US 12,320,461 B2
Stop and go pig
Matthias Grote, Lingen (DE); and Ingo Nee, Dorpen (DE)
Assigned to Rosen IP AG, Stans (CH)
Appl. No. 17/613,329
Filed by ROSEN SWISS AG, Stans (CH)
PCT Filed May 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/064203
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 22, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/234420, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 113 385.8 (DE), filed on May 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0213999 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. F16L 55/32 (2006.01); B08B 9/055 (2006.01); F03B 13/00 (2006.01); F03B 17/06 (2006.01); F16L 55/38 (2006.01); F16L 101/12 (2006.01); F16L 101/30 (2006.01); G01N 23/223 (2006.01)
CPC F16L 55/32 (2013.01) [B08B 9/055 (2013.01); F03B 13/00 (2013.01); F03B 17/065 (2013.01); F16L 55/38 (2013.01); B08B 2209/0553 (2013.01); F05B 2220/20 (2013.01); F05B 2260/42 (2013.01); F16L 2101/12 (2013.01); F16L 2101/30 (2013.01); G01N 23/223 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pig for use in pipelines filled with a flowing fluid, the pig comprising:
a pig body,
a drive element, which can be set in rotation by the flowing fluid, disposed on said pig body,
a generator unit connected to the drive element, through which a movement of the drive element may be converted into electrical energy, and
a locking means through which a position and/or a speed of the pig inside a pipeline may be fixed,
wherein the generator unit is located inside the pig body and is also operable as a motor through which the drive element may be made to rotate and which sets the speed for the pig that is different from the flow velocity of the flowing fluid inside the pipeline,
wherein the pig is provided with an energy storage unit for electrical energy, which is connected to the generator unit, and
wherein the drive element is disposed outside the pig body such that the drive element can be set in rotation by the fluid flowing past the outside of the pig body.