It’s Good to Know: Smart Pigs

The word "pig" doesn’t always refer to barnyard animals or chauvinistic people. It’s also the term for devices that help keep gas and oil pipelines in tip-top shape. These pigs (pipeline inspection gauges) check out the condition of pipeline walls, clean the insides of pipelines, and record data about the pipelines (including size and position) for engineers to analyze.

According to the Pigging Products & Services Association, the devices range from utility pigs (which clean and seal pipelines) to geometry pigs (which record wrinkles, bends, and dents). And so-called "smart pigs" provide even more information about the pipe and its contents, and detect corrosion, leaks, and cracks.

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