Study and speed control of a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG).

This article seeks to develop a technique for controlling the speed of a Prototype PIG using a bypass valve, electronically operated to attenuate or eliminate speed peaks. A Prototype PIG and a Test Laboratory were used for the experimental tests. The Prototype PIG has an innovative bypass valve, which uses the energy of the fluid transported for its activation. This valve allows diverting part of the fluid inside the Prototype PIG, taunting a pressure decrease upstream, entailing a decrease in speed. The recommended speed is in the range of 2 m/s to 7m/s in gas ducts. With the results achieved, this article aims to solve a problem in the oil and gas industry in which instrumented PIGs currently travel the entire pipeline without speed control.