Pigging Operations & Pipeline Inspection Training
Everything a pipeline hides beneath its coating and burial depth eventually has to be found another way, and pigging is how operators do it without digging up the line. From routine cleaning runs to smart pig in-line inspection surveys that map wall loss to the millimeter, pigging operations sit at the center of how a pipeline is kept clean, measured, and understood. Burraq Consulting’s course covers the operational and inspection sides of that work together.
What Is Pigging & In-Line Inspection?
Pigging is the practice of running a device (a “pig”) through a pipeline to clean debris, separate products, or gather inspection data, launched and retrieved through dedicated launcher and receiver stations. Utility pigs handle cleaning and batching; smart pigs (in-line inspection or ILI tools) use technologies such as magnetic flux leakage or ultrasonic sensors to detect and size metal loss, cracking, and geometric anomalies as they travel the length of the line — turning a pipeline’s interior into measurable, trackable data.
Who Should Attend
- Pipeline operators running day-to-day pigging operations
- Inspection engineers planning and interpreting in-line inspection surveys
- Field technicians responsible for launcher and receiver operations
Prerequisites
Basic pipeline operations knowledge is recommended.
What the Course Covers
- Pig types and their applications — cleaning pigs, batching pigs, gauging pigs, and smart/ILI tools
- Launcher and receiver operations, including safe operating procedures and common operational hazards
- Pigging program planning, covering pig selection, speed control, and scheduling for cleaning and inspection runs
- In-line inspection technologies, including magnetic flux leakage and ultrasonic methods, and what each is best suited to detect
- ILI data interpretation, covering how anomalies are sized, classified, and prioritized for follow-up
- Verification digs and data validation, and why field verification remains essential to trusting ILI results
- Common pigging problems — stuck pigs, tool malfunctions, and how operational planning reduces their likelihood
Course at a Glance
Why Train with Burraq Consulting
Burraq Consulting’s instructors bring direct pigging operations and ILI program experience from pipeline systems across the region, and this course is grounded in the operational judgment calls that matter most — knowing when a pig run is likely to get stuck, how to plan verification digs efficiently, and how to read ILI reports critically rather than taking vendor output at face value.
Certification and Next Steps
This course builds practical pigging and inspection competency. It pairs naturally with Burraq Consulting’s Pipeline Integrity Management Systems and Corrosion Control & Cathodic Protection courses for a complete pipeline integrity skill set.
Frequently Asked Questions
A utility pig performs mechanical tasks such as cleaning or product separation. A smart pig, also called an in-line inspection (ILI) tool, carries sensors that collect data on pipe wall condition, geometry, or other parameters as it travels the line.
Accuracy varies by technology and tool specification, and results are typically expressed with a stated tolerance. The course covers how to interpret ILI reports against their stated accuracy and why field verification digs remain part of a sound integrity program.
Common causes include excessive debris, significant internal restrictions, or geometric anomalies the pig isn’t rated to pass. The course covers pre-run planning steps that reduce this risk.
The course covers launcher and receiver operations at a working level, including safe operating procedure, rather than trap mechanical design, which sits more within the scope of the Pipeline Design, Construction & Commissioning course.
Run cleaner pipelines and trust your inspection data.
or contact us to arrange an in-house program for your operations team.