MEASUREMENTS OF CATHODIC

PROTECTION EFFECTIVENESS

Measurements of cathodic protection effectiveness play an important role in preventing the failure of underground structures such as tanks and pipelines. They also improve the safety of their operation and prevent significant property damage and environmental harm.

Subjected to these tests are:

underground metal tanks for liquid fuels,
underground pipelines (gas pipelines, oil pipelines, oxygen pipelines).

Positive results of acceptance or periodic tests allow the installation to be put into operation or extend the period of its further use. Negative results inform of the need to carry out appropriate repairs, and if repairs are not cost-effective, they lead to the decommissioning of the installation.

Testing includes:

measurements of anodes resistance and their isolation from the protected structure,
measurement of the electrical separation of the protected structure using insulating joints,
measurement of the electrical separation of the protected structure from the protective pipes and the grounding system,
measurements of anodes potential, protected structure, foreign structures adjacent to the protected structure, stationary reference electrodes,
measurements of interference due to possible stray currents,
verification of whether the protective structure’s cutoff potential relative to the Cu/CuSO₄ electrode is -0.85 V (or more electronegative).

The conditions and scope of the tests are defined by the standard PN-EN 13636:2006 – Cathodic protection of underground metallic tanks and associated pipelines.

Testing of underground metallic pipelines includes:

measurements of the unit resistance of individual sections as well as the entire pipeline relative to the ground, using either an existing or portable cathodic protection station and existing reference measurement points, known as PIs,
measurements of the tightness of the insulation coating (transition resistance) of HDD borehole before connecting the ends to the rest of the pipeline
measurements of the insulation monoblock using either the technical or potential methods,
localization of insulation coating defects using the DCVG method,
measurement of current distribution between sections of a gas pipeline equipped with reference measurement points, known as PIs,
measurement of electrolytic or galvanic isolation of the line pipe from the protective pipe,
Comparative measurements of stationary Cu/CuSO4 reference electrodes,
localization of galvanic short circuits between the pipeline and foreign structures, PE cables, or grounding systems,
measurements of resting, switching and eoff potentials at measurement points along the pipeline route.

Besides the report, upon the client’s request, photographic documentation in electronic form and specific GPS coordinates (in the WGS84 system) for the locations of cabinets, measurement points, and coating defects of the tested objects can be prepared and attached.

The conditions and scope of testing are defined by the standard PN-EN 13509:2005 Measurement methods in cathodic protection.

Our company also conducts tests in accordance with the standard PN-EN ISO 21857:2022 Prevention of corrosion on pipeline systems influenced by stray currents.

Our staff hold a current certification of competency as “Cathodic protection worker” according to PN-EN ISO 15257:2017, certification level: 4.

Measurements are performed using supervised, calibration-certified measuring equipment from various companies including: