Design and Field Implementation of Auto Tuned Virtual Instrumentation Corrosion Controller

Abstract

Corrosion in underground metallic pipeline leads to leakage which is hazardous when oil/natural gas is transported. Rate of corrosion in metal pipeline can be controlled by impressing dc current to the gas pipeline and thereby making metal pipeline to act as cathode of corrosion cell. Proportional integral controllers are used in impressed current cathodic protection application; tuning of proportional and integral constants of these controllers requires expertise. Step open, step close and relay tuning methods are compared; relay tuning provided better results for cathodic protection application. Ziegler–Nichols tuning formulas are used to select tuning parameters based on loop response. Virtual instrumentation is used for design, development, testing and field implementation of auto tuned PI controller. Proposed auto tuned proportional integral impressed current cathodic protection controller precisely controls corrosion in pipeline by selecting optimum proportional and integral constants. Controller effectiveness is cross verified using electrical resistance probe.