The main pipeline is 2" dia. thin wall, mild steel pipe welded into a pipeline 50 meters long.
The total electrical resistance of this pipeline is 0.186 ohms and it therefore represents
a 36" dia 1/2" wall steel pipeline 1500 long in electrical circuit terms.

Sand

This section of the pipeline is layed and backfilled to the highest specifications found on cross-country pipelines thoughout the world.
These circumstances are found when weather conditions are good at the time of construction and there is an efficient team of trained pipeliners carrying out the work with no pressures to complete the job in a hurry.
There must be a plentiful supply of good quality sand that has not got a particularly high value on the local market.
The construction company would have had good quantity survey and inspection services in place.

grass and organic

This type of backfill is common when the pipeline crosses agricultural land during wet weather when everyone is fed up with the job and in a hurry to get home. It is very easy to persuade the backfill inspectors to go to the comfort of a local hotel bar and the dozer drivers to push whatever is available into the ditch on top of the pipe.

rubbish

Pipelines often pass through urban areas that have been used as rubbish landfill sites in the past. The specification for backfill is usually very strict and the inspection usually good. However, in many cases there are lengths of pipeline that are backfilled with rubbish such as we have use in this section of the main pipeline. In such instances it is nearly impossible to take core samples to ascertain the pH of the electrolyte or establish the true nature of the backfill that can vary meter by meter.

good soil

Good arable top-soil is often in plentiful supply and used as backfill. This often has better conductance than surrounding ground and will affect the path taken by the cathodic protection current and must be considered when interpreting the voltage measurements.

grey sand

This grey sand has different qualities to the brown sand. The colour is the result of the differing chemical composition of any material and is a good indicator of that component of the corrosion configuration.

granite pieces and chips

native spoil






water crossing


The pipeline passes under concrete with no sleeve and under ashphalt with a sleeve.

The anulus between pipe and sleeve has spacers and no filler.

Sleeve

The sleeve has a vent and no coating.



An impressed current cathodic protection system is installed, and can be connected to all pipelines.

Transformer/rectifier


Sacrificial anode on main pipeline


The main pipeline has a sacrificial anode that can be switched to enable a hybrid system to be analysed.



Second pipeline


The second pipeline is 12 M long and runs in a continuous wayleave from the main pipeline.

Sacrificial anode attached to second pipeline.


The third pipeline is a T off from the second but not connected. It crosses the first pipeline allowing for interference to be simulated and studied.

Third pipeline

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A variety of equipment allows the whole system to simulate most forms of interference and complications.

Equipment




A physical electrical model is being made concurrent with the construction of the training centre.

Model


This will reflect the measurements and readings obtained by a variety of techniques and procedures.



A computer model is being developed to simulated the whole training center layout
as an equivalent circuit enabling circuit analyses to be carried out using
standard electronic software if necessary.

Computer software


Soil samples have been taken at selected locations.

Soil samples


A control panel is being constructed to display the training area and simulate the automatic control of a pipeline system.

Control panel