Custom Pipeline Cleaning Pigs
Standard cleaning pigs work well for many pipeline applications. But when a pipeline has unusual geometry, changing diameters, heavy or hardened deposits, difficult bends, or unique operating requirements, an off-the-shelf configuration may not be enough.
Enduro Pipeline Services designs and manufactures custom pipeline cleaning pigs for applications where standard configurations reach their limits. Our team evaluates the pipeline conditions, the material that needs to be removed, and the operational objective to develop a pig configuration for the specific challenge.
From tandem cleaning pig trains and dual-diameter designs to specialty brush configurations and the Enduro Hammer Wheel Pig, our custom builds are designed, manufactured, assembled, and tested in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Custom Pig Design Starts With the Pipeline Problem
A custom cleaning pig should not begin with a standard configuration and a list of optional components. It should begin with understanding the pipeline and the objective of the run.
Enduro's cleaning pig team evaluates factors such as:
- Pipeline diameter and internal diameter changes
- Bend radius and pipeline geometry
- Launcher and receiver limitations
- Type, hardness, and volume of debris
- Paraffin, scale, black powder, or construction debris
- Sealing and bypass requirements
- Previous pigging results
- Operating conditions
- Cleaning, batching, displacement, or pre-ILI objectives
Based on those conditions, the design may incorporate specialized cup or disc arrangements, brushes, magnets, scraping elements, studded components, tandem configurations, flexible connections, or other application-specific features.
The objective is not to make a standard pig more complicated. It is to build the right tool for the pipeline problem.
When Does a Pipeline Need a Custom Cleaning Pig?
A custom cleaning pig isn't necessary for every pipeline. In many applications, a proven standard configuration will accomplish the cleaning objective effectively.
The need for a custom design usually becomes clear when the pipeline conditions, debris, operating requirements, or previous cleaning results indicate that a standard configuration may not be enough.
At Enduro, we start by understanding the application—not by assuming the solution needs to be custom.
What We Evaluate Before Recommending a Custom Configuration
Pipeline Geometry
Nominal diameter is only the beginning. Actual internal diameter, wall-thickness changes, bends, valves, reducers, tees, diameter transitions, launcher and receiver dimensions, and other restrictions can all influence pig design and passage.
What You're Trying to Remove
Black powder, mill scale, paraffin, rust, construction debris, liquids, and other deposits behave differently inside a pipeline. The contaminant helps determine whether brushes, magnets, scraper components, specialized cups or discs, or another cleaning action should be considered.
What Previous Runs Are Telling Us
A returned cleaning pig provides valuable information. Debris volume and type, component wear, damage, differential pressure, pig speed, and changes between runs can help determine whether the same configuration should be run again or whether the cleaning strategy should change.
Operating Conditions
Pressure, flow, product, expected pig speed, available differential pressure, and bypass requirements can influence both pig performance and cleaning effectiveness.
The Objective of the Run
Routine maintenance, product separation, debris removal, commissioning, dewatering, and preparation for inline inspection do not necessarily require the same cleaning approach. The pig should be designed around what the operator ultimately needs to accomplish.
Custom Doesn't Mean Adding More Components
A more complicated cleaning pig isn't automatically a better cleaning pig.
Adding brushes, magnets, scraper blades, additional sealing elements, or more aggressive components without understanding the application can create new challenges.
Sometimes the right answer is a specialized tool.
Sometimes it's a modification to an existing design.
And sometimes the best recommendation is to keep the configuration you already have and run it again.
The goal is not to build the most aggressive or complicated pig possible.
The goal is to build—or recommend—the right pig for the job.
Bring Us the Difficult Applications
Some of Enduro's most interesting cleaning pig designs have started with a customer telling us what hasn't worked.
Our team can review pipeline geometry, operating conditions, previous pigging results, debris characteristics, cleaning objectives, and inspection requirements to help determine the next step.
If a standard cleaning pig will accomplish the objective, we'll tell you.
If the application requires something different, our team can work with you to develop a configuration around the actual conditions in your pipeline.
Already tried something that didn't work? That's useful information. Send us what you know, and let's start there.
Did You Know?
Some of Enduro’s most specialized cleaning pig designs began with a specific problem in a specific pipeline. The Hammer Wheel Pig was originally developed to remove hard-packed calcium carbonate from an 18" pipeline. When a 30" line later presented a similar challenge, the concept was adapted to meet the new pipeline conditions.
Enduro Hammer Wheel Cleaning Pig Custom-designed for extremely difficult debris conditions and hardened deposits.
Hammer Wheel Cleaning Pig
Challenge
Extremely difficult debris conditions.
Solution
Spring-loaded wheels equipped with pins combined with studded cleaning components.
Applications
Heavy scale • Hardened deposits • Rehabilitation projects
The Hammer Wheel Pig was custom-designed and manufactured for a pipeline experiencing significant hard deposit buildup on the pipe wall. Enduro worked closely with the customer throughout the design process to develop a pig that could address the specific cleaning challenge and deliver the performance required for the application.
Following the successful run, the pig was retrieved in good condition, demonstrating both the design's durability and its effectiveness in the field. The cleaning operation removed approximately 50 gallons of hardened debris from the pipeline—material that had resisted the customer's previous pigging efforts.
This successful project highlights the value of collaboration between Enduro and our customers, combining application-specific engineering with proven manufacturing to solve complex pipeline-cleaning challenges and restore pipeline efficiency.
Tandem Cleaning Pig Train
Custom tandem configuration for aggressive large-diameter pipeline cleaning.
Challenge
Large-diameter pipeline requiring aggressive cleaning performance.
Solution
Custom tandem pig train designed and manufactured in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Benefits
- Improved debris removal
- Enhanced sealing
- Increased cleaning effectiveness
Custom Dual-Diameter Cleaning Pig
Designed for pipelines with changing internal diameters.
Challenge
Pipeline with changing internal diameters that requires the cleaning pig to maintain effective sealing and cleaning contact.
Solution
Custom dual-diameter cleaning pig designed to travel through multiple pipe diameters while maintaining cleaning performance.
Benefits
- Maintains sealing through diameter changes
- Provides effective cleaning in multiple pipe sizes
- Reduces the need for separate cleaning configurations
- Designed around application-specific pipeline geometry
Specialty Brush Cleaning Pig
Custom brush configuration for application-specific wall contact and debris removal.
Challenge
Need for additional scraping action.
Solution
Custom brush-equipped cleaning pig designed to increase pipe-wall contact for debris removal and inspection preparation
Benefits
- 360° pipe wall coverage
- Increased brush contact with the pipe wall
- Effective cleaning through changing pipeline diameters
- Application-specific brush configurations
- Enhanced removal of stubborn deposits and debris
The Hammer Wheel Pig: When Conventional Cleaning Reaches Its Limits
The Enduro Hammer Wheel Pig was developed to solve a specific heavy-debris cleaning challenge.
The original design was created for an 18" pipeline containing hard-packed calcium carbonate that conventional cleaning configurations were unable to remove effectively. The pig uses spring-loaded wheel assemblies with tungsten carbide cleaning elements designed to aggressively work hardened deposits from the pipe wall while the pig travels through the line.
The original application recovered significant debris. When a 30" natural gas pipeline later presented a similar cleaning challenge, Enduro adapted the Hammer Wheel Pig concept to the larger pipeline and its specific operating requirements.
This is what custom pig design means at Enduro: understand the problem, engineer the cleaning action, build the tool, evaluate the results, and adapt proven concepts when new pipeline challenges arise.
The 30" ADV-4D-2CC-HW is an aggressive, heavy-duty cleaning pig specifically designed to remove hard, adhered debris and scale from pipeline walls. Its robust construction and high-performance cleaning components allow it to tackle stubborn deposits that conventional cleaning pigs often cannot remove, making it an ideal solution for restoring pipeline cleanliness and improving operational efficiency in challenging natural gas pipeline applications.
We first developed the Enduro Hammer Wheel Pig several years ago to remove hard-packed calcium carbonate from an 18" pipeline, where it packed the receiver full of debris. When a 30" pipeline presented a similar challenge, it only made sense to put the Hammer Wheel Pig back to work.
Once again, it exceeded expectations, proving that when conventional cleaning pigs reach their limits, innovative solutions deliver results.
Have questions about this custom design? Please contact our Director of Pipeline Cleaning & Maintenance, J.R. Morgan.
Technical Insight
Custom Doesn't Mean Starting From Scratch
Many operators assume a custom cleaning pig requires designing an entirely new tool. In reality, some of the most effective solutions come from modifying proven designs to better match the application.
Changes to cup geometry, disc spacing, brush placement, magnets, bypass, or sealing components can significantly improve cleaning performance without requiring a completely new design.
The goal isn't to build something different—it's to build something that solves the specific challenge inside the pipeline.
REAL-WORLD CUSTOM PIG APPLICATION
Custom 48-Inch Magnetic Pig Recovers All Reported Components
After a cleaning pig was damaged and left components inside a challenging natural gas pipeline, the operator needed a recovery pig designed for the line's conditions.
Enduro’s team of cleaning pig experts designed, built and shipped a custom 48-inch ADV-3D-2CC-MG magnetic cleaning pig within five business days. Specialized magnet mounts positioned the magnetic assemblies closer to the pipe wall, while application-specific cups and discs helped the pig navigate wall-thickness changes throughout the 44-mile pipeline section.
Across two successful runs, the Enduro pig recovered all nine reported bolts, associated components, additional metal debris, and the 48-inch cleaning pig cup left inside the pipeline.
5 Business Days
44 Miles
Pipeline Section Completed
Recovered Across Two Runs
All Reported Components
Designed, Built and Shipped
Pipeline Conditions That May Require a Custom Cleaning Pig
Standard cleaning pig configurations work for many applications, but certain pipeline conditions, debris challenges, or operating objectives may require a more specialized design.
Challenging Pipeline Geometry
Diameter transitions, multiple internal diameters, tight bends, unusual fittings, or launcher and receiver limitations may require specialized pig geometry and sealing configurations.
Heavy or Hardened Deposits
Paraffin, mineral scale, hardened deposits, construction debris, and other difficult contaminants may require more aggressive or specialized cleaning elements.
Specialized Cleaning Requirements
Some applications require a specific combination of brushes, magnets, scraping components, studded cups, or other cleaning elements based on the material being removed.
Multiple Objectives in a Single Program
Cleaning programs may involve debris removal, product separation, liquid displacement, gauging, or preparation for inline inspection. Pig configurations can be developed around the operational objective and line conditions.
When Standard Cleaning Pigs Are No Longer Effective
Previous cleaning runs provide valuable information. When conventional cleaning pigs continue to return without achieving the required result, the debris recovered, pig condition, and run history can help guide the design of a more specialized cleaning approach.
Custom Pipeline Cleaning Pigs Designed and Manufactured in the USA
Enduro Pipeline Services designs and manufactures standard and custom pipeline cleaning pigs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 1988, Enduro has worked with pipeline operators to develop pig configurations for routine maintenance, difficult debris removal, diameter transitions, batching, specialty cleaning applications, and inline inspection preparation
.
Our custom capabilities extend from initial application review through design, manufacturing, assembly, and delivery. Depending on the pipeline conditions and project objectives, Enduro can develop or configure:
- Steel-bodied cleaning pigs
- Foam and all-urethane pigs
- Cup and disc configurations
- Brush and magnet-equipped pigs
- Studded cleaning components
- Tandem pig trains
- Dual and multiple diameter configurations
- Specialty scraping systems
- Custom combinations of cleaning and sealing elements
Custom designs are developed around pipeline conditions and operational objectives, rather than limited to a standard catalog configuration. Our cleaning pig specialists work directly with operators to understand the pipeline geometry, debris concerns, previous cleaning results, and project requirements before recommending a solution. Designed, built, and supported by Enduro Pipeline Services in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Not Sure If You Need a Custom Cleaning Pig?
Not every difficult application requires a custom solution. If you'd like to discuss your pipeline, debris, or cleaning objectives, we'd be happy to review your application and help you determine the best path forward.
Related Pipeline Cleaning Resources.
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