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Pipeline Pigging Glossary

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  • Abandoned Pipeline  -  A transmission pipeline that has been permanently removed from service and left in place.

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  • Backfill  -  The act of filling in the void in a utility ditch that was created by excavating, usually by replacing the soils that were removed.
  • Barred Tee  -  A tee or any fitting with a branch used in pipelines that is pigged and has a restriction bars welded internally preventing the pig from traveling down a branch connection.
  • Batching Pig  -  A utility pig that creates a tight seal as it moves through the pipeline seperating liquids from gasses or other products being transpotred.
  • Bell Hole  -  A bell-shaped hole dug beneath a pipeline to make room for a use of tools to perform an inspection, survey, maintenance, repair, or replacement of pipe section.
  • Blanching Line or Equalizer Line  -  Allows the filling of the launcher from both sides of the pig.
  • Bypass Line or Tie-line  -  This line is connected to the barred tee alowing the allowing the pigging line to continue flowing past the launcher/receiver.
  • Bypass Valve or Mainline Bypass Line  -  Opens and closes the bypass line, on the barred tee branch.

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  • Calibration Digs  -  When an in-line inspection tool records an indication then a calibration dig, a bell hole or exploratory excavation, will be performed on a section of pipe.
  • Camera Pig  -  A configuration pig with a camera and light source recording the inside of the pipeline.
  • Cleaning Pig  -  Travels free through a pipeline along with product flow, brushing and scraping foreign matter, rust, dirt, and fluids from the inside surface of the pipes. Cleaning pigs help facilitate inspections and increase operating efficiency of a pipeline.
  • Cement Lined Pipe  -  Pipe that is internally coated with a mortar like compound that acts as a barrier between the carbon steel pipe and the process.
  • Closure or End Closure  -  A flange or hinged device connected to the major barrel used to open or close the launcher/receiver for pig insertion or retrival.
  • Concrete Coating  -  A liquid or semi-liquid covering that is applied to the surface of cured concrete to reduce the need for maintenamce and repair.   
  • Configuration Pig  -  Geometry pigs, camera pigs and mapping pigs are all types of configuration pigs which are any instrumented pig that collects data relating to the inner workings of the pipeline.
  • Construction Zone  -  An area extending from each side of a transmission pipeline, the distance of which should be defined by local governments, to describe when a property developer/owner, who is planning new property development in the vicinity of an existing transmission pipeline, should initiate a dialogue with a transmission pipeline operator.
  • Corrosion  -  The thinning of a pipe wall that is typically caused by a chemical reaction from a corroding fluid or agent and is limited almost exclusively to metal products.
  • Corrosion Allowance  -  The amount of material in a pipe or vessel that is available for corrosion without affecting the pressure containing integrity.
  • Corrosion Inhibitor  -  A substance that slows down the chemical reaction rate of corrosion on metal that is exposed to the environment.
  • Corrosion Mapping  -  An ultrasonic method that identifies and maps corroded areas in a pipelineby yhe varying material thickness.
  • Crack  -  Cracks can come from fatigue, grith welds, or seam welds.
  • Cup Pig  -  A utility pig that is supported and driven by cups made of a resilient material such as neoprene or polyurethane.  At least one of the cups forms a piston-like seal inside the pipe.

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  • Demolition  -  The partial or complete destruction by any means of a structure served by, or adjacent, to an underground line or facility.
  • Dewatering  -  In order to remove all the water from the pipe after hydro testing, a pig needs to be sent through the pipeline, this pushes the water out.
  • Drag Force  -  The drag on a body as is moves through a fluid (gas or liquid).
  • Drain Pit  -  When the closure is opened the sludge and/or liquid can drain into the pit along with the drain line.  The pit can be drained by a vacuum ttruck or underground piping.  The pit is covered with a removable grilled lid to stand on.
  • Drain Line  -  Used to drain the major and minor barrels after the trap isolation valve in order to insert or remove the pig.
  • Drain Nozzle  -  A flange connected to the major barrel for the kicker valve.
  • Drain Valve  -  A valve at the bottom of the major barrel used to drain the line after the trap isolation valve.

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  • Flow Rate  -  Measures the amount of fluid that flows in a given time past a specific point.
  • Fluid  -  A substance that deforms and changes position when put under stress.  Fluids can be both liquids and gases.
  • Foam Pig  -  A utility pig used for batching, cleaning, and removing products from the line..
  • Fretting Corrosion  -  Takes place where there is friction between two metal surfaces.

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  • Gas  -  Able to be compressed to fit a confined space and expanded when released.
  • Gauging Pig  -  Utility pig permanently deformable by obstructions in the pipeline.  Upon retrieval from the line, the gauging pig provides evidence of the worst-case obstruction in a given pipeline segment.
  • Gel Pig  -  Utility pig composed of a highly viscous gelled liquid.  These pigs are often used for pipeline cleaning. Sometimes called gelly pigs.
  • Geometry Pig  -  Configuration pig are designed to record conditions, such as dents, wrinkles, ovality, bend radius and angle, and occasionally indications of significant internal corrosion by making measurements of the inside surface of the pipe.
  • Gouging  -  Mechanical removel of metal from the surface of the pipe.

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  • Holiday  -  A discontinuity in painted or coated surfaces.
  • Hydro Test  -  This is a pressure test on pipelines and pressure vessels by filling them full of water, then pressurizing the line to check for leaks.  After the test dewatering is performed.

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  • In-line Inspection  -  When the pipeline is inspected by examining the interior of the pipe.
  • In-line Inspection tool  -  Devices, also called intelligent pigs or smart pigs, that inspect the interior wall of the line.
  • Inhibitor  -  Can reduce the corrosion rate by presenting a protective film.
  • Instrument Nozzle  -  Flanged or threaded outlets for instrumentation and relief valves on the launcher or receiver.  There can be multiple.
  • Instrumented Pig  -  Device or vehicle used for internal inspection of a pipe, which contains sensors, electronics, and recording or output functions integral to the system.  Instrumented pigs are divided into two types: configuration pigs, which measure the pipeline geometry or conditions inside the pipe surface; and in-line inspection tools that use non-destructive testing techniques to inspect the wall of the pipe for corrosion, cracks, or other types of anomalies.
  • Internal Corrosion  -  The thinning of the interior pipe wall that is typically caused by a chemical reaction from a corroding fluid or agent and is limited almost exclusively to metal products.

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  • Kicker Line to Launcher  -  A line from the bypass line/tie-line to the front of the major barrel close to the closure.  When the kicker valve is opened, fluid pushes the pig past the trap isolation valve down the pipeline.
  • Kicker Nozzle  -  A flange connected to the major barrel for the kicker valve.
  • Kicker Line from Receiver  -  A line from the bypass line/tie-line to the back of the major barrel close to the eccentric reducer.  When the kicker valve is open, fluid passes to the bypass line and away from the launcher.
  • Kicker Valve or Upstream Isolarion Valve  -  Opening into the valve launcher behind the pig.  When opened, starts the pig on its way.

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  • Lack of Penetration  -  In the welding process, failure to achieve fusion of the base metal to the desired or planned depth.
  • Launcher  -  Used to launch a pig past the trap isolation valve and down the pipeline.
  • Liquid  -  A specific volume and can hold any shape it is contained within.

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  • Magnetic Flux  -  This method can detect wall thickness from corrosion and pitting without affecting the pipe.
  • Major Barrel  -  The pig is inserted or removed from the major barrel and comes after the eccentric reducer.  Pipelines less than 8 inches in diameter, 2 inches larger, more than 8 inches in diameter, 4 inches larger than minor pipeline.  There is an eccentric reduce, flat on botton, connecting major and minor barrels.
  • Mapping Pig  -  A configuration pig used to produce an elevation and plan view of the pipeline route with collect data that can be analysed from the inertia sensing or some other technology.
  • Mass Flow Rate  -  The average velocity of a mass that passes by a point.
  • Metal Loss  -  Any anomaly in a pipe in which metal has been removed because of corrosion, gouging or other factors.
  • Minor Barrel  -  The pipe between the eccentric reducer and the trap isolation valve.  There is an eccentric reduce flat on botton connecting major and minor barrels.

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  • Pig Trap Isolation Valve  -  The minor barrel is flanged to the isolation valve.  The valve allows the pig to leave the launcher or enter the receiver.
  • Pigging Efficiency  -  Is expressed in percentage and always less than 100%.
  • Pigging Valve  -  An alternative to conventional pig launchers. They are capable of launching and receiving foam, steel, and solid cast pigs in both cylindrical and spherical shapes.
  • Pitting  -  A non-uniform corrosion of a metal, not in the form of cracks, whereby a number of cavities, are formed in the surface.
  • Porosity  -  Happens when a contaminent or gas is absorbed into the weld puddle.
  • Pressure -  It is the force exerted perpendicular to the surface of an object and is expressed as force per unit area.

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  • Receiver  -  Used to receive a pig after pasting the trap isolation valve from the pipeline.
  • Rectifier - Transformer  -  A device that uses electromagnetism to convert one current to another current.
  • Rupture  -  There are numerous reasons a rupture can happen, depending on the material: age, brittleness, corrosion, internal pressure, movement, etc.

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  • Smart Pig  -  Collects information internally about the pipeline with electronic components.
  • Solid Cast Pig  - It is between a foam pig and steel pig having cups, disks or both and even brushes. 
  • Sour Corrosion: Hydrogen Sulfide  -  It is a flammable, poisonous gas, that occures naturally in some groundwater.  It becomes corrosive when dissolved in water.
  • Sphere Pig   -  These utility pig are made of rubber or urethane.  The sphere may be solid or hollow, filled with air or liquid.  The most common use of sphere pigs is as a batching pig.
  • Stress  -  The force per unit area of cross-section.
  • Stress Corrosion Cracking   -  The combined effect of tensile stress and a corrosive environment.
  • Surge Pressure  -  See Water Hammer
  • Sweet Corrosion: Carbon Dioxide  -  A weak acidic gas found in condensate, crude oil, natural gas, and produced water and becomes corrosive when dissolved in water.

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  • Tensile Strength  -  The maximum stress a material can resist before it starts to elongate.
  • Transformer - Rectifier  -  A device that uses electromagnetism to convert one current to another current.
  • Trap  -  Pipeline facility for launching and receiving tools and pigs.

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  • Ultrasonic Testing  -  Used to measure the pipe wall thickness perpendicular to the pipe.
  • Upstream Isolarion Valve or Kicker Valve  -  Opening into the valve launcher behind the pig.  When opened, starts the pig on its way.
  • Utility Pig  -  These pig perform simple mechanical functions, such as cleaning the pipeline, are called utility pigs.

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  • Water Conductivity  -  The ability of water to conduct an electric current.
  • Water Cut  -  The ratio of water produced to the volume of total liquid produced.
  • Water Hammer  -  Occurs when a valve is suddenly opened or closed.
  • Well Integrity  -  An operation of technical, operational, and organizational solutions to reduce fisk of controlled release of formation fluids throught the life cycle of a well.

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