About Us

Aidan O’Donoghue

Pipeline Research Limited

Aidan O’Donoghue has a wealth of experience on many diverse development projects in the Oil and Gas industry, with R&D, Pipeline Design, Product Development and now Consultancy, primarily focusing on pipeline pigging.

After some years in R&D, working for JP Kenny and Equinor, he set up Pipeline Research Limited in 1999 to provide consultancy on pigging projects, to aid the operators in this area.

Expertise includes routine and specialist applications, assessment of feasibility and how the pipeline design influences piggability. Aidan has been involved in areas such as dual and multi-diameter pigging with large diameter changes, heavily waxed pipelines, pig dynamics in gas and multi-phase lines and expert witnessing. He is also technical adviser to the PPSA (Pigging Products and Services Association).

Clients We Work For

Clients include Equinor, BP, Shell, Santos / ConocoPhillips, Total, ExxonMobil, INEOS and other operators as well as work for contractors such as Allseas, Halliburton, IKM and others.

Clients We Work For

Clients include Equinor, BP, Shell, Santos / ConocoPhillips, Total, ExxonMobil, INEOS and other operators as well as work for contractors such as Allseas, Halliburton, IKM and others.

The main emphasis is to avoid or solve problems while allowing efficient and effective pigging. Over the years, projects of note include the Barossa and Crux projects in Australia for Santos and Shell; TAP pipeline inspection; Equinor Heimdal bypass; Petrobras 9 x 16-inch development and dewaxing of the Heimdal to Brae 8-inch condensate line.

About Pipeline Research

Pipeline Research Limited offers a design, development and simulation service for pipelines and pigging. This allows a better understanding of pigging, safer passage of pigs through pipelines and innovative solutions for the challenges that face pipeline operators and pig users today.

Pipeline Research Limited also helps to organise pig testing and advise clients on when this is necessary or helpful to avoid problems.

Pipeline Observation

We cannot see into a pipeline to observe what is happening to the pigs and fluids within. We need indirect ways of assessing the efficiency of the pigging operation, the safe passage of pigs through pipelines, the status of the pipeline integrity and any deposits that may be present in the line. There are various ways in which this is being tackled.

Software aims to complement good design, testing and development, and provide design tools for pigs in general. This is the aim and goal of Pipeline Research Limited and is being implemented through the inhouse PIGLAB software.

PIGLAB Software
PIGLAB can be viewed as a “test facility” to allow an optimal pig to be designed upfront, hence reducing the need for actual testing. It can also be used in the analysis of data from such tests and possibly from Data Loggers. Data Loggers measure, whereas PIGLAB is used to predict and the combination is powerful. Finally, the insight gained from such modelling can and be used to generate new product ideas.

Aidan O’Donoghue

Pipeline Research Limited

Clients We Work For

Clients We Work For

About Pipeline Research

Pipeline Observation

28-Inch Dual Module Pig

Our Services & Software

Projects & Publications

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