A novel smart caliper foam pig for low-cost pipeline inspection - Part B: Field test and data processing

Pipe in-line inspection by “intelligent” pigs is a fundamental oil and gas industry practice but still considered as an exceptional operation. In fact, the instrumented pigs used for such purpose are expensive and delicate tools with non-negligible risks of sticking inside the pipeline, thus making their deployment rather rare. In Part A of this paper we presented a novel smart foam pig, with sensing capabilities analogous to those of a multi-channel caliper pig, but characterized by very low operating risks due to its high capability to negotiate restrictions and its very low likelihood of creating obstructions, hence encouraging more frequent pipeline inspection campaigns. The present Part B discusses the results of the pig field tests. The processing and visualization for interpretation of acquired raw data are carried out through a dedicated software. A comprehensive analysis of the data acquired on two test campaigns on an 8 km pipeline in Italy is reported and the comparison with information gathered adopting a commercial In-line Inspection (ILI) pig is discussed.