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EXPERT TIP #23 – COUPONS FOR THE CORROSION INDUSTRY

In the corrosion industry, “coupons” are used in the fight against corrosion, but the term coupon is used interchangeably in corrosion monitoring. In fact, there are two general types of corrosion monitoring coupons used for entirely different purposes.

Cathodic Protection Coupons
These metallic coupons of a specific size are used to assess the effectiveness of cathodic protection (CP) systems. They are typically made of the same metal as the structure being protected. CP coupons are buried adjacent to the structure under protection, and a coupon cable or cables are routed to an above-ground test station where CP professionals can conduct CP testing. The CP coupon, which is bare metal, represents a coating defect or “holiday” in the structure’s protective coating

13 days ago

EXPERT TIP #32 – MAKING EFFECTIVE CATHODIC PROTECTION CONNECTIONS TO A STRUCTURE

During a typical cathodic protection (CP) field survey, the CP technician must make effective electrical connections to the structure under test and other metallic components.


Often, the technician will encounter an existing above-ground test station where a conductor (cable) is permanently attached to the structure under test and the other end is terminated to the test station panel. In this case, the connection to the structure is already made and is typically effective.

5 months ago

EXPERT TIP #31 – KNOWING CP SYSTEM & STRUCTURE DETAILS

When an existing CP system requires review and/or testing, the work will be to determine if the system is working correctly and/or to troubleshoot system issues. Before the fieldwork starts, it is important to review any available documentation or historical data describing the type of CP equipment and itsperformance.

6 months ago

EXPERT TIP #30 – THE IMPORTANCE OF DIELECTRIC COATINGS ON PIPELINES

Dielectric coatings play a crucial role in protecting buried pipelines from various forms of corrosion and degradation.

6 months ago

EXPERT TIP #29: THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRICAL ISOLATION FOR BURIED PIPELINES

Electrical isolation for buried or submerged pipelines is crucial for cathodic protection and the overall operational integrity of the pipeline. Effective electrical isolation can provide many technical advantages for pipeline operators.
6 months ago

EXPERT TIP #28: PREVENTING CORROSION OF CATHODIC PROTECTION EQUIPMENT

Cathodic protection prevents corrosion of pipelines, storage tanks, and other critical buried or submerged infrastructure assets that support our daily lives. When used effectively, cathodic protection (CP) and coatings are the best methods for preventing subsurface corrosion.

6 months ago

The Impact of the Mega Rule on Cathodic Protection

Cathodic Protection is essential for preventing corrosion on underground and submerged metallic structures such as pipelines. The introduction of the Mega Rule by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has far-reaching implications for Cathodic Protection practices, extending federal oversight to an additional 400,000 miles of pipelines and bolstering safety protocols.

6 months ago

EXPERT TIP #27: THE INS AND OUTS OF WIRING IN CATHODIC PROTECTION

The Use of Wire in Cathodic Protection
In the Cathodic Protection (CP) industry, as with many others, we use a vast assortment of electrical
devices with significant variations of operating ranges. For instance, reference electrodes operate at less
than one volt with currents measured in micro-amps. At the same time, large CP power supplies can
have system voltages exceeding 450 volts and up to 1,000 amperes of DC output. These electrical
devices all utilize wire of varying sizes and operating requirements, and the wire sizes can be small as
0.01” (10 thousandths) diameter to over 0.46” diameter.

7 months ago

EXPERT TIP #26: USE AND MISUSE OF AN OHMMETER

Purpose of an Ohmmeter
The modern portable digital multimeter (DMM) is an indispensable tool with many functions and
features. Typically, a DMM is used to measure AC and DC voltages and currents. In addition to these
features, they also include an Ω (OHM) function to measure the electrical resistance between two
points.

7 months ago

EXPERT TIP #25: PIPE-TO-SOIL POTENTIALS: ENSURING ACCURATE MEASUREMENT IN CATHODIC PROTECTION

The following scenario may be familiar: Your task is to conduct a PSP survey on a cathodically protected pipeline. You have history with this system and expect good levels of protection over the entire pipeline. You set up your DMM and portable CPRE to measure a PSP at a known test point and find that the reading is 50% lower than expected. As you have done many times before, you add water to the soil around the CPRE (which you probably should have done in the first place) and find that the PSP is now reading as expected.
7 months ago