ADVERTORIAL operational, financial and environmental benefits:
• Minimised product loss: Valuable product is recovered rather than flushed to waste, increasing yields and reducing overall losses
• Faster cleaning & changeovers: Although not a replacement for full cleanin-place( CIP) procedures, pigging significantly reduces the time, water, solvent or chemical volumes required for cleaning. This results in faster changeovers and increased production uptime
• Reduced waste & disposal costs: Pigging systems help decrease the volume of flush water, solvents and other waste streams, lowering treatment and disposal requirements
• Lower risk of crosscontamination: A clear physical interface is created between batches, helping to maintain product integrity and avoid contamination
• Improved process efficiency & sustainability: Reduced reliance on water, energy and cleaning chemicals supports both resource efficiency and environmental compliance
• Rapid return on investment: Most chemical manufacturers achieve a return on investment within six to 12 months, driven by higher product recovery, lower cleaning costs and reduced downtime
Key components of a pigging system
A complete pigging system includes several critical components:
• The pig: A specialist projectile that removes residual liquid from pipelines. Fully detectable, durable and designed for compatibility with chemicals
• Launch, receive & return stations: Also known as pig stations, their main purpose is to
introduce the pig safely into the product line, propel the pig to and from source and destination, and store the pig when it’ s not in use.
• Pig housing: When the pig is not in use, it resides in a special housing called the pig housing, which is slightly larger than the pig to enable CIP.
• Pig detectors: Track the pig’ s location in real time for accurate, controlled operation and process safety.
• Control system: Manages the pigging sequence through PLCs or integrated automation, reducing manual intervention and improving efficiency.
• Valves & actuators: Direct product, propellant and pig flow, configured for your process layout and materials.
Proven success across chemical sectors
Case study 1: European silicone gel manufacturer
This company encountered significant product loss and crosscontamination during manual pipeline flushing. Residual gel mixed with subsequent products, leading to costly disposal and quality concerns.
The HPS solution was two fully automated pigging systems, enabling near-complete product recovery and reducing contamination risk to nearly zero. The result: lower disposal costs, improved yield and increased overall productivity.
Case study 2: US chemical producer
The large-scale facility experienced considerable waste— approximately 60 gallons( 273 L) of product lost per changeover, totalling $ 5 million / year. Prolonged cleaning cycles also limited production capacity.
HPS technology recovered most of the residual product, reduced downtime, and significantly lowered cleaning and disposal costs. The system paid for itself within weeks of implementation.
Case study 3: Speciality chemical manufacturer
A major chemical production facility in Louisville, Kentucky, faced challenges with product losses during batch changeovers— approximately 19 gallons( 86 L) of product were being wasted per batch. This amounted to an estimated $ 48,000 / year in product loss alone.
HPS provided a 3-inch( 7.6 cm) Schedule 10 Pigging System to recover residual product, cut waste and speed up changeovers. Additional savings are expected from reduced water and disposal costs, delivering a fast payback and high ROI.
Case study 4: Sustainability in paint manufacturing
An independent report analysing water- and solvent-based paint production found that pigging reduced carbon emissions by 2.6 tonnes CO 2 eq./ changeover. For sustainabilityfocused companies, pigging delivers both financial and environmental value.
A future-proof solution
As the industry faces ongoing challenges from shifting regulations,
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