INTELLIGENT PIGGING.

DOC
E N G I N E E R I N G C O N S U L T A N T S
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OFFSHORE OPERATIONS
OVERVIEW OF PIPELINE ENGINEERING
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. 2
INTELLIGENT PIGGING................................................................................................ 3
Trevor Jee Associates 2002
All information contained in this document has been prepared solely to illustrate engineering principles for a training
course, and is not suitable for use for engineering purposes. Use for any purpose other than general engineering
design training constitutes infringement of copyright and is strictly forbidden. No liability can be accepted for any
loss or damage of whatever nature, for whatever reason, arising from use of this information for purposes other than
general engineering design training.
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INTELLIGENT PIGGING
Internal survey for corrosion and cracks
Typically every 5 or 10 years
WHAT IS INTELLIGENT PIGGING?
In addition to external inspection, there are internal inspection techniques available
for pipelines. These range from the simple gauge plate check for dents and debris,
through to sophisticated pig checks for corrosion.
In this section, we will look at three types of intelligent pigs - the magnetic flux,
ultrasonic and eddy current pigs, describing their function and their uses.
Before an intelligent pig is sent down the line, a full pig cleaning operation would
normally be carried out to ensure the intelligent pig remains undamaged.
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INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES
Magnetic flux
leakage
Transverse
MFL
Ultrasonic
thickness
Elastic wave
UT
Eddy current
There are two main technologies: magnetic flux leakage (MFL) and ultrasonic
thickness measurement (UT). Each has started by finding wall thickness loss (general
corrosion defects, both inside and outside), and has then been rotated into the hoop
direction to find axial cracks.
A third technology, that of eddy current, is being developed for the inspection of
flexibles.
The following slides contain examples of each of these pigs.
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MAGNETIC FLUX PIGS
The picture above shows the PII magnetic flux pig. In the picture, you can see the
magnetic brushes and the finger-like arrays of magnetic flux detectors. The rest of
the pig contains power and data storage facilities. It is used to detect internal and
external corrosion defects in oil and gas pipelines.
Typical speeds of intelligent pigs are from 0.3 to 5 m/s (1ft/s to 16 ft/s). If the
product flow is faster than this, it is normal to include a bypass system to permit the
pig to travel slower than the oil. Head losses for pigs are typically less than 1 bar (15
psi).
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FLUX LEAKAGE DETECTION
Brush
Magnet
Sensor
Brush
Magnet
Brush
Magnet
Sensor
Brush
Magnet
No defect present
Defect present
DEFECT
LEAKAGE FIELD
N
N S
S
PIPEWALL
SECTION
The above diagram illustrates how the pig detects corrosion defects. In the non-
corroded condition, the two brushes form a magnetic circuit and the flux passes
through the pipeline wall with little passing either side. However, in the lower
diagram with the defect present, there is less metal through which the flux can pass,
and some of it leaks outside the pipe wall and is detected by the sensor.
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ASSESSMENT OF DATA
Reported axial length (mm)
R
e
p
o
r
t
e
d

p
e
a
k

d
e
p
t
h

(
%
w
t
)
Courtesy of PII Group
The above diagram shows an example of results obtained from an MFL pig. It shows
over 450,000 internal metal loss features, and there were also over 3,500 external
metal loss features identified. This analysis looks for any defects where the
dimensions exceed those tolerable at 1.5 x MAOP, or where the peak depth exceeds
80%. In this case there were 19 defects identified as needing repair. A detailed
assessment was also carried out in this case, measuring the effective depth and length
of defects, which reduced the number of defects down to just one repair required.
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PIGGING IN REALITY
Here is the pig at the end of the run in an oil line. You can see that some of the
sensors have been slightly damaged and that the magnetic brushes are caked in tar
and wax. So there is a deal of refurbishment and cleaning to do at the end of each
run.
TRANSVERSE SCANNING PIG
Uses magnetic flux leakage technology
Rotated 90 to pick up axial cracks and
seam weld defects
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Note the different orientation of the brushes and sensors to pick up axial defects and
cracks.
ULTRASONIC PIG
The ultrasonic pig is used to detect corrosion defects in liquid lines. The liquid is
crucial in acting as a couplant for the sound emitted by the ultrasonic probes. For
these pigs to function in a gas line, they must be run within a slug of liquid.