Ice pigs in the pipeline

ABB is supporting the development of a technology designed to boost cleaning operations in food and drink, water, nuclear power and other process industries. Invented at the University of Bristol, ice pigging is said to promise big cost reductions and environmental improvements in a wide range of cleaning operations.

ABB supplied flow, pressure, conductivity and suspended solids instrumentation, PLCs, drives and low-voltage electrical products to help turn the research project into a practical working system.

Ice pigging pushes a plug of icy slurry under pressure through pipes to remove debris. Ice pigs will not cause a blockage and, even if a problem did occur, ice would melt.

The flow properties of ice pigs mean they can find their way around tjunctions, u-bends and awkward arrangements that might otherwise prevent pigging from being used.