Shanghai Bursten Industrial Co, Ltd.
Types of pigs used in pipeline
2026-01-19
In the oil and gas industry, piping "pigs" are devices inserted into a pipeline to perform various maintenance or inspection operations without stopping the flow of the product. The name likely comes from the "squealing" sound early leather pigs made while traveling through the pipe.
Since you mentioned "HTML type," I will focus on the High-Tension Magnetic (HTM) and other high-tech "Smart Pigs" often used for data collection, alongside the standard mechanical types.
1. Utility Pigs (Mechanical)
These are used for basic cleaning and physical separation of products.
Cleaning Pigs: Equipped with brushes or scrapers to remove wax, scale, or debris from the pipe walls.
Sealing (Batching) Pigs: Used to create a seal between two different products (e.g., gasoline and diesel) being transported in the same line.
Foam Pigs: Lightweight and flexible, these are often used for "proving" (checking if a pipe is clear) or light cleaning.
2. Geometry / Caliper Pigs
These pigs are designed to "feel" the inside of the pipe. They use mechanical arms or sensors to detect physical deformities like:
Dents or buckles.
Ovality (loss of roundness).
Bends that are too tight for other pigs to pass through.
3. Smart Pigs (In-Line Inspection - ILI)
These are the most advanced types, often utilizing high-tech sensors to "see" through the metal.
Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) Pigs: These use powerful magnets to saturate the pipe wall with a magnetic field. If there is metal loss (corrosion), the magnetic field "leaks," which sensors record to map out damage.
Ultrasonic (UT) Pigs: These emit ultrasonic pulses to measure the exact wall thickness of the pipe. They are excellent for detecting cracks but usually require a liquid medium to carry the sound.
High-Tension / Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT): A newer tech that can find cracks in gas pipelines without needing a liquid "couplant."
Comparison Table
| Type | Primary Purpose | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Cleaning/Scrapping | Brushes, blades, or foam |
| Caliper | Mapping shape | Mechanical "fingers" to detect dents |
| MFL (Smart) | Metal loss/Corrosion | High-strength magnets |
| UT (Smart) | Wall thickness | Ultrasonic transducers |
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Address:Building 1, No 115, Lane 1276, Nanle Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai 201611, China
Tel：008613781822862
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