DESIGN OF IMPRESSED CURRENT

CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEMS

Advanced Corrosion Course

2017

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OBJECTIVES

“To Provide Corrosion Control Personnel with the Basic

Information to Properly Design an Impressed Current
Cathodic Protection System for a Given Structure”

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PARAMETERS TO BE DISCUSSED
• Current Density Requirements for Cathodes
• Anode Requirements
• Groundbed Layout
• Circuit Resistance & Electrolyte Resistivity
• Rectifier Input & Output Specifications

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 A REVIEW OF

IMPRESSED CURRENT

FUNDAMENTALS
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WHAT IS CORROSION?

“The Deterioration of a Material, Usually a Metal

or Alloy, Because of a Reaction with its
Environment”

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WHAT IS CORROSION?

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WHAT IS CATHODIC PROTECTION?

“The reduction or elimination of corrosion by making

a metallic structure cathodic with respect to the
electrolyte in which it is installed”

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HOW DO WE DO THIS?
(Where Does The Protective Current Come From?)

Galvanic System

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GALVANIC CURRENT SYSTEM

• Usually Magnesium
• Can Be Zinc
• Direct Connect
• Sometimes By Header Cable

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WHERE DOES THE PROTECTIVE CURRENT

COME FROM?
External Source
Impressed Current System

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IMPRESSED CURRENT SYSTEM

• Transformer
• Power Supply
• + & - Cables
• Anode
• Cathode
• Dielectric Isolation

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ANODE CONSUMPTION RATES

(Impressed Current)

HIGH LOW

• Magnesium • High Silicon Chromium

• Zinc • Bearing Cast Iron

• Aluminum • Treated Graphite

• Scrap Steel • Mixed Metal Oxides

• Cast Iron

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APPLICATION
for Impressed Current
• Protects Large Structures
• Protects Structures That Require Large Amounts Of Current
• Can Replace Depleted Galvanic Systems
• (Depleted Anodes Can Act As Holidays)

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ADVANTAGES OF AN IMPRESSED
CURRENT SYSTEM
• Variety of Applications with Flexibility
• Adjustable Voltage and Current Outputs
• Can Protect Large Areas or Structures
• Can Be Automatically Controlled

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DISADVANTAGES OF AN IMPRESSED
CURRENT SYSTEM

• Increased Maintenance Requirements

• Higher Operating Costs
• Stray Current
• Initial Cost of Installation
• Possibility of Cable Failure

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RECTIFIER FAILURES

• 3% Power
• 6% Anodes
• 33% Cable
• 58% Rectifier

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USEFUL DESIGN INFORMATION

Pipeline Material
Steel (grade), cast iron, wrought iron, or other?
What is the known electrical resistance?

Diameter
Weight/Foot
Wall Thickness

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USEFUL DESIGN INFORMATION

Coating
What type of coating?
What are the coating characteristics?

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USEFUL DESIGN INFORMATION

• Leak History, CP History?
• Test Stations?
• Welded or Coupled Joints?
• Taps?
• Insulators?
• Are Maps or Drawings Available?
• Foreign Structures?
• Other Stray Current Sources?
• HVAC or HVDC?
• Operating Temperature?
• Is AC Power Available?

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DESIGN OF AN IMPRESSED CURRENT

GROUNDBED

The Initial Steps

Select Groundbed Site

Select Groundbed Type

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SELECTING A SITE
Soil Resistivity
Very important factor
Affects the number of anodes and rectifier outputs
Low resistance = Low output voltage
Low resistance = Smaller rectifier

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SELECTING A SITE
Soil moisture

Soil Moisture at Anode depth

Usually Soil Resistivity Decreases as Moisture Increases
Anodes Should Be Installed in Moist Areas
Fluctuating Soil Moisture Can be Offset by a Constant
Current Rectifier

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SELECTING A SITE
Interference With Buried Foreign Structures

•Locate groundbeds away from foreign structures

whenever possible

•Contact local Corrosion Committees or foreign

operators when installing impressed current systems

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SELECTING A SITE
AC Power Supply Availability

• Is AC power available?

• You may have to consider other options

• Solar units
• Generated power

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SELECTING A SITE
Accessibility For Work Crews

“The groundbed site selected must be accessible

to construction vehicles for groundbed
installation, testing, and repairs”

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SELECTING A SITE
Purpose of Groundbed and Site Availability

•What is the intended purpose of the groundbed?

•Protect a long section of pipe or a short section?
•Will the location fit the intended purpose?
•Can easement be obtained?

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SELECTING A GROUNBED TYPE BASED

ON SITE SELECTION
• Site availability may dictate the type of groundbed that
you use
• Expense of ROW
• Land limitations (roads, ROW’s, other utilities, etc.)
• Shallow layers of high resistance soil
• Shallow layers of low resistance soil

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED DESIGN

Conventional, Remote or Point-type Groundbed

“A type of groundbed that is usually installed

perpendicular to the pipeline and the first anode
is several hundred feet away from it”

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED
“REMOTE”

The pipeline is outside of the anodic gradient of the

groundbed caused by the discharge of current from
the anodes to the surrounding soil

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED
The main difference between a perpendicular
and parallel groundbed has to do with the
gradient effect

(Assuming the line of parallel anodes is at a

distance from the pipeline equal to that of the first
anode in a perpendicular groundbed)

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED
Another way of putting it!

How far from the pipeline do I start my groundbed?

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED
R. Rudenberg’s formula
(Used to calculate voltage gradients in uniform soil due to
an energized groundbed)

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Example:
I = 5 amperes
ρ = 10,000 ohm-cm
y = 150 feet
x = 100 feet

Vx = 4.03397 x 0.518879 =
2.093 volts

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED

If x (The distance to point x from the groundbed in ft)

is more than 10y (The length of the groundbed in soil
in ft), a simplified formula can be used.

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CONVENTIONAL GROUNDBED
Simplified Formula

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TESTS REQUIRED FOR GROUNDBED DESIGN

• Soil Resistivity Tests

• Current Requirement Tests

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SOIL RESISTIVITY TESTS

• Conducted along the route of the pipeline

• Conducted at groundbed sites

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CURRENT REQUIREMENT TESTS

Set-up a Temporary Groundbed

Driven ground rods

Guardrails
Metal fence posts
Tin foil in a stream
Portable rectifiers, DC welders, batteries

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CURRENT REQUIREMENT TESTS

• Energize the temporary GB

• Obtain “On” and “Off” readings along the pipeline

• Use a high input resistance voltmeter and copper-

copper sulfate reference electrode

• Increase the current output until protection is

achieved

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CURRENT REQUIREMENT TESTS

“If the output of the temporary groundbed is not

enough to achieve full protection, the following
process can be used to determine the correct current
requirements”

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CURRENT REQUIREMENT TESTS

Output of temporary GB = 1.25 amps

Potential Shifts
VPolarization = VgOFFAfter – VgOFFInitial

Location VgONInitial VgOFFInitial VgONAfter VgOFFAfter VPolarization

Test Station #1 -1.236 -0.660 -1.546 -0.830 0.170

Test Station #2 -1.219 -0.650 -1.525 -0.840 0.190

Test Station #3 -1.221 -0.670 -1.434 -0.810 0.140

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CURRENT REQUIREMENT TESTS

Required Shift = 0.850 - 0.670 = 180 mv
Lowest Shift = 140 mv
Total Current Required to Meet -.850V Polarized

Lowest Voltage Shift Current Used During Test

=
Required Voltage Shift Current Required (X)

0.140v = 1.25A
0.180v X

X = 1.607A

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2017 Underground Corrosion Short Course Design of Impressed Current Cathodic Protection Systems- Period #

Design Step #1 –
Calculate Current Requirement
• Current Response Testing

• Theoretical Current Calculations

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Theoretical Current Calculation

• IT = Area * Current Density * % Bare

• For Pipelines:
– Area = π*d*L

• Current Density = 2 mA/ft2 (bare steel)

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Design Step #2 -
Determine Number of Anodes

W = Consumption Rate*Desired Life*Required Current

Utilization Factor

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Design Step #3 –
Calculate Groundbed Resistance
• Use Formulae on Pages 24 and 25 for Different
Groundbed Types/Configurations
• Single Vertical (Deep Anode)
• Multiple Vertical
• Single Horizontal
• Multiple Horizontal

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Calculating Anode Resistance to Earth -

Single Vertical Anode
Single Vertical Anode (H.B. Dwight Formula)

0.00521ρ  8 L 
RV = ×  ln − 1
L  d 
Where =

Rv = Resistance-to-earth of single vertical anode-to-earth in ohms

ρ = Layer soil resistivity in ohm-cm
L = Anode length in feet
d = Anode diameter in feet

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Design Step #3 –
Multiple Vertical Anodes
Multiple Vertical Anodes in Parallel (Erling D. Sunde Formula )

0.00521ρ  8 L 2L 
RV = ×  ln −1 + ln 0.656 N 
NL  d S 
Where =

Rv = Resistance-to-earth, in ohms, of the vertical anodes connected in parallel

ρ = Layer soil resistivity in ohm-cm
L = Anode length in feet
N = Number of vertical anodes in parallel
d = Anode diameter in feet
S = Spacing between anodes in feet

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Design Step #3 –
Single Horizontal
Single Horizontal Anode (H.B. Dwight Formula)

0.00521ρ  4 L2 + 4 L S 2 + L2 S S 2 + L2 
RH = × ln + − − 1
L  dS L L 
 
Where:
RH = Resistance-to-earth, in ohms, of the vertical anodes
ρ = Layer soil resistivity in ohm-cm
L = Horizontal Anode length in feet

d = Anode diameter in feet

S = Twice anode depth in feet
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Design Step #4 –
Determine Rectifier Voltage Size
• Determine Total Circuit Resistance

• RTotal= RGroundbed + RStructure + Rcable

• RStructure = Rcoating /Area (Table II, pg. 17)

• Cable Resistance is usually negligible unless

traversing really long distances

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Structure-to-Earth Resistance

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Structure-to-Earth Resistance

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Cable Resistances (pg 33)

RC= Rcable x Lcable

Where:

Rcable = Standard resistance of cable (pg 34)

Lcable = Length of cable used (figure 4-1)

Lcable= Lnegative + Lpos(1) + 1/2Lpos(2)**

** = Average current in Lpos(2) is ½ total current because of parallel

anodes
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Design Step #4 –
Determine Rectifier Voltage Size
• Use Ohms Law
• V = IR
Where:
I = Current Required
R = Total Circuit Resistance

R = groundbed + cable + structure-to-earth

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