GIRARD INDUSTRIES

Industrial > Industrial Products

In 1958 Harry Girard, a manufacturer of polyurethane protective enclosures for delicate technical instruments at the time, provided a California oil company with polyurethane foam cylinders for removing moisture and debris in natural gas pipelines.

Although these foam cylinders cleaned the pipeline, their effective life was relatively short. Mr. Girard began the process of developing a variety of patented coatings and geometrical shapes to extend the life of these foam cylinders. Thus was the birth of a product now recognized throughout the world pipeline industry as the "Polly-Pig".

During the next decade many factors contributed to the importance of pigging pipelines. The proliferation of new pipelines required pigs specially designed to remove construction debris and prove out the line. Removal of condensate became an important factor in reducing internal corrosion as the pipelines aged. The practice of "batching", i.e. separating similar products with special pigs, allowed greater transmission efficiency by eliminating the necessity of completely evacuating the pipeline to change product. Older pipelines began to require very aggressive pigging to remove internal deposits which were restricting flow and dramatically increasing transmission energy costs. These new demands lead Harry Girard to create his own company Girard Industries as a pipeline pig manufacturer.