Based on the background of a reducing subsea pipeline in a gas field located in the South China Sea, a multi-diameter pig with a reducing rate of 59% is designed, and its passing performance, wear resistance and dewatering performance are analyzed. A test pipeline is designed to simulate the actual reducing subsea pipeline system. Based on the test pipeline, using fresh water as the driving medium, the passing performance of the multi-diameter pig in the pipeline with a reducing rate of 59% is verified. The multi-diameter pig has a uniform fold shape on the sealing plate in the 20.32cm pipeline, and its operating pressure is up to 4×105Pa (gauge pressure), which meets the actual use requirements. Using compressed air as the driving medium, the dewatering performance of the multi-diameter pig is studied. The operating pressure of the multi-diameter pig running from an 20.32cm pipeline to a 30.48cm pipeline is higher than that of the pig running from a 30.48cm pipeline to an 20.32cm pipeline, but the dewatering performance in the former case is better than that in the latter case. The multi-diameter pig after simulation test will be applied to the dewatering of a subsea reducing pipeline in a gas field in the South China Sea.
CAO Juhang
,
ZHANG Jie
,
ZHANG Jie
,
DENG Chiyu
,
GAO Lei
,
LI Jian
,
CHEN Juan
,
LONG Xiaopin
,
YU Yuanfang
,
JIANG Bingbing
. Simulation Test of Multi-Diameter Pig Based on a Subsea Pipeline in a Gas Field in the South China Sea[J]. Ocean Engineering Equipment and Technology, 2025
, 12(1)
: 28
-36
.
DOI: 10.12087/oeet.2095-7297.2025.01.04