Patent ID: 6409843
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: B08B,F16L

Abstract:
A method of injecting pigs into a pipe at a pig injector valve, in which the pig injector valve has an interior rotatable ball with a bore formed within the ball, the bore and the ball forming a rotatable pig receiving chamber having a length L, the method comprising:(a) storing plural pigs in a magazine connected to the pig injector valve; (b) rotating the ball of the pig injector valve to be in position to receive a pig and to stop the flow of fluid in the pipe; (c) moving a pig from the magazine into the pig injector valve; (d) rotating the ball of the pig injector valve to open the pig injector valve, thereby restoring the flow of fluid in the pipe, in order to release the pig in the pipe; (e) moving the pig away from the pig injector valve with fluid pressure in the pipe; and (f) subsequently repeating steps (b)-(e) with a second pig.