Is a Stuck Pig Creating an Operational Blind Spot?
- Home
- Solution Finder
- Is a Stuck Pig Creating an Operational Blind Spot?
Overview
A pig lodged inside a pipeline disrupts inspection schedules, blocks chemical batch treatments, prevents future pigging, and creates uncertainty about pipeline condition.
Without knowing the pig’s exact location, remediation planning is speculative and interventions risk being both costly and ineffective.
Why It Happens
Pigs can become stuck due to unexpected pipeline geometry changes, flow assurance deposits ahead of the pig, loss of driving differential pressure, or mechanical failure. Conventional attempts to locate stuck pigs rely on pressure and volume estimations that can be inaccurate over long distances, leaving operators with a wide search range and no clear action plan.
How It Can Be Fixed
Use Paradigm’s Find-Block® acoustic pressure-wave technology to pinpoint the stuck pig location to an accuracy of up to 0.1% (approximately 1 m/km). Once the exact location is confirmed, Paradigm can advise on the optimum remediation approach typically Pipe-Pulse® pressure surges or Flexi-Coil® physical intervention to dislodge and recover the pig.
Why Paradigm
Paradigm’s Find-Block® is a proven, globally deployable service that can be mobilised within 24 hours to locate stuck pigs and full-bore blockages. In a documented North Sea case, Find-Block® precisely located a stuck pig at 15.6–15.7 km when pressure/volume estimates had placed it somewhere in a 4–9 km range — enabling a targeted bypass solution. This end-to-end capability (locate with Find-Block®, then remediate with Pipe-Pulse® or Flexi-Coil®) is unique to Paradigm.
Case Studies
Paradigm Production Enhancement
Related Cases
Services
An expert from Paradigm can assist our customers during operations. Please contact us for further information.
Pipe-Pulse® is a non-intrusive technology which delivers controlled pressure pulse waves into high pressure lines, creating a dynamic force at the face of a blockage enabling its displacement from the
Products
Paradigm Group BV is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit button, you consent to allow Paradigm Group BV to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.