Cast polyurethane pigs are one-piece cleaning tools molded from solid urethane, and they are what you move to when a foam pig wears out too fast or shreds before it reaches the receiver. The SUN Super Cast Pig is built exactly that way: a single MDI polyurethane casting, available from 2 inch through 12 inch, in 65a, 75a, or 85a durometer, as a 2 to 7 cup pig or as a bidirectional 6-disc pig. Because there are no bonded seams to separate, these polyurethane pipeline pigs negotiate 1.5R bends and bridge valves and tees without buckling or tearing. Refineries, chemical plants, oil and gas pipelines, and municipal utility lines run cast polyurethane pigs for routine maintenance cleaning where run life and repeatable sealing matter more than the price of the tool.
The Super Cast Pig is the perfect solution when a foam pig isn’t getting the job done. It features a one-piece construction using the same long-lasting MDI polyurethane SUN is known for and is a cost-effective alternative to poly-foam pigs. That one-piece build is the durability difference in cast polyurethane pigs: nothing is glued or bonded, so there is no seam to delaminate partway through a run. Available in diameters from 2″-12″, the Super Cast Pig is the ideal product for a broad range of applications around refineries, chemical plants, oil and gas pipelines, and municipal utility lines. In durometers 65a, 75a or 85a allows it to last significantly longer than poly foam pigs. The Super Cast Pig can negotiate 1.5R bends, bridge valves, and tees, without buckling, tearing, or shredding. Flexible pigs manage those transitions because the urethane deflects and recovers instead of tearing, which is where foam gives out first. Available as a cup pig with between 2 and 7 cups or as a bidirectional 6-disc pig. Cup configurations suit unidirectional dewatering and product displacement, while the disc version lets you run polyurethane pipeline pigs in either direction on lines without a dedicated receive facility. The Super Cast product line is a super capable routine maintenance pig. Durometer is the last call to make: 65a for tighter geometry and lower differential pressure, 85a where wear life and sealing under higher pressure matter most, with 75a covering most routine work. Cast polyurethane pigs specified this way run longer between replacements than the foam tools they displace.
Pipeline Operators perform regular pig / scraper tool runs in their pipelines to maintain integrity and throughput efficiency in order to safely transport gas and liquid products.
There are various methods to remove debris or contaminants from pipelines. The most used is pushing through the pipeline a pig/scraper tool with the product flow to push debris to a containment facility at the receive station.
One common component of crude oil is paraffin wax that accumulates in the internal diameter of pipelines. The removal requires the use of pig/scrapper tools in a progressive sequence with or without chemical batches.
One of the most effective methods of removing debris from pipeline segments is the designing of product Bypass Flow in pig/scraper tools to flush or jet debris forward as the tools traverse the pipeline segment. There are operating parameters required to incorporate this strategy.
The process of transporting more than one (1) product through a pipeline is called batching. The most effective way to separate batches is with two (2) high sealing pig/scraper tools, one leading and one behind.
This is the process of filling and displacing products in a pipeline is primarily done with high sealing pig/scraper tool(s).
The process to remove a product from a pipeline is called purging. Depending on the type of product, gas or liquid, a high sealing scraper/pig tool is normally used to push the product out of the pipeline.
There are several types of liquid that can accumulate in pipelines or are pumped in due to a process need, such as hydrotesting, that require removal/de-watering. The use of a high sealing pig / scraper tool is the most effective method to pushout the liquid to a containment facility at the receive station.
The lack of proper pig/scraper tool seal during the filling or removal process of a liquid with the use or presence of air or a gas in a pipeline segment can cause the condition commonly known as Airlock. This is the passing or mixing of air/gas into the liquid to the point that the tool is stopped due to the bypass and/or compression of the air/gas in the liquid batch.
When a pipeline segment is hydrostatically tested, the water is first introduced and afterwards removed from the pipeline with a high sealing pig / scraper tool. After the removing of the water, the humidity level is reduced to the required dew point per the pipeline operator specification. This process may require a combination of pig/scraper foam pigs and hot-dry air or nitrogen.
The initial option in detecting a reduction in size of the internal diameter of a pipeline is with a gauging plate mounted on a pig/scraper tool that will traverse the pipeline segment. The effectiveness of a gauging pig is contingent on the Launch / Receive process and Pipeline Operating Conditions.
The use of internal coating in pipelines is an effective method to reduce corrosion and debris buildup in pipelines. The coating is normally applied to the pipe joints prior to the construction of the pipeline segment, however it can be applied in existing pipelines with a process that uses pig/scraper tool (s) designed for this purpose.
An important process in the building of a pipeline segment is maintaining it clean and free of debris during and after construction. This is critical prior to the execution of a hydrostatic operation. The selection and running of cleaning, filling, de-watering, and drying pig/scraper tools is very important to meet the specifications to prepare a pipeline segment for commissioning and operation.
One of the options used by pipeline operators to measure volume and displace products in a pipeline segment is a pig/scraper tool commonly known as Spheres. These are made in different diameters, inflatable or non-inflatable, durometer hardness, and materials. They require Launch and Receive Systems designed for Spheres and/or conventional pig/scraper tools.
They are pipeline cleaning tools molded as a single piece from solid polyurethane rather than cut from foam or assembled from separate components on a mandrel. The casting process produces a tool with no bonded joints, which is what gives cast polyurethane pigs their run life. The Super Cast Pig uses MDI polyurethane in 65a, 75a, or 85a durometer and covers 2 inch through 12 inch lines.
When foam is not surviving the run. Foam pigs are inexpensive and conform well, but they abrade quickly and can shred against valves, tees, and weld projections, which leaves debris in the line and can cost you the tool mid-run. Polyurethane pipeline pigs cost more per unit and less per run, so the switch usually pays off on lines you clean regularly rather than one-off jobs.
Match it to line geometry and differential pressure. A softer 65a deflects more, which helps in tighter bends and on lines running lower pressure. An 85a resists wear and holds a firmer seal, which suits longer runs and higher differential pressure. 75a sits between the two and handles most routine maintenance cleaning. Since flexible pigs trade sealing force for conformability, the right durometer is the one that clears your worst fitting while still sealing at your operating pressure.
Yes. The Super Cast Pig negotiates 1.5R bends and bridges valves and tees without buckling, tearing, or shredding. One-piece construction is the reason: there is no bond line to fail when the body deflects through a fitting and recovers on the other side. This is the practical advantage cast polyurethane pigs hold over both foam and multi-piece tools on lines with awkward geometry. Foam conforms but tears; rigid tools resist wear but hang up. Flexible pigs cast in urethane sit between the two.
Choose by direction and duty. Cup pigs, available with 2 to 7 cups, seal well in one direction and suit dewatering, product displacement, and purging. The bidirectional 6-disc version can be run either way, which matters when a line has no dedicated receive facility or the tool may need to be brought back the way it came. Both are cast polyurethane pigs from the same product line, so run life and durometer options are identical. If you run both directions on the same system, standardizing on polyurethane pipeline pigs from a single product line keeps spares interchangeable.
