Pig Launchers & Receivers
Overview
Pipeline equipment is engineered to support integrity management, operational availability, flow assurance, and safe maintenance throughout the pipeline lifecycle. Mechasol provides pipeline equipment as standalone items or integrated stations/skids, including pigging facilities, quick opening closures, handling systems, insulation joints, and compression packages.
Mechasol designs are driven by:
Pipeline diameter & pig type
Design pressure / temperature
Fluid phase (gas / condensate / crude / multiphase)
Slugging and debris load
Sour service requirements (H₂S / CO₂)
Safety class & operability philosophy
Codes & standards (ASME VIII, ASME B31.3/B31.4/B31.8, API, NACE/ISO 15156, PED/ATEX)
Types
Pig Launchers
Pig Receivers
Temporary Pig Traps
High Pressure Pig Traps
Sour Service Pig Traps
Quick Opening Pig Traps
Pig Handling Systems
Pig Loading & Unloading Systems
Pig Signaling Systems
Pig Tracking Systems
Pig Storage & Transfer Systems
Monolitic Insulation Joints
Natural Gas Compressor Packages
Key Engineering Parameters (applies across all pigging equipment)
Process & Mechanical Inputs
Design pressure (bar/g, ANSI class)
Design temperature (°C)
Line size (NPS/DN) and piggable ID
Fluid: gas / liquid / multiphase; density, viscosity, solids content
Corrosion allowance (CA) and erosion risk
Sour service: H₂S partial pressure, CO₂, chlorides (ISO 15156/NACE)
Materials: CS, LTCS, SS, duplex; impact testing requirements
Coating/paint system (C3–C5M etc.) and insulation (if required)
Operational Inputs
Pigging frequency (daily/weekly/monthly)
Pig type: foam, brush, cleaning, gauging, intelligent pig (ILI)
Pig length & weight; lifting/handling method
Operations: manual vs assisted vs automated handling
Required venting/depressurization philosophy
Drainage & handling: closed drain / oily water / flare tie-in
Safety: interlocks, LOTO, mechanical key transfer
Pig Launchers & Receivers (Pig Traps)
Features:
Designed to ASME B31.4 , ASME B31.8 and ASME Section VIII Div. 1 Codes
All pig receiver and pig launcher systems come with the sand blasted and primer coated and color of your choice
All welds are 100% inspected and tested
All pig receiver and pig launcher systems are hydrostatically tested
Supply of Scrapper (Pig) Traps with Quick Opening Closures
Quick Opening Closures provided with Pressure warning device and mechanical interlock system
Traps capable of handling specific type and no. of pigs
Material of Construction is Carbon steel or Stainless steel as required including NACE specification
Flow Tees, Barred Tees, Anti-spark Pig Receiving Trays
Pig Handling System with Jib crane, etc.,
Pig traps are pressure vessels designed to safely insert/remove pigs for:
Cleaning & debris removal
De-watering / drying
Batch separation
Inspection (ILI tool runs)
Commissioning (gauging, caliper pigs)
Core Design Elements
Barrel + reducer (concentric/eccentric based on flow/slugging)
Closure (quick opening or bolted blind)
Pig support & guiding (internal skid rails/guide bars)
Kicker line & valves (launcher) / bypass / equalization (receiver)
Drain, vent, pressure gauge points, bleed ports
Pig signaller & pig passage indicator ports
Nozzles for instrumentation and safety devices
Typical piping & valves
Mainline isolation valve(s)
Kicker line valve and restriction device (orifice/RO)
Equalization/bypass valve
Vent valve to flare/safe vent
Drain to closed drain / drain pot
Options
Pig loading tray / insertion assist (manual or hydraulic)
Nitrogen purge/blanketing connections
Debris catcher basket / internal strainer arrangements
Full-bore vs reduced-bore kicker design
Selection notes
High pigging frequency → prefer quick opening closure + handling aids
High solids → larger barrel, internal debris management, erosion lining
Typical receiver functions
Energy dissipation and pig arresting
Safe depressurization and drainage
Pig removal and storage transfer
Options
Pig arrestor / catcher (mechanical)
Integrated pig unloading cart and rails
Dedicated slug handling sump / drain pot
Debris collection section
Selection notes
Intelligent pig receiving: ensure sufficient barrel length and pig deceleration; avoid pig damage.
Temporary Pig Traps
Used for:
Construction/commissioning pigging
Hydrotest cleaning & gauging
Short-term operations
Typical features
Skid-mounted, modular support frame
Rapid tie-in spools
Simplified instrument set
Quick mobilization and demobilization
High Pressure Pig Traps
Designed for high-class ratings:
ANSI 600 / 900 / 1500 / 2500 equivalent
Thick wall barrel and closure neck
Reinforced nozzle pads and support saddles
Engineering emphasis
Closure safety integrity under high stored energy
Controlled venting and depressurization time
Stress evaluation (local loads at closure/nozzles)
Sour Service Pig Traps
Designed for sour gas / sour multiphase:
Material selection per ISO 15156 / NACE MR0175
HIC/SSC resistant steels (as required)
Controlled hardness and weld procedure qualification
Coating system suited for sour and external marine atmospheres
Options
Corrosion monitoring ports
Chemical injection points for inhibition
Internal coating / CRA cladding options by service