Passivation - The Benefits of Pipeline Pigging

Pipeline Pigging is a type of system used to inspect or clean pipes while the product is still flowing through it. For example, paint factories frequently use pigs to clean the pipes between the batches of paint to prevent contamination. The pigs have gotten their name not because they resemble real pigs, they don’t, but because of the squealing noise they make as they travel through the pipes. Eventually, the nickname was made into an acronym that stands for Pipeline Inspection Gauge or Pipeline Inspection Gizmo. There are over 500 types of pigs and many businesses use them because pigging a pipeline affords several benefits.

The main benefit of pigging is the fact that the pipeline does not need to be shut down in order for it to be cleaned or inspected. In the past, production time would be lost because the pipes had to be manually shut down in order to for people to do anything with them. The pigs, however, have made it possible for a company to perform maintenance on the pipes while still maintaining their production. For example, a sealing pig could be sent in to seal a tube using a method of passivation that would extend the life of the pipe.

The most common types of pigs are cleaning and sealing. Cleaning pigs go through a pipeline and remove water, debris, and other unwanted items from the line so that the product can flow freely. This also helps prevent the product from becoming contaminated with dirt and debris which is important for companies that make personal care products. The last thing a business wants is for a customer to become ill or injured because of contamination. Many companies even use oxygen cleaning pigs to boost the level of purity in the system to ensure the product remains untainted.

Pigging also plays its part in reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing. In the past, an operator had to completely flush a line in order to ensure that it was fully cleared of product before sending another type of product through. As you can imagine, this wasted a lot of time and resources. Using pigs, however, a line can be cleared and cleaned without using corrosive or toxic substances that find their way into our natural resources. Ultrapass can also be used to passivate a pipeline so that it slows down the rate of corrosion further preventing toxic substances from finding their way into the environment.