN 50 - 1000 mm, for Greasy Pipes