1200 CP for Pipelines Corrosion Prevention and Metallurgy Manual

Testing Pipeline Casing Insulation

During construction, casing insulation should be electrically tested with an
ohmmeter after the pipe is installed in the casing but before it is connected to the
line on either side of the casing. Methods of testing casing insulation after installa-
tion are covered in Section 1700.

1216 Protective Devices

General
Where a pipeline parallels a high voltage ac transmission line, hazardous ac volt-
ages may be induced on the pipeline. This is discussed in Section 1100. Also, light-
ning surges may create safety hazards and damage pipeline electrical insulation.
Polarization cells, solid-state isolator-surge protectors, zinc grounding cells, and
magnesium anodes may be used to mitigate these effects [2].

Polarization Cells
A polarization cell is a device which has a very high impedance to low-voltage dc
but a very low impedance to ac and high-voltage dc. Typically, a polarization
cell consists of multiple pairs of stainless steel or nickel plates immersed in a
30% sodium hydroxide solution. It connects the protected pipeline to a low-resis-
tance grounding system in order to ground ac and high-voltage dc surges. Under
normal operating conditions the cathodic protection voltage polarizes the plates,
creating a hydrogen film on the negative plates and an oxygen film on the positive
plates, resulting in very high resistance. This film presents a very low impedance to
ac, which flows through the electrolyte without depolarizing the cell. A high-voltage
dc surge will break down the polarization films, permitting the dc to flow through
the low-resistance electrolyte.

Isolator-Surge Protectors
Isolator-surge protectors are solid-state devices that provide isolation for normal
cathodic protection voltages but present low resistance to ac and dc voltages over
about 12 to 15 volts. They can be used instead of polarization cells. Additional
information is available from cathodic protection suppliers.

Zinc Grounding Cells

A zinc grounding cell consists of two long, usually square zinc anodes (typically
1.4 inches square by 60 inches) separated by 1-inch spacers, installed in low resis-
tivity backfill. A cell is buried at an insulating flange with one anode connected to
each side of the flange. It presents a low impedance to high voltage surges and, in
low resistivity soil, may adequately ground induced ac voltages. There is no loss of
cathodic protection current if the pipe-to-soil potential does not exceed the galvanic
potential of the zinc.

August 1999 1200-8 Chevron Corporation