Patent ID: 7644463

Claim:
The method of retrieving a pipeline pig which has no through bore from a pipeline comprising providing a retrieval pig comprising a spear operable to penetrate through said pipeline pig from the proximate end to the distal end, sealing cups which sealingly engage the bore of said pipeline, a flow path through said retrieval pig, a valve to vent the area between said pipeline pig and said sealing cups into the bore of said retrieval pig but which does not allow flow from said bore of said retrieval pig back into said area between said pipeline pig and said sealing cups, and a gripping area on said spear, providing a tubing string from an entry point into said pipeline to said retrieval pig, deploying said retrieval pig to the location of said pipeline pig, spearing said pipeline pig in order to make a circulation path between the proximate end and the distal end of said pipeline pig, recovering said spear with said pipeline pig attached.