Corrpro Awarded Cathodic Protection Contract

The Corrpro Canada Calgary office has been awarded the cathodic protection design, material supply, installation and commissioning contract for the Express crude oil pipeline. The 24-inch diameter pipeline is 783 miles long and runs between Hardisty, Alberta and Casper, Wyoming.

The Canadian segment comprises 270 miles of pipeline, 6 pump stations and the shipping terminal. The American segment comprises 512 miles of pipeline and 11 pump stations.

Because of the complexity of the project, technical capability was the primary reason for the selection of Corrpro. Corrpro's ability to complete the field work and system installation using personnel from Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta for the Canadian work, and from Billings, Montana for the U.S. work, was a distinct benefit considering the cross-border nature of the pipeline.

The pipeline routing included common use rights-of-way which presented unique problems for the design engineers. In some instances, the common right-of-way was with existing, high voltage power lines where the influence of induced alternating current on the new pipeline was a concern. In other instances, the common right-of-way was with foreign pipelines where the effects of electrical interference from other rectifier-groundbeds had to be considered on the Express pipeline, while the electrical interference from the proposed Express rectifier-groundbeds had to be considered for its effects on the foreign facilities.

The final cathodic protection design employed deep anode beds powered by transformer/rectifier units manufactured by RTS Electronic Manufacturing, a Corrpro subsidiary. The rectifier units were designed to interface with the pipeline's SCADA system so that the applied voltage and current could be monitored during collection of other pipeline operating parameters. Incorporated with the rectifiers, Corrpro developed Pulse Generators which will be used in conjunction with Waveform Analyzers by field personnel to measure IR drop free potentials during annual potential surveys.

The pipeline operation commenced in February 1997 and the cathodic protection systems will be energized within approximately one month of pipeline startup.