48-Inch Magnetic Pig Recovers Foreign Material from a Challenging Natural Gas Pipeline
After several cleaning pigs were damaged while traveling through a challenging natural gas pipeline, the operator needed a custom pig that could navigate the entire pipeline section and recover components left behind by a previous cleaning pig.
Enduro designed, built, and shipped the 48-inch magnetic cleaning pig within five business days.
Project Overview
48-Inch
Natural Gas Pipeline
44 Miles
Pipeline Section Completed
5 Business Days
Designed, Built, and Shipped
Foreign Material
Recovered from the Pipeline
The Challenge
Several cleaning pigs had been damaged while traveling through a challenging 48-inch natural gas pipeline. One of those pigs lost components inside the line, including nine ½"-13 x 12" bolts with associated nuts and washers, as well as a 48-inch urethane cleaning pig cup.
The operator needed a pig capable of accomplishing two demanding objectives: successfully navigating the 44-mile pipeline section without sustaining damage and recovering as much of the remaining foreign material as possible.
Previous cleaning pigs that ran through this section arrived severely damaged, making durability and traversability essential design requirements. The customer was also working under an urgent project schedule and needed the recovery pig quickly.
The Enduro Solution
A Custom Pig Designed Around the Pipeline
Enduro designed, built and shipped a custom 48-inch ADV-3D-2CC-MG magnetic cleaning pig within five business days.
The pig was configured around the known pipeline conditions, previous pigging results, foreign material requiring recovery and the project objective—not nominal pipeline diameter alone.
Application-Specific Design Features
- Discs sized specifically to accommodate the pipeline’s 1.00-inch and 1.44-inch extra-heavy wall sections
- Fluted cups providing additional flexibility
- 85-durometer urethane cups and discs
- Magnetic assemblies attached to specialized mounts that positioned the magnets closer to the pipe wall to help capture the bolts, washers and other ferrous debris
- A configuration developed to maintain sealing performance while navigating the challenging line
Every component was selected to balance flexibility, sealing performance, durability and magnetic recovery capacity throughout the 44-mile run.
The Run
The customer launched the Enduro pig through the 44-mile natural gas pipeline section. During the run, the pig briefly stopped at each location where previous cleaning pigs had encountered difficulty.
The critical difference was that the custom Enduro pig continued through each area, completed the full pipeline section, and arrived at the receiver without damage.
The Results
Foreign Material Recovered. Pig Received in Excellent Condition.
The Enduro pig was received in excellent condition. Its cups and discs were in good shape, with no uneven wear, gouging or other reported damage.
The magnetic assemblies recovered:
• Seven of the nine reported ½"-13 x 12" bolts
• Several washers
• Additional foreign metal debris
• The 48-inch cleaning pig cup
Although the pig did not recover two of the nine reported bolts during this run, it retrieved most of the targeted metallic components, recovered the large cleaning pig cup, and completed the full pipeline section without damage.
Recovered 48-inch cleaning pig cup
Bolts, washers and foreign metal debris recovered from the pipeline
Why the Result Matters
This application demonstrates why custom pig design must account for more than nominal pipeline diameter. The pig needed sufficient flexibility to accommodate heavy-wall sections and difficult locations while maintaining the durability, sealing performance and magnetic capacity required to recover large foreign objects.
It also demonstrates Enduro’s ability to move rapidly from application review through design, manufacturing and shipment. Within five business days, Enduro delivered a custom-engineered recovery pig that successfully navigated a section where previous cleaning pigs had sustained severe damage, retrieved most of the targeted metallic components and returned in excellent condition.
Designed, built and shipped in five business days
Completed the full 44-mile pipeline section
Recovered foreign material and returned without damage