Conical Cup Pigs - Steel Mandral Pigs - Pipeline Pigs - Pipeline Pigging & Equipment

Pipeline Pigging · Steel Mandrel Pigs

Conical
Cup Pigs

The most versatile pig in the steel mandrel line — filling, dewatering, batching, cleaning, gauging, and product removal, with the flexibility to negotiate up to 15% reductions and deformations.

Steel Mandrel Pigs

Applications & Features

Applications

Pipeline filling and line fill operations
Dewatering before and after hydrostatic testing
Batching and product separation in multi product pipelines
Cleaning, with brush or blade equipped configurations
Gauging to verify pipe roundness and check for obstructions
Product removal and displacement
Pipelines with reductions, dents, or ovality that would stop a standard cup pig

Features

Conical cup design uses a smaller bolt circle for better sealing capability and more flexibility than a standard cup
Negotiates up to 15% reductions and deformations in nominal size pipe
Larger wear surface than a standard cup, giving longer runs between cup changes
Carbon steel mandrel body with easily replaceable polyurethane conical cups
Available in two, three, and four cup configurations, with optional brushes or polyurethane blades
Sizes 2" to 8" use center rod construction, 10" and up use bolting pattern configuration
Polyurethane cups available in varying durometers for different pressures and service conditions
Brushes available in carbon steel, stainless steel, and prostran for internally coated or plastic pipe
Can be fitted with a gauging plate machined to customer specifications

Why a Conical Cup

A standard cup seals on a fixed diameter and stops when the pipe does not match it. The conical cup is tapered and mounted on a smaller bolt circle, so it flexes as the bore changes and keeps sealing through reductions, dents, and out of round sections up to 15% of nominal size. That flexibility, combined with a larger wear surface, is why conical cup pigs handle the full range of pigging work rather than one job, and why they are the usual choice for older lines, gathering systems, and any pipeline whose internal condition is not fully known.

Available Models

Model	Cups	Cleaning Element	Typical Use
VP-2BA	2 conical	None	Batching, dewatering, line fill, and product removal where no scrubbing is needed
VP-3BA	3 conical	None	Batching with added sealing redundancy for longer runs or higher differential pressure
VP-4BA	4 conical	None	Maximum sealing for demanding batching and displacement operations
VP-2BL	2 conical	Polyurethane blades	Cleaning soft deposits, wax, and paraffin without metal contact against the pipe wall
VP-3BL	3 conical	Polyurethane blades	Blade cleaning with added sealing for longer runs
VP-4BL	4 conical	Polyurethane blades	Blade cleaning with maximum sealing and product displacement
VP-2BR	2 conical	Spring mounted brushes	Mechanical scrubbing of mill scale, rust, and hard deposits
VP-3BR	3 conical	Spring mounted brushes	Brush cleaning with added sealing for longer cleaning runs
VP-4BR	4 conical	Spring mounted brushes	Brush cleaning with maximum sealing for the most demanding operations

Specifications

Body	Carbon steel mandrel, with stainless steel and aluminum available
Cups	High grade abrasion and chemical resistant polyurethane, conical profile
Construction	Center rod type 2" to 8", bolting pattern configuration 10" and up
Sizes	2" through 48"
Bore Tolerance	Negotiates up to 15% reductions and deformations in nominal size pipe
Brush Materials	Carbon steel, stainless steel, prostran
Wearing Parts	Cups, discs, blades, and brushes are all field replaceable

Available Options

Gauging plate in aluminum or steel, varying thickness, slotted versions available
Carbon steel, stainless steel, or aluminum mandrel body
Varying cup durometers (hardness) to match line pressure and service
Disc substitution or addition for increased sealing
Transmitter or pinger cavity for pig tracking
Magnets for ferrous debris collection or magnetic detection
Customized dimensions for special pigging applications

Not sure which conical cup configuration fits your line? Tell us the application and we will spec it.