Cleaning

Pipelines operating at low flow rates (around 2 ft/sec or less) may allow solids to
settle in the pipe invert. PE has a smooth, non-wetting surface that resists the
adherence of sedimentation deposits. If the pipeline is occasionally subject to
higher flow rates, much of the sedimentation will be flushed from the system
during these peak flows. If cleaning is required, sedimentation deposits can
usually be flushed from the system with high pressure water.

Water-jet cleaning is available from commercial services. It usually employs

high pressure water sprays from a nozzle that is drawn through the pipe system
with a cable.

Pressure piping systems may be cleaned with the water-jet process, or may be
pigged. Pigging involves forcing a resilient plastic plug (soft pig) through the
pipeline. Soft pigs must be used with PE pipe. Scraping finger type or bucket
type pigs may severely damage a PE pipe and must not be used. Usually,
hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure is applied behind the pig to move it down the
pipeline. Pigging should employ a pig launcher and a pig catcher.

A pig launcher is typically a tee assembly or a removable spool. In the tee

assembly, the main flow is into the tee branch and out through a run outlet. The
opposite tee run outlet is used to launch the pig. The pig is fitted into the
opposite tee run; then the run behind the pig is pressurized to move the pig into
the pipeline and downstream. In the removable pipe spool, the pig is loaded into
the spool, the spool is installed into the pipeline, and then the pig is forced
downstream. (Note - Fully pressure rated wyes suitable for pig launching are
generally not available.)

A pig may discharge from the pipeline with considerable velocity and force. The
pig catcher is a basket or other device at the end of the line to safely receive or
catch the pig when it discharges from the pipeline.
Pipeline Cleaning
For as long as there have been pipelines, one of the most important tasks
related to them has been pipeline cleaning. Keeping pipelines clean is an
essential part of pipeline maintenance. In almost every industry, the condition
and maintenance of pipelines play an important role. These include pipelines for
the oil and gas industry, municipalities, power plants, mining, refineries,
chemical plants, pulp and paper mills, food and beverage, and cosmetic and
pharmaceutical uses.

Pigs for Cleaning Pipelines

Since their conception, pigs have been used for cleaning pipelines, especially in
the oil and gas industry, for well over one hundred years. Often referred to as
cleaning pigs, they are one of the most cost effective tools out there for
monitoring any pipeline, reducing corrosion, improving flow, and removing
debris.
Pigs that are designed for cleaning pipelines have special features and
components that make them effective. For example, cleaning components
include brushes which can agitate hardened, crusty deposits causing them to
drop off; blades made of resistant urethane can clean out gooey, soft and sticky
remnants; while scrapers that come as cups or discs can remove a variety of
deposited material.
Components that help optimize the cleaning pig’s capabilities can also have
special enhancements. For example, scraper discs and cups might have unique
shapes or bypass holes. Some pipeline cleaning pigs might have magnetic
features which allow them to remove ferrous remnants for optimum pipeline
cleanliness.

Foam Pigs for Pipeline Cleaning

One of the most popular types of cleaning pigs are foam pigs. Standard sizes
range from 2″ to 60″, with foam density options including light (1-2 lbs/ft3),
medium (5-7 lbs/ft3), and heavy (8-10 lbs/ft3) density foam.
Wirebrush foam pigs are generally used for cleaning pipelines with buildup, rust,

mill scale, or debris in new construction, and routine pipeline maintenance

applications. Models are available in light, medium, and heavy density foam.
The pigs are constructed from an open-cell polyurethane foam with a durable
polyurethane elastomer coating in a criss-cross pattern and embedded with
wirebrush straps.
For cleaning pipelines made of plastic, bristle foam pigs are a good option.
They’re used for cleaning PVC, fiberglass, and HDPE pipes, as well as
internally coated steel pipe. The bristles are aggressive enough to clean most
buildups, but not harmful to the pipe’s integrity. Models are available in light,
medium, and heavy density foam. The pigs are constructed from an open-cell
polyurethane foam with a durable polyurethane elastomer coating in a criss-
cross pattern and embedded with plastic bristle straps.
For more heavy duty pipeline cleaning, the Pigs Unlimited "Stud" or Decoking
Pig removes the hardest coke and encrustations from the pipe. The tungsten
steel studs scrape or break the coke layers loose while the water flows around
the pig to create a low / high pressure turbulence. This action flushes loosened
deposits from the cleaning studs ahead of the pig.

About intelligent pigs

Dacon Services offers cleaning and videopigging in addition to intelligent pigs equipped with
ultrasonic or MFL technology, in order to measure the wall thickness of pipelines.

Our pigs may be used to inspect pipelines with the following characteristics:

• Length: 0 – 60km
• Dimensions: 3″-64″ diameter
• Minimum bend: 1.5D
• Material type: Carbon Steel, austenitic steel, HDPE, HDPE Lined.
• Special: Pipelines with coatings, risers, subsea pipelines.

Ultrasonic Pigging (single probe): The pig is sent by fluid pressure and the ultrasound is sent
out through the pipe wall by the use of a rotating mirror. The pig continuously stores
measurements of the pipe wall, up to 1600 thickness measurements per second around the
circumference of the pipewall, which is illustrated as A, B and C-scan presentation using our
software.

Though the inspection speed of the single probe UT pig is somewhat limited, it still has a
detection capability of +/- 0.1mm in depth. This means the method is best suited for pipelines
up to 5000m.

Multi-Channel pig (Multiple Probes): The pig has multiple ultrasonic probes around the
circumference of the pig body, and can therefore operate at higher speeds. Optimum speed is
1m/s. This pig can therefore inspect longer pipe stretches on one battery charge. We use the
data to produce both A, B and C-scan presentations.

MFL pig: This pig is based on magnetism (magnetic flux leakage). This type of pigs will have a
much greater range and is better suited for inspection of long pipe stretches. Dimensions are
customized according to customer requirements.
DIVERSITY IN INTELLIGENT PIGGING SOLUTIONS
Dacon Inspection Services (Dacon) provide intelligent pigging solutions using a proprietary
ultrasonic system to all the major companies in the oil, gas, petrochemical and mining
industries globally. There is a constant thirst for new technology amongst our clientele, and
Dacon are constantly being asked to produce solutions for unpiggable pipelines, internally
lined pipelines, and non metallic pipelines.

HDPE Pipelines

One such request came from a multinational mining company in Indonesia. The mine had been
given permission to offload their treated tailings to a deep sea trench approximately 3.5 km
offshore, but as the tailings pipeline would traverse protected fisheries the Indonesian
government insisted they use non-metallic pipelines to reduce the environmental impact.

The mine management team opted to go with HDPE pipelines, but this meant there would be a
high erosion rate from the abrasive tailings mixed with water. The government stated that the
company should inspect these lines on a regular basis, and that once they reached a minimum
threshold they must be replaced. The mining company then approached Dacon to develop a
system capable of inspecting these pipelines.

Challenging Inspection Parameters

There were many challenges in developing such a system. Firstly the pipelines were 48” in
diameter, with a nominal wall thickness of 110 mm (4.3”). HDPE has a very high attenuation of
ultrasonic signals, and it is very hard to get a signal from the outside diameter of a normal
thickness HDPE pipe, so this wall thickness was on the boundaries of possibility. Due to the
design and technology utilized by Dacon Ultrasonic Intelligent Pigs it was possible to develop a
tool that was able to address this issue and gather repeatable results.

The Dacon UT intelligent pig uses an Internal Rotating Inspection System (IRIS), which contains
a horizontally placed transducer contained within the central body of the pig. The transducer
sends its sound wave forward where it hits a 45° rotating mirror, which then directs the sound
wave perpendicular on to the pipe wall. From the inner pipe wall the next signal will travel to
the outer pipe wall. Every time the signal hits a surface it will reflect back the same way it was
sent allowing the computer to calculate the time of travel. This time of travel is then converted
to distance and measurement.

An ultrasonic reflection (echo) will take place at the inner wall (ID) and outer wall (OD) of the
pipelines. These echoes are reflected back, received and processed by the Data acquisition and
Central processing units. The time between these two echoes represents the wall thickness of
the pipe. The remaining wall thickness can be calculated by using the sound velocity in the
material, the sound velocity of any liquid which used as a propellant medium (this liquid will be
used as a couplant between the transducer and the pipe wall) and time of flight between two
echoes.

Developing Specialized Technology

Using the above technology Dacon developed a highly sensitive low frequency system, which
experienced less signal attenuation and was able to get reliable signals from the OD of the
pipe. Specialist software was also developed to apply complex algorithms to the data, to be
able to visualize the erosion in the pipe, and give accurate remaining thickness measurements.
The tools are always run in triplicate to provide the ability to cross correlate results to confirm
the accuracy of the data.
HDPE pipelines fall outside of the normal codes and standards such as ASME B31.4 and B31G,
but these standards were applied to calculate wear rates and remaining life of each pipeline,
allowing the company to accurately estimate when the pipelines would need to be replaced.

It has been found that each pipeline lasts generally between 1-2 years depending on the ore
and production output. Working with Dacon, the company was able to establish a system of
when to install reserve lines, when to plan the next inspection, and when they must remove a
line, seamlessly switching to a strategically installed reserve line to avoid interrupting
production.

Distinct Erosion Patterns in HDPE Slurry Lines

Due to the nature of the pipelines use (transporting slurry) it was expected that a significant
erosion groove would be encountered on the pipeline in the 6 o clock position. This can clearly
be found in the below illustration:

In addition to the expected erosion groove it was also found that additional erosion occurred
in the HDPE weld join areas due to turbulence in the pipeline caused by the water and slurry
mix travelling over the internal beading at the weld joints which is encountered when HDPE
lines are heat welded.

Logistical Challenges

The pipeline is open to the sea at the end, with the exit of the pipe approximately 130 meters
below the surface. A system had to be devised to safely retrieve the pigs, so Dacon added
pressure resistant buoyancy foam to the external bodies of the tools to allow them to float to
the surface and be retrieved by a support vessel and divers.
The pigs are fitted with air activated GPS systems to ensure they cannot be lost and flashing
beacons. The support vessel remains onsite above the end of the pipe via GPS, but the tools
can move underwater due to ocean currents and surface several hundred meters away. The
tools are all float tested before every inspection run. Given that the tools weigh approximately
550 kg, it takes a considerable amount of buoyancy force to keep them afloat.

The system has now been developed for smaller diameter HDPE pipes, and HDPE internally
lined steel pipes where both the liner and the steel can both be measured using advanced
algorithms and analysis tools. All data is downloaded immediately and scanned for major
defects, a site report can be issued within a few hours highlighting any major anomalies in the
pipeline, although full analysis takes longer and can normally be completed within two weeks
of demobilization.