Description

What Is a Decoking Pig?

A Decoking Pig is a studded polyurethane tool that scrapes hard coke from refinery furnace tubes. Operators run this mechanical decoking pig through fired heater coils, transfer lines, and charge heaters. Tungsten studs break carbon and iron-sulfide scale from the inner wall. Pressurized water flushes the loosened coke ahead of the pig into a collection tank. Refineries use it for delayed coker decoking and in crude, visbreaker, and vacuum units during turnarounds. The tool cleans without the heat of steam-air methods, so tube metal avoids thermal fatigue and corrosion. A Decoking Pig also serves as a heavy-duty cleaner for pipelines carrying very hard deposits that foam pigs cannot shift. Its flexible foam core passes short-radius return bends, plug headers, and U-bends with ease. This mechanical method keeps furnaces efficient, restores heat transfer, and extends coil life between outages. The pig also prepares coils for downstream intelligent inspection.

What Are the Key Parameters?

We size each polyurethane decoking pig to your tube diameter, coke hardness, and service medium. Our standard build covers 1 inch through 12 inch lines and suits both studded and solid bodies. The table lists the core specifications we ship from stock. We also offer custom stud patterns, off-spec diameters, and special hardness grades for severe coke. Every pig uses a flexible foam core wrapped in polyurethane. Tungsten carbide studs are sealed into the body for even wall contact. We machine bodies in our own shop, so lead times stay short. Each order ships with a material certificate and a factory test report. Share your line size, pressure class, and coke type, and we confirm the exact configuration. Drawings follow your tube standard so the pig drops in without field modification. Our engineers review scale readings to set the right stud grade. Common sizes stay in stock for fast turnaround.

Parameter	Specification
Size range	1 inch – 12 inch (DN25 – DN300)
Body material	Polyurethane over flexible foam core
Studs	Tungsten carbide, uniform radial pattern
Hardness grades	80 / 85 / 90 Shore A (soft / medium / hard)
Operating pressure	150 – 250 psi (typical, water driven)
Cleaning coverage	360-degree circumferential, bi-directional
Bend navigation	Short-radius return bends, U-bends, plug headers
Variants	Studded, solid, progressive bypass
Standards	NACE passivation for stainless steel tubing

How Does the Decoking Pig Work?

A Decoking Pig works by mechanical scraping inside the process tube. Crews insert the pig at the launcher and drive it with pressurized water from a pumping unit. As it travels, the tungsten studs scrape coke layers from the wall. Water flows around the pig and carries the debris ahead into a collection tank. The pig runs in progressive steps, starting smaller and growing to full bore. This fired heater tube decoking action gives 360-degree tube cleaning with no blind spots. Operators monitor pressure and flow to track the pig’s position and resistance. Bi-directional control lets the pig clean both ways without retrieval. The method removes coke without heat, protecting the tube wall from gouging and fatigue. Crews size the first pig below bore and step up until the line runs clean. Progressive bypass keeps flow moving so the unit never stalls.

Why Choose the Decoking Pig?

Five reasons refiners specify our pig for furnace turnarounds. Our build gives a safer, faster alternative to steam-air and chemical decoking.

• The studded decoking pig removes the hardest coke without thermal damage to tube walls.
• Adjustable Shore A hardness matches soft or hard coke for safe, complete cleaning.
• 360-degree coverage cleans bends, plug headers, and U-bends in a single pass.
• Bi-directional control cuts passes and lowers abrasion on furnace coils.
• Lightweight PU body negotiates short-radius bends and reduces stuck-pig risk.

Every pig ships with a size certificate and a pressure-test report for full QA traceability. We also tune stud pattern and hardness to your exact coke profile. Spare bodies and custom sizes keep multi-unit jobs on one delivery plan.

Who Is EMT and Why Trust Us?

EMT is a dedicated manufacturer of pipeline pigging and cleaning equipment. Our ASME U Stamp certifies compliant pressure-vessel production. In-house CNC machining centers, automatic welding stations, and a hydrostatic test bay control quality at every step. We pressure-test each unit and ship a test certificate with every order. EPC contractors, refiners, and maintenance crews in over 30 countries run our gear. We respect tight turnaround schedules and offer expedited delivery. Our engineers reply in English, Spanish, Russian, or Chinese within four working hours. Field reports from each job feed our next design update, so the pig keeps improving. Beyond the Decoking Pig, we supply QOC quick-opening closures, corrosion monitoring systems, chemical injection quills, and pipeline cleaning pigs. We deliver turnkey pigging solutions from design through commissioning. Clients reuse our drawings across plants, which simplifies spare planning. As a single-source supplier, we cover your full system under one quality standard.