Retrieve small inspection devices from operating pipelines without shutting down or reducing flow.

Upstream Vee’s “SID-Sucker” is a double-valved isolation chamber with a patented, collapsable low-drag dip net that can extract small inspection devices (SIDs) through a vertical 2- or 4–inch tee installed at the end of a pipeline inspection run. Our isolation valve system acts like an airlock, allowing SIDs to be removed without shutting down the line or reducing its flow. The Upstream Vee SID-Sucker has been designed to be used on pressurized lines between 4 and 12 inches in diameter where there may be high Reynolds number flow.

SIDs are smaller-than-the-pipe-diameter sensing platforms that move with the pipeline flow

Easy-to-deploy Small Inspection Devices (SIDs), like the Xylem’s SmartBall and the Ingu Piper, are used to screen for active corrosion, monitor nearby construction activity, and identify illegal hot taps. They are often used as the second form of leak detection per USA CFR 49.B.1.D Part 195, sections 134, 444, and 452. They are launched by dropping them into a valved tee on the upstream side of the pipe.

Retrieving SIDs is hard. It can require line modifications, pipeline shutdowns, or flow restrictions.

Retrieving SIDs can be challenging. Pigging valves or barred pig receivers are expensive to install, operate, and maintain. Witching hats and sieves create low-pressure zones, causing drag and restricting flow. They also require shutting down the line to remove the SID. The best retrieval solution is an isolation valve system, which acts like an airlock, allowing SIDs to be removed without shutting down the line or reducing its flow. Upstream Vee’s SID-Sucker provides this solution.

The SID-Sucker, developed at the request of Chevron’s Technology Development Group, was designed to overcome the challenges of retrieving SIDs.

The Upstream Vee SID-Sucker has been involved in two Chevron trials of the Ingu Piper. The embedded video below shows Chevron’s first trial of Ingu Pipers on an 8-inch water line at the PRCI test loop in Houston. Our device can be seen retrieving Pipers at 1:41, 2:17, 3:09, and 3:22. Launching occurs at 2:13.

The USV SID-Sucker makes using SIDs simple

1. It makes SID extraction as safe and simple as using SIDs
2. Extract SIDs without shutting down the pipe
3. It was designed for small crews with light equipment
4. Initial installation is cheaper and simpler than alternatives
5. Designed for common operating pressures
6. Designed for viscous and fast flows