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Atlas helps major pipeline company with complex PIG retrieval

The challenge

The pipeline company is a major provider of natural gas to Louisiana. In October 2010, the plant lost a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge) in one of the pipes they were trying to clean. The PIG got sucked the wrong way, and came through a valve. Fitted with two rubber discs on each end, the PIG’s body was approximately 30 inches O.D. and 40 inches long, and ultimately cracked the pipe it was stuck in. "We knew the approximate location of where the pig was located in the pipe, we just couldn’t pin point the exact location ourselves," explains the company’s Assistant District Manager. "We didn’t have access to the right equipment at the time, so we had to call upon a third-party to get the situation resolved, so we could get the plant up and running again as soon as possible to minimize shutdown period." While waiting for the emergency crew, the team shut the station down, located the device, and cut the pipe open upstream to allow easier access for the camera tool.

The solution

The staff had immediately called a third-party company to the site to address the challenge. Unfortunately, it soon transpired that the crew showed up with only a push camera on hand which eventually could not do the job, so they were sent home. "Their tool was simply not designed for our type of environment, nor was it designed to go where it needed to go within the pipe," adds the Assistant District Manager. "So we looked online for inspection cameras, found Atlas Inspection Technologies, and called them right away after evaluating they had the expertise and equipment needed to do this specific inspection."

The Atlas team dispatched immediately from its nearby local operations center, and arrived on the scene, fully equipped with all the tools they needed to tackle the situation. Once on site, the technician quickly assessed the challenge and recommended the use of a small robotic, explosion-proof pan-tilt EEX crawler to get into the pipe and visualize the PIG. "Atlas’ solution provided us with a confirmation of the exact location of our problem, and the team helped us improvise on the spot," continues the Assistant District Manager. "We ended up doing some creative rigging to set up the mobile vehicle another six inches up, so it would not scrape the bottom of the pipe. The team was more open than the other company we initially used to looking at other possible solutions when the original plan did not work."

The business results

With Atlas’ prompt response, expert know-how, and technology, the pipeline company minimized its plant shutdown period. "We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety," concludes the Assistant District Manager. "We want to make sure our operations remain as safe as possible to protect the public, our employees, and our pipelines’ operational integrity. Atlas brought their deep expertise and creativity to help us in a complex application. They worked together with us to get the job done, and were very professional. They did whatever we required them to do without question. I would recommend Atlas Inspection Technologies for PIG and FOD retrieval situations. We will certainly call upon their services again if we need to."