When pigging a very long pipeline or a pipeline which has scale or corrosion issues that can increase wear on discs there is always an elevated risk that the pig will get stuck in the pipeline due to disc abrasion and loss of differential pressure due to bypass.
SANCCUS have developed a range of water based and glycol based lubricating gels which when used in conjunction with mechanical pigs massively reduce this risk. Being gels they actually offer four benefits in one;
These same gels have also been effectively deployed for degassing pipelines from vessels via long downlines because the same lubricating effect also results in a three fold reduction in friction pressure through narrow downlines allowing the application of far more viscous gels that previous possible in subsea to topside operations.
Gel technology is very versatile and can be applied anytime during the lifetime of a field from helping to remove hydrotest fluids when commissioning to the bulk removal of hydrocarbons and solids prior to maintenance or when preparing a pipeline for responsible decommissioning.
Glycolube Gel is a linear gel made from a blend of natural polysaccharides in a Monoethylene Glycol solution with lubricating properties. It will reduce the friction on a mechanical pig by half on average.
Aqualube Gel is a blend of natural polysaccharides in aqueous solution with lubricating properties. It will reduce the friction on a mechanical pig by half on average.
