AN INTRODUCTION TO PIPELINE PIGGING By （介绍管道清管）.pdf

AN INTRODUCTION TO PIPELINE PIGGING By Robert Davidson Halliburton Pipeline and Pro ess Servi es Copyright © 2002, Pigging Products and Services Association. INTRODUCTION In the world we live in today, pipelines are used to transport all manner of powders and fluids from one point to another. rom the food industry to oil and gas transportation, millions of lives are affected by the ability to maintain flow through pipelines that cross over land and under sea to deliver a product. Coupled with the economic drive to maintain product flow, the importance of this task has spawned a whole industry to ensure pipeline integrity. THE BEGINNING Although shrouded in time and poeticism, the beginnings of pipeline pigging are generally accepted to be in the US in the 1870’s as pipelines for oil transportation grew to eclipse the horse drawn tanks that were then used to transport the oil from the well site to the refinery. Crude construction methods and a lack of maintenance meant that over time flow became restricted through the lines resulting in higher pumping pressures and decreased overall efficiency. In order to clear the build up of sludges and waxes in the line, it is rumoured that rags were bundled and tied together and run through the line providing immediate improvement of flow at reduced pumping pressures. Over time the rags were replaced with bundles of leather, which gave even better results due to leather’s ability to swell in moisture and provide more positive results. Other materials used to clean lines over the years include straw bales wrapped in barbed wire for oil lines, foam ear plugs for hydraulic control lines, and even, so its said, loafs of bread for delivery lines in a jam factory. DEFINITIONS Before we can further discuss the topic of pipeline pigging we must make some definitions; PIG: