Customer Challenges
- One of our customers in North America required internal cleaning of a 6 inch pipeline segment that had not been cleaned or inspected for integrity in many years
- All previous attempts at traditional pigging resulted in pigs becoming stuck due to heavy debris and contaminants
- The pipeline’s condition and contaminants prevented sensor readings, meaning any In-Line Inspection (ILI) smart pig would not generate reliable data
- Without thorough cleaning, any ILI smart pig would likely become stuck, necessitating costly excavation, cut-out, and repair of the pipeline segment
Expro Excellence
- Expro was selected for the project due to advanced mechanical and chemical cleaning techniques
- Engineered and delivered a custom pigging plan with a progressive
approach:- Utilized custom, highly deformable pipeline pigs
- Applied advanced pipeline cleaning chemicals
- Used traditional pipeline cleaning pigs in succession
- Successfully passed over 20 cleaning pigs through the segment previously deemed “unpiggable,” effectively removing debris and contaminants
- Expro’s solution enabled safe, efficient cleaning where all prior
attempts had failed
Value to Client
- Prevented future pig cut-outs, saving the client significant time and cost
- Enhanced pipeline production increasing throughput while decreasing restriction
- Improved the quality of data acquired during the ILI smart pig integrity inspection
- Delivered a reliable, cost-effective solution for a new client, demonstrating Expro’s capability to solve complex pipeline challenges
- The achievement ensured the pipeline was ready for inspection, reducing operational risk and supporting asset integrity
Contact
For further information, please contact pipelineservices@expro.com.
