Corrosion Prevention and Metallurgy Manual 1200 CP for Pipelines

buried pipeline, a polarization shift of at least 0.1 volt in the negative direction is
assumed to provide adequate protection. See Section 1214.

Current Density
In some cases, particularly for steel in sea water, current density is used as the
design criterion. In sea water, the normal current requirement is 5 to 15 milliamps
per square foot of bare steel.

Point of Minimum Protection

Because of attenuation, voltage varies with distance along a pipeline. With a
uniformly coated line protected from a single drain point, the point of minimum
protection (least negative potential) will be the end most remote from the drain
point. With a multiple-drain-point system, points of minimum protection will exist
between drain points. One of the main problems encountered in field tests on pipe-
lines is to determine the locations of these points of minimum protection. Once
these points have been located, it is normally a relatively simple matter to adjust the
system (assuming it is adequately designed) to achieve adequate protection at these
points and thus complete protection of the line. See Section 1700 for determination
of points of minimum protection.

Bare and Poorly Coated Lines

Thus far the discussion has been strictly applicable only to uniformly coated pipe-
lines. In practice one sometimes encounters bare lines, lines partly wrapped and
partly bare, and coated lines that vary widely in coating quality from point to point.
Coated lines with inconsistent coating quality pick up relatively more current from
the soil where the coating is poor; therefore, larger potential drops are found in the
soil adjacent to the poorly coated sections, and the pipe-to-soil potentials in these
areas are lower (the line is less negative with respect to adjacent soil) than in nearby
areas of good coating. Where lines are partly coated and partly bare, this effect is
even more pronounced; the pipe-to-soil potential at a bare area will normally be
much lower than that at an adjacent coated area, even though the coated area may be
more remote from the drain point.
The potential of bare pipeline buried in soil of uniform resistivity varies along the
line like that of a uniformly coated line. However, a bare line in soil with widely
varying resistivity from point to point has current pickup largely concentrated in
areas of low soil resistivity, with large potential drops in the soil and low pipe-to-
soil potentials resulting in these areas.

Attenuation
When current is drained from a buried or submerged pipeline, the line is made more
negative to its surroundings. Current is picked up from the soil (or water) and flows
in the pipe toward the drain point. The current flow in the line and the potential
change are greatest at the drain point and decrease with distance from the drain
point. This decrease of voltage and current with distance is called attenuation. The
attenuation rate is influenced by pipe resistance, coating conductivity, polarization,
line length, and termination method (insulating flange or metallic connection to

Chevron Corporation 1200-5 August 1999