Black powder consists of iron compounds including magnetite (mill scale), iron sulphide, sand, clay, salt, weld slag and even iron. The powder is created during gas production, or in wet gas pipelines where hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide or oxygen are present in the gas, or by bacterial corrosion of the steel. These deposits are normally black in color and can be in a dry, dust form or wet when combined with hydrocarbon liquids, compressor oils, etc. The powder is then distributed through the pipeline with the gas flow, but is deposited when the velocity is not high enough to keep it moving (Dr John Smart – “Movement of Black Powder in Pipelines”). As sediment is deposited, the flow in the pipeline is disrupted and reduced, thereby allowing more sediment to accumulate. System through puts are affected and energy costs increased to maintain design flow rates. Blockage can occur especially during cleaning and damage caused to plant such as compressors.
Pigging plays an important role in the management and prevention of the formation of black powder. Inline services designed our BD6 Foam Disc pig to have superior wiping action, when considering liquids removal, especially after hydrostatic testing and using a Pit Cleaning Pig™ for removing debris from corrosion pitting. If there are a large amount of deposits, removing too much at once could plug the line and methods such as progressive pigging or bypass pigging will minimize the risk.
Black powder is a significant problem in natural gas pipelines. Helping our clients take a more proactive approach to black powder removal is why Inline Services remains an innovator in the pipeline pigging industry. It is essential to remove black powder and clean the pipeline thoroughly prior to running In Line Inspection Tools or “ILI” tools. Costly down time and line failures caused by the powder can be avoided by following a thorough cleaning procedure that includes using a variety of pipeline cleaning pigs. To ensure Black Powder doesn’t become a problem, Inline Services can assist in developing a comprehensive pigging program to help avoid the potential for blocking the line or having to deal with large volumes of debris after cleaning.
27731 Commercial Park Road
Tomball, Texas 77375
Tel: +1 -281.401.8142
Toll-Free: +1 -888.973.0079
Fax: +1 -281.401.8147
Simple Pigging System with Drop-Out
Simple Pigging System Closure
This animation demonstrates a simple pigging system closure. Inline’s VIPRS pig is positioned in the launcher as the product is run through the pipeline. At the end of the product run, the VIPRS pig is launched to remove all product from the line. The pig will trigger the indicator to alert that the pig has reached the end of the line.
Bi-Directional Pigging
This animation demonstrates Bi Directional Pigging. Inline’s VIPRS pig positioned in the launcher as product is run through the pipeline. At the end of the product run, the VIPRS pig is launched to remove all product from the line. When the VIPRS pig reaches the JB receiver, the propelling media is turned-off. When this happens the VIPRS pig is resting at the jail bar in the JB receiver; propellant is used on the receiver side of the pig to return it to the launcher.
Automated CIP System
This animation demonstrates a fully automated VIPRS bi directional pigging process system with CIP. Inline’s VIPRS pig is first positioned in the pig launcher. The product is pumped from the storage tank to the destination. The VIPRS pig is then launched to push the remaining product to the destination and captured in the VIPRS wash chamber at the destination station. Next, the CIP solution is pumped through the line to wash the chamber and pig. Finally, the pig pushes the CIP solution out of the piping and leaving the pig clean and ready for the next product run.
