State of the Art Cathodic Protection Practices and 

Equipment 

State of the Art

Definition:

The level of development (as of a device, procedure, process, technique, or science) reached at any particular time usually as a result of modern methods

Cathodic Protection 

Type

Materials

Installation

Monitor / Survey Techniques

Types of Cathodic Protection

Sacrificial Anode

Small Current Requirement• Well Coated Structures• Isolated Structures

Low to Medium Soil Resistivity

Types of Cathodic Protection

Impressed Current

Large Current Requirement• Poorly Coated Structures• Shorted Structures

High Soil Resistivity

Sacrificial AnodesMagnesium & Zinc Typical

Sacrificial AnodeZinc Ribbon

GRADE

SINGLE ANODE

PIPE

AN

OD

E

AT PIPE DEPTHTO 5' TYPICAL

5' MIN

GRADE

MULTIPLE ANODE

PIPE

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

5' TO 15'TYPICAL

10'-15' MINFOR MAGNESIUM5' MIN FOR ZINC

TYPICAL SACRIFICIAL ANODE INSTALLATION

Typical Sacrificial Anode Installation

Typical Sacrificial Anode Installation

Typical Sacrificial Anode InstallationRibbon Anode

Impressed Current Rectifier

Constant Voltage

Constant Current

Auto Potential

Pulse

Alternative PowerSolar

Thermo Electric

Wind

Hydro

Impressed Current AnodeGraphite

Impressed Current AnodeHigh Silicon Cast Iron

Impressed Current AnodeMixed Metal Oxide

- +

RECTIFIER

PIPE

PIPE

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

AN

OD

E

TYPICAL IMPRESSED CURRENT ANODE INSTALLATIONDISTRUBUTED

200' TO 500' TYPICAL

- +

RECTIFIER

TYPICAL IMPRESSED CURRENT ANODE INSTALLATIONREMOTE

PIP

E

ANODES

PIPE

- +

50' T

O 4

00'

TYP

ICA

L

ANODE WITHIN SLURRIED BACKFILL

TYPICAL IMPRESSED CURRENT ANODE INSTALLATIONDEEP

GRADE

TO ANODE JUNCTION BOXMINIMUM 2'-0" BURIAL

SURFACE CASING TO 40 FT

VENT PIPE

SAND / BENTONITE MIXTURE

ANODE LEAD WIRES / HALAR

ANODES 10 EACH ON 10 FT CENTERS

LOW RESISTANCE BACK-FILL BOTTOM FILLED SLURRIED

GRADE

10"

125'

75'

200'

Impressed Current Anode InstallationDistributed or Remote

Impressed Current Anode InstallationDeep

Storage Tank Bottom CPNew                           Existing

Vacuum Excavation

• Utility Locating• Anode Installation• Reference Cell Installation

• Test Station Installation• Depth of Cover Survey• Expose Pipeline for Coating Inspection

• Subsurface Utility Engineering

Vacuum ExcavationUtility Locate

Vacuum ExcavationAnode / Test Station Installation

Cathodic Protection Testing

Equipment

Tools

Materials

Survey Methods

+

0.000

CLEAN WATER

HIGH INPUT IMPEDANCE DIGITAL VOLT METER10 M OR GREATER

COPPER/COPPER SULFATE REFERENCE CELLCLEAN, FULLY CHARGED & CALIBRATED

TEST WIRES WITH ALLIGATOR CLIPSSELECTION OF SHORT & LONG WITH NO SPLICES

CLEAN WATERTO SATURATE THE TEST LOCATION

MISC. HAND TOOLSTO MAKE MINOR REPAIRS ON-SITE

C.P. TEST EQUIPMENT

Data CollectionRead Only                 Self Storage

Reference Cell / Electrode

SATURATED COPPER SULFATE SOLUTION

PURE COPPER ROD

COPPER SULFATE CRYSTALS

POROUS PLUG

O-RING SEAL

ELECTRODE BODY

O-RING SEAL

• Contaminated every time it gets used

Clean Regularly

Check Regularly

• The “Weakest Link” in Cathodic Protection Testing

Cathodic Protection CriteriaNACE SP0169

1. ‐850 mV with IR Drop Considered

2. ‐850 mV Polarized

3. 100 mV Polarization

CP Test Location / Test Station

+

- 0.850 V

PIPE

STRUCTURE TERMINAL

VOLT METERREFERENCECELL TERMINAL

PERMANENT REFERENCE CELL

1. CONNECT (+) LEAD OF VOLT METER TO STRUCTURE TERMINAL 2. CONNECT (-) LEAD OF VOLT METER TO REFERENCE CELL TERMINAL 3. READ & RECORD MEASURED POTENTIAL

C.P TESTING - PERMANENT REFERENCE CELL

Permanent Reference Electrode

+

- 0.850 V

PIPE

+

- 0.850 V

PIPE

C.P TESTING - PORTABLE REFERENCE CELL

1. CONNECT (+) LEAD OF VOLT METER TO STRUCTURE TERMINAL 2. CONNECT (-) LEAD OF VOLT METER TO REFERENCE CELL TERMINAL 3. PLACE REFERENCE CELL DIRECTLY OVER OR ADJACENT TO PIPE 4. READ & RECORD MEASURED POTENTIAL

VOLT METER

REFERENCE CELL

C.P. TEST STATION

STRUCTURE TERMINAL

STRUCTURE TESTWIRE

VOLT METER

PROPER REFERENCE CELL PLACEMENT

PIPE

GRADE

AN

OD

E.850V

AN

OD

E

100' (TYPICAL)

Coupon Test Station

• IR Free Potential Reads

• No Need to Interrupt:Rectifiers

Sacrificial Anodes

Foreign Bonds

• Calculate Metal Loss

Remote Monitoring

• GPS Controlled• Automatic Pipe‐to‐Soil Potential Reads

• Automatic Rectifier Voltage & Amperage Reads

• Alarm Notification• Interruption Capabilities• Cellular, Satellite & Radio Communication

Circuit Interruption

• Rectifiers & Foreign Bonds

• Sacrificial Anodes

• GPS Controlled

• Programmable Schedule

Fault Protection & Grounding

• Solid State• Induced AC Voltage Mitigation

• Stray DC Voltage Blocking

• Insulated Joint Protection

Ultrasonic Thickness (UT) Gauges

Thermite Welding

Over‐the‐LineSurvey Techniques

Over‐the‐LineSurvey Techniques

Close Interval Survey (CIS)• Cathodic Protection Potential Profile

Pipeline Current Mapping (PCM)• Maps Cathodic Protection Current Loss due to Coating Failure or Shorted conditions

Direct Current Voltage Gradient (DCVG)Alternating Current Voltage Gradient (ACVG)• Pinpoints Coating Defects

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