Effect of alternating current on cathodic protection on pipelines

In this work, the effects of alternating current (AC) on the performance of cathodic protection (CP) and the CP potential readings were investigated on a 16Mn pipeline steel in a simulated soil solution. The presence of AC interference decreases the CP effectiveness to protect the steel from corrosion. Only when CP potential is sufficiently negative, the steel is under a complete protection even when the AC current density is 400 A/m². Moreover, the AC would shift CP potential from the designed value. The effect of AC on the CP performance depends on the cathodic potential applied on the steel.     

埋地钢质管道交流干扰测试与评价

高压交流输电线路及交流电气化铁路对与其临近铺设的埋地钢质管道会引起交流干扰,产生交流腐蚀,并对阴极保护系统的安全运行带来不利影响。因此,埋地钢质管道中交流干扰的检测与评估是必要的。国内外对于埋地金属管道受交流干扰的测试与分析,主要围绕交流干扰电压、交流电流密度、腐蚀速率等参数的测试来开展。在交流干扰及阴极保护有效性评价方面,国外以交流电流密度及交/直流电流密度比为主要参量。本工作通过对交流干扰下的管地电位信号时频特征研究,得出管地电位信号时频特征与交流干扰源频率存在一致性,为检测和判定埋地钢质管道上的交流干扰提供了一定的依据。     

Effect of AC interference on the corrosion behavior of cathodically protected mild steel in an artificial soil solution. Part I: Investigation on formed corrosion product layer

AC-induced corrosion is a big threat even for cathodically protected pipelines nowadays. While this phenomenon was intensively investigated in the last decades, the corrosion mechanisms due to AC interference remain unclear. In the present work, investigations on the surface processes on cathodically protected mild steel during AC polarization have been performed. They utilized high-speed potential measurements that have demonstrated the influence of the polarization parameters on the resulting alternating voltage. The corrosion product layer was characterized with scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and Raman spectroscopy, which clearly show the effect of the parameters of the applied alternating current on the surface under different cathodic protection (CP) conditions. It was demonstrated that the properties of the formed corrosion product layer, meaning the layer thickness, amount of oxygen, and so on, is not only dependent on the AC polarization parameters but also on the CP potential itself.     

Effects of SRB on cathodic protection of Q235 steel in soils

The effects of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) on cathodic protection (CP) of the Q235 steel in the soils have been studied by bacterial analyses, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX). The results showed that the pH value of the soil around the steel gradually increased, the number of SRB and the corrosion rate of the steel decreased, and the CP efficiency increased with the increasing of applied cathodic potential. At the cathodic polarization potential of ?1050 mV, SRB still survived in the soils. At the same potential, the CP efficiency in the soil without SRB was higher than that with SRB, and the corrosion rate of the steel in the soil with SRB was much higher than that without SRB. The cathodic current density applied for the steel in the soil with SRB was bigger than that without SRB at the same cathodic potential.     

杂散电流干扰和阴极保护作用下碳钢腐蚀规律研究

目的探讨杂散电流和阴极保护二者共同作用对碳钢腐蚀的影响。方法在碳钢管表面手工涂刷涂层并制造小块破损点,研究Q235碳钢在涂层破损后,受单纯直流杂散电流干扰、单纯阴极保护以及二者共同作用时随时间变化的电化学交流阻抗图谱(EIS),通过图谱信息以及图谱数据拟合进行分析。结果所有条件下,Bode图低频阻抗和Nyquist图容抗弧半径都随时间延长而逐渐增加。通过图谱和数据拟合发现,单纯杂散电流条件下,杂散电流越大,电化学阻抗越小,浸泡15天时,20 m A杂散电流条件下的极化电阻达到200 m A条件下的4倍。阴极保护对杂散电流腐蚀具有防护作用,无论是单独施加阴保,还是杂散+阴保共同作用,-1000 m V(vs.CSE)与-850 m V(vs.CSE)横向对比,总是-1000 m V条件下的极化电阻更高。一定程度上,阴保电位越负,极化电阻越大,保护效果越好。结论在一定范围内,不论是单独施加,还是共同作用,总是杂散电流越小,阴极保护电位越负,对碳钢的保护效果越好,腐蚀程度越轻。利用电化学交流阻抗技术监测管道腐蚀状况是可行的。     

埋地管道交流干扰与阴极保护相互作用研究进展

系统地综述了交流干扰对阴保电位、阴保电流密度、牺牲阳极电位、牺牲阳极消耗速率、牺牲阳极效率等参数的影响,同时阐述了交流干扰下阴保评价准则及交流腐蚀机理的最新研究成果。最后指出了目前研究存在的主要问题,展望了该研究领域的发展趋势。     

Study of criterion for assuring the effectiveness of cathodic protection of buried steel pipelines being interfered with alternative current

Interference of alternative current (AC) on corrosion of X65 steel was investigated in soil. It was observed that the unfavorable effect of interfering AC was able to be effectively inhibited by increasing the direct current density of the cathodic protection (CP) system. A clear correlation was established between the CP current density and the tolerable AC current density. This led to a new criterion for assuring the effectiveness of CP of buried pipelines being interfered with AC. Field experimental results on a buried pipeline running below a 500 kV transmission line showed that the criterion could satisfactorily predict the risk of AC interfering on the CP system.     

Conventional and pulse cathodic protection of reinforced concrete: Electrochemical behavior of the steel reinforcement after corrosion and protection

The applicability and efficiency of an alternative for impressed current cathodic protection (CP) for reinforced concrete, based on pulse technology, was investigated. The technique, denoted as pulse CP (pCP), was evaluated on the basis of a comparative analysis to reference (non-corroding), corroding, and conventional CP conditions, in terms of long-term monitoring of electrochemical parameters for the embedded steel with time of corrosion and protection. The hereby reported results are for the total duration of the experiment, i.e., 460 days of conditioning, also presented in comparison with earlier stages. Protection was applied after corrosion was initiated (using corrosion medium of 5% NaCl), at different time intervals (here reported are starting points 60 and 150 days of age). Both CP regimes used current density of 5 or 20 mA/m² steel surface. The pulse CP was applied as a pulse-shaped block current (square wave) with the current itself being the feedback control signal, using 12.5–50% duty cycle at 500 Hz to 1 kHz frequency. Under equal environmental conditions and for a comparatively long period of application, the pulse CP was found to perform as effectively as the conventional CP with regard to electrochemical behavior of the steel reinforcement. Furthermore, the pulse CP technique was found to achieve more rapidly the so called “open circuit potential (OCP) passivity” as a result of an enhanced ion transport (chloride withdrawal) and more favorable cement chemistry (increased alkalinity around the steel reinforcement).     

Effect of cathodic protection on macrocell currents: A viable method to monitor and control the efficiency of CP?

Corrosion protection of steel reinforcement in concrete structures by cathodic protection (CP) is a cost effective, reliable, and widely accepted method to stop and prevent the corrosion of the steel reinforcement. The efficiency of CP is usually monitored by the “24 h, 100 mV depolarization criterion,” a purely empirical criterion whose implementation is cost and labor intensive and that does not allow online control of CP. Within an extended research project on CP applied to concrete members of a highway bridge exposed to penetrating moisture, three sets of macrocells (MC), each composed of five MC sensors, were installed in conjunction with concrete resistance sensors and silver/silver chloride reference cells. Chloride profiles were determined from the cored or drilled powder originating from the installation of sensors and from drilling cores. Corrosion currents, steel potentials, and concrete resistance were monitored over a period of 1 year before, after installing the CP systems (which remained switched off for half a year for evaluating the effect of the conductive coating), and after start-up of the CP systems. The CP systems applied consist of a moisture resistant conductive coating. As expected CP has a pronounced effect on local MC currents: Anodic MC currents were reduced or changed into cathodic currents, whereas cathodic currents were only weakly influenced. By adjusting the applied protection current all anodic MC currents may be changed into cathodic MC currents. Results indicate that the 100 mV depolarization criterion is a conservative criterion in atmospherically exposed concrete; it is not reliable in strongly wetted concrete. There was no consistent correlation between the CP induced changes in the local MC currents and 24 h depolarization values indicating that large potential shifts induced by CP do not necessarily imply overprotection. Results show that monitoring MC currents before, during, and after CP operation allows to demonstrate in a transparent way the effect of CP on the corrosion of the steel reinforcement. Online monitoring of MC currents is proposed as a viable and comprehensible method to monitor and control the efficiency of CP.     

X70管线钢交流腐蚀的影响因素

通过交流腐蚀模拟试验研究了交流电流密度、防腐蚀层的缺陷面积和缺陷形状对X70管线钢交流腐蚀的影响。结果表明:交流干扰下,随交流电流密度的增大,X70管线钢的腐蚀速率增大;相同的交流干扰电压下,缺陷面积越小,通过X70管线钢的交流电流密度越大,腐蚀速率越大;在圆形和不同长宽比的矩形这几种缺陷形状中,长宽比为10∶1长条形缺陷处腐蚀速率最大,矩形缺陷处交流腐蚀速率随缺陷长宽比增大而略微增大。     

Effect of pulse cathodic protection on corrosion mitigation and electrochemical conditions under a simulated coating disbondment on pipeline steel

Coating disbondments on pipeline steels are regions with high resistivity where conventional cathodic protection (CP) could not fully protect. Therefore, in an attempt to mitigate this challenge, this study investigates the effect of pulse CP on corrosion mitigation and electrochemical conditions under a simulated coating disbondment on X-52 pipeline steel. In this regard, conventional and pulse CP of ?870 mV_SCE were applied to the open mouth of a simulated coating disbondment. For pulse CP, frequencies of 1, 5, and 10 kHz were used. Results showed while the conventional CP was not able to fully protect the 20 cm simulated coating disbondment, for the pulse CP with increase in frequency from 1 to 5 kHz, and from 5 to 10 kHz, improve in CP potential protection under the simulated coating disbondment was achieved. This was accompanied by considerably lower corrosion and a more uniform pH distribution under the simulated coating disbondment.     

交流电频率对X80管线钢在酸性土壤模拟溶液中腐蚀行为的影响

通过电化学测试、浸泡实验和表面分析技术研究了交流电频率(50~400 Hz)对X80钢在鹰潭酸性土壤模拟溶液中腐蚀行为的影响。结果表明,随交流电频率的增加,X80钢的腐蚀速率逐渐减小,腐蚀程度减弱。交流电作用下X80钢生成的腐蚀产物疏松、裂纹多,对基体的保护性很差。X80钢的腐蚀电位偏移量随交流电频率的增大而减小。随交流电频率的增大,阴、阳极极化曲线的振荡幅度逐渐减弱。交流电的施加不仅使阴、阳极的电流密度增大,还使阴极反应由混合控制逐渐向活化控制转变。     

Effect of AC interference on cathodic protection monitoring

Abstract

Cathodic protection (CP) monitoring in the presence of simultaneous AC and DC interference could lead to erroneous measurements, since IR drop contribution due to both DC and AC could heavily affect potential readings. Therefore, to know the true potential (or true polarisation level), the ohmic drop contribution has to be eliminated. In literature, there is lack of agreement about the proper procedure to measure the true potential in the presence of AC. Laboratory tests on carbon steel specimens in soil simulating conditions were carried out focusing on potential measurement problem in the presence of AC through standard potential measurement procedure and the use of a potential probe. Results suggest the need of a proper methodology for potential measurement to determine reliably CP conditions.     

海南土壤中Q235钢的杂散电流腐蚀

采用扫描电镜(SEM)、能谱(EDS)和X射线衍射(XRD)等技术观察和分析了交、直流杂散电流干扰下Q235钢在海南土壤中的腐蚀形貌和腐蚀产物,并对腐蚀过程的电化学参数进行了测量。结果表明:杂散电流腐蚀具有明显的电解腐蚀特征,电流流入金属构件部位成为阴极而受到保护,电流流出金属构件部位成为阳极而受到腐蚀;交、直流杂散电流腐蚀具有集中腐蚀特征,腐蚀产物呈絮状,产物层均有明显裂纹、分层、脱落现象,对基体不具有保护作用;交、直流腐蚀产物组成大致相同,主要为Fe3O4、Fe2O3,伴有少量FeS;杂散电流的存在会加剧Q235钢腐蚀,在同等外加电流下,交流杂散电流腐蚀的危害程度是直流杂散电流腐蚀的15.9%。     

交流电干扰下-850mV(CSE)阴极保护电位准则的适用性研究

交流干扰对埋地管道阴极保护系统的正常运行产生影响,由于实际现场地下管线复杂,各种干扰因素很多。本工作利用实验室模拟装置来进行交流干扰对阴极保护系统影响的研究。对交流干扰下阴极保护电流密度和阴极保护电位变化的研究表明,经典的-850 mV(CSE)作为保护电位埋地金属管道阴极保护判据,在交流干扰存在的环境中将不再适用。     

Use of the polarisation shift criterion to evaluate cathodic protection of on-grade steel storage tanks

The cathodic protection (CP) of on-grade coated steel storage tanks deployed on reinforced concrete slabs in soils of 20–30?kΩ?cm resistivity was evaluated for two different time periods 9 years apart. The required CP current was calculated and the ohmic drop was measured using the instant-off potential method. The resulting polarisation shift is a useful indicator of the level of protection afforded and whether the potential criterion or the polarisation shift criterion is fulfilled. It was also noted that the greater the ground resistivity, the less corrosive the environment for an on-grade steel structure.     

A comparison between the simulation and experimental results of cathodic protection of oil well casings

Metallic structures such as oil well casings in contact with soil or submerged under water are subject to corrosion. Leaks that develop in the casing of a well, constitute a serious problem and are expensive to repair. Cathodic protection (CP) is the cost‐effective control of external well casing corrosion. There are certain methods to ensure that the applied CP should meet the required criteria. In CP of well casings, monitoring of potential values is often based on surface E‐log I measurement which is a cost‐ and time‐consuming method. Simulation software and numerical methods often have been used to address this issue. In this paper, simulation of CP has been done by means of a computer software with finite element capability (ANSYS 11). Potential profiles were obtained by selecting different soil electrical conductivities (single‐ and multi‐layered media) and by changing applied current density values. Experimental procedure was established to determine the accuracy of simulation data. The results showed good agreement, especially in the single‐layered medium and at higher values of applied current.     

Localised corrosion of cathodically protected pipeline steel under the effects of cyclic potential transients

Cathodic protection (CP) may lose its effectiveness for protecting buried steel pipeline from soil corrosion due to the effects of potential excursions caused by stray currents. In this work, dynamic localised corrosion processes of buried steel due to the effects of cyclic potential transients have been visualised using an electrochemically integrated multi-electrode array, often referred to as the wire beam electrode (WBE). The focus has been on the understanding of the effect of cathodic transients. The WBE maps suggest that the amplitude of cathodic transient, as well as the ratio of anodic cyclic to cathodic cyclic, can significantly affect the corrosion rates and patterns. In particular, if the cathodic transient leads to a very negative potential, e.g. ?1350?mV_vs.CSE, rapid corrosion would occur on buried steel surface. These results have implications for CP parameter selection for preventing stray current-affected buried steel pipelines.     

交流杂散电流对X70管线钢3PE防腐层下腐蚀及剥离行为的影响

目的 明确交流杂散电流对埋地管线防腐层剥离和破损处防腐层下腐蚀的影响规律及其导致防腐层剥离的作用机理。方法 通过基于COMSOL Multiphysics有限元仿真、交流阻抗谱分析及三维体式显微镜观测等方法,研究在格尔木土壤模拟溶液中,交流杂散电流干扰下,X70钢表面3PE防腐层剥离处的防腐层下腐蚀及剥离机理。结果 由于防腐层破损点和剥离区域的存在,使得防腐层的防护性能明显降低,交流杂散电流在初始预留剥离处的X70钢表面呈不均匀分布,破损点处所分布电流密度明显高于剥离区边缘处。杂散电流引起的腐蚀反应主要集中在防腐层破损点处,而处于预留剥离区域下方的X70钢表现出缝隙腐蚀的现象。防腐层破损点处的腐蚀坑深度随电流密度的增加而逐渐变深,而当交流电流密度由0 A/m2增加到100 A/m2时,防腐层剥离面积明显增大,此后,当电流密度继续增大,剥离面积基本保持不变。当施加的交流电流密度相同时,随着防腐层剥离面积的减小,杂散电流造成的防腐层剥离面积增大,X70钢试样上的最大腐蚀坑略微加深。结论 造成防腐层剥离的交流杂散电流存在临界电流密度值,使得防腐层剥离面积达到最大且之后保持不变。防腐层初始剥离面积较小时,交流电所造成的X70钢腐蚀及防腐层剥离行为更为严重。     

Impressed current cathodic protection

Development of optimum system configurations for ships using scale models (physical scale modelling) The purpose of this fundamental study was to establish optimum cathodic corrosion protection system configurations for ship hulls. Comprehensive surveys were conducted in order to develop a better understanding of the electrochemical processes occurring on a ship hull in a seawater electrolyte. The results obtained show that the performance of a system can only be evaluated when it is installed on a real object. However, once installed the location of the impressed current anodes and the reference electrodes cannot be changed if the potential distribution over the underwater hull is not optimal. Hence, a procedure had to be established that permits the development and optimisation of system configurations for future objects. A validated, experimental laboratory technique using scale ship models was established to determine the fundamentals of cathodic corrosion protection and to develop a theoretical understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The findings obtained in practice could be applied to the models. The model studies were conducted in a systematic manner and under defined conditions in German standard (DIN) artificial seawater and in a natural electrolyte. The experiments clearly showed the functional correlation between the geometric configuration of the reference electrodes on the hull and the locations of the anodes. The results reflect the interrelationships between the electrochemically more positive bronze propeller and the steel. The configuration developed in the course of the experiments provided an optimum distribution of the protection current over the entire hull model. The data from the model study were applied to the design features of the Class 123 Frigate. Subsequently, the efficiency of this procedure was evaluated on a real object in a real electrolyte. The results obtained clearly demonstrate that physical scale modelling is a rational, scientific method for the evaluation and design of impressed current cathodic protection systems.