摘要 |
<p>A method and gelatin pig is provided for scraping and cleaning tubulars. The gelled, cleaning pig has a body comprised of gelled technical gelatin which has a hardened outer layer. The pig is molded in a size sufficient for the periphery of the body to contact the interior wall of the tubular to be cleaned. The outer surface of the gelatin is hardened by merely exposing the outer surface of the gelatin to the atmosphere (i.e. air) or by applying a hardener (e.g. aldehyde) to the outer surface. In operation, the gelatin pig is inserted into and passed through the pipeline to scrap and clean same. The pig is bio-degradable which can be accelerated by adding a bio-reactive agent, e.g. yeast, to the gelatin.</p> |