CATHODIC PROTECTION

At IOCL, ensuring our pipelines and other facilities operate safely is the most
important aspect to our business.
Cathodic protection is a common method used in various industries that uses a
low electric current to prevent corrosion of metal structures such as pipelines,
tanks, steel-pier pipes and offshore oil platforms.

CORROSION :

Corrosion is a naturally destructive phenomenon that occurs when some metals

are exposed to the environment. The reaction between air, moisture and the
metal substrate gives rise to specific chemical reactions that cause the metal to
convert to its more chemically stable oxide, hydroxide or sulfide form. In
iron-based metals, such as steel, corrosion comes in form of iron III oxides, also
known as rust.

For electrochemical corrosion to occur, three ingredients must be present: an

anode, a cathode and an electrolyte. The anode and cathode are usually
connected via a continuous electrical path while both are immersed in the same
electrolyte. During this process, the anode experiences corrosion, while the
cathode remains unaffected.

There are various methods to prevent and control corrosion. One of these is
known as cathodic protection (CP).This technique works by connecting the metal
to be protected to a more easily corroded “sacrificial metal”. This sacrificial metal
corrodes preferentially (acting as the anode) while the more valuable metal
object under consideration (acting as the cathode) remains protected.

To understand cathodic protection, you must first understand how corrosion is

caused. For corrosion to occur, three things must be present:
1. Two dissimilar metals
2. An electrolyte (water with any type of salt or salts dissolved in it)
3. A metal (conducting) path between the dissimilar metals
The two dissimilar metals may be totally different alloys – such as steel and
aluminum – but are more likely to be microscopic or macroscopic metallurgical
differences on the surface of a single piece of steel. In this case we will consider
freely-corroding steel, which is non-uniform.
If the above conditions exist, the following reaction takes place at the more
active sites: (two iron ions plus four free electrons).

2Fe => 2Fe++ + 4e-

The free electrons travel through the metal path to the less active sites, where
the following reaction takes place: (oxygen gas is converted to oxygen ion - by
combining with the four free electrons - which combines with water to form
hydroxyl ions).

O2 + 4e- + 2H20 => 4 OH-

Recombinations of these ions at the active surface produce the following

reaction, which yields the iron-corrosion product ferrous hydroxide: (iron
combining with oxygen and water to form ferrous hydroxide).

2Fe + O2 + 2H2O => 2Fe (OH)2

This reaction is more commonly described as 'current flow through the water
from the anode (more active site) to the cathode (less active site).'

How does cathodic protection stop corrosion?

Cathodic protection prevents corrosion by converting all of the anodic (active)
sites on the metal surface to cathodic (passive) sites by supplying electrical
current (or free electrons) from an alternate source.
Usually this takes the form of galvanic anodes, which are more active than steel.
This practice is also referred to as a sacrificial system, since the galvanic anodes
sacrifice themselves to protect the structural steel or pipeline from corrosion.
In the case of aluminum anodes, the reaction at the aluminum surface is: (four
aluminum ions plus twelve free electrons)

4Al => 4AL+++ + 12 e-

and at the steel surface: (oxygen gas converted to oxygen ions which combine
with water to form hydroxyl ions).

3O2 + 12e- + 6H20 => 12OH-

As long as the current (free electrons) arrives at the cathode (steel) faster than
oxygen is arriving, no corrosion will occur.
HOW ELECTRICITY HELPS PREVENT CORROSION :

Cathodic protection is a technical approach to ensure the safety and integrity of

its pipeline systems.
For protection of steel pipelines, it has been used since the 1930s. Over time, it
has proven so effective that it is now required as a standard pipeline protective
safety measure.

In its simplest form, metal rods called anodes are connected and placed in close
proximity to the pipeline. Using the system, anodes become more susceptible to
corrosion, bearing the burden of the corrosion in order to protect the buried pipe.
The system is isolated from above ground pipeline facilities. It does not affect
adjacent buildings, fences or other structures and is not hazardous to people or
animals.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS :

A cathodic protection system is designed in accordance with regulatory

requirements and pipeline industry codes and practices giving consideration to:
- Length of pipeline to be protected
- Thickness of the pipeline coating
- Soil characteristics including
- Type of soil (i.e sand, clay, loam)
- Corrosive nature of soil
- Soil resistance to passage of electrical current
 - Parallel routing to other buried pipelines and high voltage electric transmission
lines.

These factors help determine the amount of current that must flow through the
system, and the voltage required to achieve the required current level. The
system is then designed, built and maintained to achieve the required electrical
current flow in order to protect the pipeline from corrosion.

COMPONENTS OF A CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEM :

- Rectifiers
- Anode ground beds
- Conductive material
- Test leads

Cathodic protection uses a rectifier to convert Alternating current (AC) power to

Direct current (DC). AC power is generally used in households and DC power is
generally found in batteries like those found in your car or used in a flashlight. On
one side, the rectifier output is electrically connected to the pipe, and on the other
side, it is connected to anodes (metal rods). The rectifier is usually sited adjacent
to existing power lines in the area. Anodes are buried in groups (referred to as
ground beds) along the pipeline and are backfilled with a carbon based
conductive material to improve their effectiveness. As long as the electric current
flows from the pipeline through the rectifier to the anode bed, as shown in the
diagram, exposed pipe metal is protected from corrosion.

The distance between rectifier units depends on the current requirements of the
system. Current requirements are based on different soil types. Efforts are made
to co-locate the equipment at other facility sites such as pumping stations or
valve sites.

The effectiveness of the cathodic protection system is measured using test leads.
Essentially, test leads are monitoring locations that check the cathodic protection
voltage levels. They are attached to the pipeline approximately every two to three
kilometers and are typically installed at public road and railroad crossings, and at
existing pipeline crossings.

Basic considerations when designing sacrificial

anode systems
The electrical current an anode discharges is controlled by Ohm's law, which is:

I=E/R

I= Current flow in amps

E= Difference in potential between the anode and cathode in volts
R= Total circuit resistance in ohms
Initially, current will be high because the difference in potential between the
anode and cathode are high, but as the potential difference decreases due to the
effect of the current flow onto the cathode, the current gradually decreases due
to polarization of the cathode. The circuit resistance includes both the water path
and the metal path, which includes any cable in the circuit. The dominant value
here is the resistance of the anode to the seawater.
For most applications, the metal resistance is so small compared to the water
resistance that it can be ignored (although this is not true for sleds or long
pipelines protected from both ends). In general, long, thin anodes have lower
resistance than short, fat anodes. They will discharge more current but will not
last as long.
Therefore, a cathodic-protection designer must size the anodes so that they
have the right shape and surface area to discharge enough current to protect the
structure and enough weight to last the desired lifetime when discharging this
current.
As a general rule of thumb:

The length of the anode determines how much current

the anode can produce, and consequently, how many
square feet of steel can be protected. The cross section
(weight) determines how long the anode can sustain this
level of protection.

TYPES OF CATHODIC PROTECTION (CP) :

1) Passive cathodic protection :

In passive cathodic protection systems, the sacrificial anode is connected

directly or indirectly to the metal to be protected. The potential difference
between the two dissimilar metals generates adequate electricity to form an
electrochemical cell and drive galvanic or bimetallic corrosion.
This type of protection is commonly used in oil and gas industries.

2) Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) :

In large structures, it may not be feasible to use passive cathodic protection

methods. The number of sacrificial anodes required to deliver enough current to
provide adequate protection can either be unrealistic or impractical. To address
this, an external power source is used to assist in driving the electrochemical
reactions. This technique is known as impressed current cathodic protection
(ICCP). ICCP systems are ideal for protecting lengthy structures, such as
underground pipelines. The flanges of connecting pipes are usually insulated
using isolation kits to separate the pipes into smaller, more manageable sections
for the purposes of ICCP protection.

LIMITATIONS OF CATHODIC PROTECTION :

In large pipeline networks, there may be many crossings, parallelism and
approaches near the pipeline’s CP system. DC interference may occur between
pipelines, which accelerates corrosion. In order to overcome this problem,
pipelines can be electrically coupled, either directly or through resistance.

For coated pipelines, cathodic disbondment may occur due to high CP levels
where the applied coating quality is poor. Higher temperatures may also promote
cathodic disbondment. High pH environments are also a concern in terms of
stress-corrosion cracking.

PIPE TO SOIL POTENTIAL (PSP) :

The voltage potential (emf) generated between a buried pipe and its surrounding
soil, the result of electrolytic action and a cause of electrolytic corrosion of the
pipe.

1) PIPE TO SOIL POTENTIAL (ON POTENTIAL) :

The potential of a pipeline at a given location is commonly referred to as the

pipe to soil potential. It results from the corrosive electrolytic reaction between
the buried pipe and its surrounding soil (the electrolyte). It is actually measured
between the pipeline and a reference electrode (most commonly copper
sulphate), placed in the soil directly over the pipeline. It is known as the ON
potential because the measurement is made while CP system is energised.
ON PSP must be less than 1.5 V.

2) INSTANT OFF POTENTIAL :

When a pipe to soil measurement is made the pipeline potential will appear to
be more negative then its true potential, due to IR drop errors. The instant OFF
measurement corrects for these errors; the CP current is briefly interrupted to
produce a true pipe to soil potential. This is a truer measure of the level of
protection afforded to the pipeline.
OFF PSP must be greater than 0.85 V and less than 1.2 V.

CORROSION COUPONS :

Corrosion coupons are pre-weighed and measured metal strips which are
mounted in a special pipe system called a coupon rack. They are used to
estimate the rate of metal corrosion by comparing the initial weight with the
weight 60,90 or 120 days of exposure.

Corrosion coupons are of two materials:

- Weld material
- Pipe material

Corrosion coupons are installed in a system with the intention of predicting the
corrosion rate for the entire system. The obvious flaw with this reasoning is that
the flow and temperature through a corrosion coupon rack will never duplicate
the corrosion forces elsewhere in most systems. There is little effect on the
coupon by temperature which would typically be a severe corrosive effect in
actuality.

PIGGING

Pipeline pigging refers to the practice of using devices or implements known as

‘pigs’ to perform various cleaning, clearing, maintenance, inspection,
dimensioning, process and pipeline testing operations on new and existing
pipelines. For existing operational pipelines pigging is normally performed without
stopping the flow of the product in the pipeline. The pigs can be of differing
materials and configurations such Polyurethane open cell Foam, Cast
Polyurethane and Rubber.

How does the Pigging process work..

By inserting the Pig Launcher (or launching station) and then applying flow under
pressure to the rear of the device it will move into the pipeline. The force applied
by the pig as it traverses a pipeline can be calculated by multiplying the cross
sectional area of the pig by the pressure applied to the rear of the pig.
Once the pig has launched and is moving through the pipeline the differential
pressure can be calculated by subtracting the pressure in front of the pig from the
pressure acting on the back of the pig. The pig speed can be calculated by
tracking the pig at various points along the pipeline and calculating the time it
takes to arrive at each point against the input pressure and flow rate and then
converting to velocity.

Generally the outside diameter of most pigs will be sized to be larger than the
internal bore and the resultant ‘interference’ enables the pig to scrape and
remove debris as it traverses the pipeline.
When the pig reaches the other end of the pipeline it is captured in a Pig Catcher
(Receiving station) which is isolated via a shut-off valve, allowing the pig to safely
removed.

- TYPES OF PIGS :

1) Gauging, separation and cleaning pigs:

One of the most common and versatile is the foam pig which is cut or poured
out of open cell polyurethane foam into the shape of a bullet and is driven
through pipelines for many reasons such as to prove the inner diameter of, clean,
de-water and dry out the line. There are several types of cleaning in various
densities from 2 lb to10 lb foam and in special applications up to 20lb.

2) Intelligent pig:

Intelligent pigs are used to inspect the line with sensors and record the data for
later analysis. These pigs use technologies such as magnetic flux leakage (MFL)
and ultrasound to inspect the pipeline. Intelligent pigs may also use calipers to
measure the inside geometry of the pipeline.
Capacitive sensor probes are used to detect defects in polyethylene pipe oil
pipelines. These probes are attached to the pig before it is sent through the
polyethylene pipe to detect any defects in the outside of the pipe wall. This is
done by using a triple plate capacitive sensor in which electrostatic waves are
propagated outward.