August 2018, Vol. 245, No. 8
PPSA 2018 Pigging Update
Preparing Pipelines for Successful In-Line Inspection
By P.J. Robinson, T.D. Williamson, Tulsa, OK, Between pipeline cleaning and in-line inspection (ILI), it is customary to run a gauge pig to determine if there are bore restrictions that can limit the piggability of the ILI tool. Gauge pigs provide insight into some conditions inside the pipe, but not all of them. They’re not intended to measure pipeline cleanliness or indicate if debris has built up to the point that it will impair the inspections tool’s data-gathering capabilities. Recently, a natural gas operator believed their line was prepared for ILI after running a foam proving pig and a gauge pig. However, because the company hadn’t done any

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