Foam spheres are available in various styles as with foam pigs, including bare, criss-cross, silicon-carbide, wirebrush, and plastic bristle. They are used for the same applications as standard foam pigs, however, they are able to negotiate some piping configurations that standard foam pigs cannot. Spheres can also be magazine loaded in specially designed sphere launchers for automated mechanical launching.
Note:If you are familiar with using a particular style of foam sphere or you have used a foam sphere before, please feel free to place an order. If you have never used a foam sphere or are unsure if a foam sphere is the best pig for your application, please contact us to discuss in more detail. Due to their spherical design, spheres only contact the pipe with a minimal amount of their sealing surface (approximately 15% of their diameter). This is compared to standard cylindrical pigs which are in contact with the pipe for their entire sealing length (approximately 1-1/2 times the diameter). Because of this design characteristic, spheres are more prone to losing seal while negotiating various piping configurations (i.e. elbows, tees, wyes, etc.), than standard cylindrical pigs.
