Pig Launchers and Pig Receivers have been discussed many times on

"Cheresources". However, I understood that there exists a confusion regarding the

design codes to be applied for pig launchers / receivers. Today's blog entry tries to
explain the design codes related to them and some rationale for them.
Older designs of pig launchers / receivers were based on the ASME Section VIII Div.
1 pressure vessel code. While these designs still exist and work, the modern design
approach is to design them according to the connected pipeline or pipe code.
For fresh engineers new to piping / pipeline standards and codes, the following
piping / pipeline codes and standards are followed almost universally. Some
countries have developed their own standards which are also mentioned below:
1. ASME B31.3: which governs the design of process piping (code) (USA)
2. ASME B31.4 which governs the design of liquid pipelines(code) (USA)
3. ASME B31.8 which governs the design of gas pipelines (code) (USA)
4. ISO 13623:2009: Petroleum and natural gas industries - Pipeline transportation
systems (standard)
5. BS EN 14161:2011: Petroleum and natural gas industries - Pipeline transportation
systems (MODIFIED version of ISO 13623:2009) (standard) (European)
6. ISO 13703:2000: Petroleum and natural gas industries - Design and installation of
piping systems on offshore production platforms (standard)
7. PD 8010-1:2015: Steel Pipeline on Land (code) (European)
8. PD 8010-2:2015: Subsea Pipelines (code) (European)
9. CSA Z662:2015: Oil and gas pipeline systems (standard) (Canadian)
API RP 14E: Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Offshore
Production Platform Piping Systems is a 1991 recommended practice and has not
undergone a revision since 1991.
Among the aforementioned codes / standards the ASME codes are quite popular for
pipeline / piping design.
Hence a pipeline designed as per ASME B31.4 should have a launcher / receiver
designed as per the same code and a pipeline designed as per ASME B31.8 would
have launcher / receiver as per the same code. In a rare case when a pipeline is
designed as per ASME B31.3, this would apply for the launcher / receiver as well.
Designing a pig launcher / receiver as per PV code ASME Section VIII Div.1 does not
make economic sense. Generally, given the same pipeline design parameters, a pig
trap designed from ASME B31.3 will tend to be costlier than for one designed from
ASME B31.4 or B31.8 because of the difference in material grades and thicknesses.
In addition, a pig trap designed from ASME Section VIII Div.1 will tend to be more
expensive than one designed from ASME B31.3 for the same reasons.
Normally a pig launcher / receiver for "liquid pipelines" which is designed as per
pipeline code is provided a thermal expansion relief valve (TRV). This is to ensure its

protection from overpressure due to thermal expansion of trapped liquid. For gas or
two-phase fluid pipelines TRVs are not required.
Designing the launcher / receiver relief valve for external fire case is impractical
although theoretically possible. In practice pigging is an intermittent operation and
well planned and monitored. Before and after pigging operations it is ensured that
the launcher and receiver are drained / vented to prevent any residual fluid inside. If
a fire effects an empty launcher / receiver, the launcher / receiver will rupture even
before the PSV designed for fire case pops at the set pressure. So practically it does
not make a sense to have a PSV for fire case. Refer the link below for a very
enlightening discussion on PSV on launcher / receiver. Specifically the post by
don1980
http://www.eng-tips.....cfm?qid=360185
One of the reasons that engineers consider a PSV for fire case is because the pig
launcher / receiver is designed as per pressure vessel code. If it were to be designed
as per pipeline code then at the most for a liquid system launcher / receiver a TRV
(for thermal expansion) may be provided which does not require any sizing
calculations and providing a conventional 3/4 x 1" or 1"x 1-1/2" PSV would suffice.
For single-phase gas or 2-phase fluid no PSV would be required.