Pipeline Pigs, Polyurethane Pigs and Spheres

Topaz offers many types of pipeline pigs to satisfy diverse cleaning, dehydrating, batching, and gauging functions. These include: gathering, water & waste water, transmission, air & gas, fire protection, distribution, fuel, tailing, liquor, injection, slurry, cooling, packaging fly ash & bottom ash, chill, loading & disposal, process and product pipeline applications.

Polyurethane foam pigs are recognized in all piping industries as the most economical and durable product available for cleaning and dehydration of pressurized piping systems. We sell low, medium, and high-density foam pigs for increased service life in various length-of-run categories up to twelve hundred miles. All densities are available in a variety of bare, rubber-coated, abrasive, and cavity configurations for use in drying, wiping, scraping, and tracking operations. The foam pig design is bullet shaped with a sealed concave base.  These pigs are made of high quality open cell polyurethane foam (enables the pig to negotiate 90° ells, tees, valves, and pipeline diameter changes.)  They have tough polyurethane elastomer coating and are available in a variety of patterns and abrasives to suit every need.  There are 28 different types for various applications from light cleaning and drying to heavy build-up removal.  They will clean any size pipe from small lines less than 2" to 144" and they travel in almost any piping system which has adequate flow and volume to move the pig.

 

 

Applications for polyurethane pigs include drying, wiping, cleaning, and scraping. Each are available in three grades of durability:

Heavy density (9-10 lbs/ft3) polyurethane foam – Available in 8 styles from heavy wiping to heavy scraping.

Medium density (5–8 lbs/ft3) polyurethane foam – Available in 8 styles from regular wiping to regular scraping.

Light Density (1–2 lbs/ft3) density polyurethane foam – Available in 6 styles for various degrees of drying, cleaning and scraping

Special Applications - Up to 20 lbs/ft3 density polyurethane foam. Available in 6 styles for batching, special cleaning, and scraping.  Custom made foam pigs are also available for special needs, shapes, and sizes other than nominal pipe sizes.

 

Solid Cast Polyurethane Pigs
Solid cast polyurethane pigs in various durometers are available in 2" through 30" pipe size. Disc, cup, or disc/cup combinations are designed to provide effective removal of liquids or product from pipelines. Superior sealing capabilities allow navigation of out-of-round pipe and pipe runs with varying wall thicknesses.

 

Inflatable Polyurethane Spheres
Besides polyurethane foam and solid cast polyurethane pigs, inflatable polyurethane pipeline spheres, can also be supplied. Inflatable polyurethane spheres, available in three durometers, have excellent wear characteristics and resist surface deterioration.  Spheres manufactured in sizes 2" through 48" are used for product separation, condensate and/or product removal, hydrostatic testing, and maintenance.

Liquid Batch Separation: Spheres are used for separating products such as gasoline, fuel oil, crude oil, jet fuel, and other petroleum products transported through a pipeline.

Line Testing: Spheres purge air from the pipeline to ensure accurate hydrostatic testing.  This is achieved by inserting a sphere ahead of the water column which displaces the air.  Once the test is complete, the spheres are used to dewater the pipeline.

Line Maintenance: Spheres maintain pipeline integrity by removing paraffin and condensate.  During pipeline corrosion control maintenance, spheres are used to batch corrosion inhibitors.

Durometers: Spheres are manufactured in a range of durometers for various pipeline applications. 

Size and Inflation: Spheres are available in sizes from 2" to 36".  Specific applications will determine the most effective sizing and filler fluid to be used.  In general spheres should be sized 1% larger than pipe ID.  Information on recommended use is available from Topaz.

Sphere Pumps: A sphere pump is required to property inflate the sphere.  The pump is easy to operate and the pump and attachments are available through Topaz.

Steel mandrel pigs can be supplied in many ways to accomplish a variety of different services.  Armed with wire brushes, conical, scraper cups or discs in polyurethane or rubber, steel or aluminum gauging plates, or even optional transmitter mounting, lines 2" through 48" in size can be pigged either uni or bidirectionally with the pig location tracked continuously