Everything about Pipeline Inspection Gauge totally explained
A
pipeline inspection gauge or
pig in the
pipeline industry is a tool that's sent down a pipeline and propelled by the
pressure of the product in the pipeline itself. It is the chief device used in
pigging.
There are four main uses for pigs:
- physical separation between different liquids being transported in pipelines;
- internal cleaning of pipelines;
- inspection of the condition of pipeline walls (also known as an Inline Inspection (ILI) tool);
- capturing and recording geometric information relating to pipelines (for example size, position).
The original pigs were made from straw wrapped in wire used for cleaning. They made a squealing noise while traveling through the pipe, sounding to some like a
pig squealing. The term "pipeline inspection gauge" was later created as a
backronym.
One kind of pig is a soft,
bullet shaped
polyurethane foam plug that's forced through
pipelines to separate products to reduce mixing. There are several types of pigs for cleaning. Some have
tungsten studs or abrasive wire mesh on the outside to cut
rust,
scale, or
paraffin deposits off the inside of the pipe. Others are plain plastic covered polyurethane. Pigs can't be used in pipelines that have
butterfly valves.
Inline inspection pigs use various methods for inspecting a pipeline. A sizing pig uses one (or more) notched round metal plates that are used as gauges. The notches allow different parts of the plate to bend when a bore restriction is encountered. More complex systems exist for inspecting various aspects of the pipeline. Intelligent pigs, also called smart pigs, are used to inspect the pipeline with sensors and record the data for later analysis. These pigs use technologies such as
Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) and
ultrasonics to inspect the pipeline. Intelligent pigs may also use
calipers to measure the inside geometry of the pipeline.
In 1964 the first intelligent pig was designed and run by Tuboscope. It used MFL technology to inspect the bottom portion of the pipeline. The system used a
black box similar to those used on aircraft to record the information.
A pig has been used as a plot device in three
James Bond films:
Diamonds Are Forever, where Bond disabled a pig to escape a pipeline,
The Living Daylights, where a pig was modified to secretly transport a person through the
Iron Curtain, and
The World Is Not Enough, where a pig was used to move a nuclear weapon through a pipeline.
Further Information
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