This 12'', 15.96Km long shale gas line was built & operated in 1999, equipped with a pig valve on the launching site and a receiver on the receiving site. It never has ILI since 1999 since it is “unpiggable” for MFL. Thus the pipeline internal information is known. Meanwhile, during the routine pigging cleaning, according to pipeline operator that, the valve has a fault that unable to be fully opened or shuttled, that causes the cleaning pig often launching failure. Under such working conditions, it is quite challenge to provide a fantastic ILI solution.

After site information survey, and under the condition of pig valve unchangeable and unrepairable, PIGPROX ILI team decided to insert PIGPROX ILI tool into the 700mm nipple at downstream of the pig valve instead of traditional pig valve launching. A customized design was implemented for the PIGPROX ILI tool to ensure meet the process requirements, and it was ultimately successfully applied in one time, that provides a new concept solution of unconventional ILI.

Totally 2365 internal metal losses, 50 weld anomalies and 5 dents were detected by PIGPROX ILI tool, and the 5 defects including 2 dents, 2 internal metal losses and 1 weld anomaly were chosen and verified successfully. The accurate inspection data outcomes is able to provide meaningful and effective solution for pipeline integration management.