Optopig reports back
The increased emphasis on pipeline inspection over the last few years has prompted a surge in the demand for pigging expertise. Read on for 5 facts about pigging subsea pipelines.
1. Subsea threats such as water drop-out can lead to accelerated corrosion in oil and gas pipelines.
2. Similarly, a build up of sand, wax, or hydrates can block a line, reducing throughput and further intensifying some corrosion mechanisms. Operational pigging programmes maximise pipeline availability by removing these threats.
3. A sphere or utility cleaning pig sweeps liquids and sand out of the pipeline. It has to be done in a controlled manner, however. Hydrate-formation or excessive build up of wax in front of a pig and uncontrolled pig receipt create significant risks.
4. Inspection programmes are vital in understanding the specific corrosion and erosion threats that are present. They allow tailored solutions to be developed to maximise the life expectancy of the subsea system. Selecting the most appropriate inspection tool from the vast array available can be a challenge in itself. Jee is familiar with the various technologies and know how to make best use of their individual strengths and weaknesses, according to the pipeline.
5. Many inspection campaigns have unique technical challenges associated with them, such as subsea mobilisation and multi-phase pipelines. This work includes assurance of best-practice and legislative compliance, liaison and management of pig vendors, and technical support on avoiding stuck pig scenarios. Assurance checks can identify potential difficulties with pigging operations such as bore restrictions, ATEX compliance and tracking capabilities.
Pigs in, debris out
At Jee, we carry out specialist pigging analysis, including impact studies for pigs at riser bases, low-pressure pipelines (limiting pig driving force), and blockage prevention (by either pigs or debris).
Jee also manages reduced-coverage inspection studies, where a probabilistic integrity assessment is made of pipelines where full inspections are not possible. We deal with stuck pigs and isolation plugs, determining location and planning remediation options such as valve removal and debris removal with pigging.
- Find out more; read our case studies
- Get up-to-speed on subsea pipelines, go on a Jee training course.
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