Large-Scale Model Developed for Predicting the Carrier Pipe Potential Inside a Metallic Casing

Abstract

The corroding conditions of a cased carrier pipe segment are difficult to measure in the field. It is hard to know whether or how well the cased pipe segment is cathodically protected. The pipeline industry needs a tool that can predict the in situ corrosion potential of the carrier pipe in the casing annulus to determine the level of cathodic protection (CP). This work reports on a large-scale, three-dimensional computer model developed to make such a prediction. The casing wall may be treated as bare or coated on both or either of the external and internal surfaces. The carrier pipe is coated, and the coating quality inside the annulus may or may not be the same as the outside of the casing segment. The casing annulus is full of electrolytes or completely dry. The model is used to investigate the effect of several factors on the level of CP imposed on the carrier pipe in the annulus, including the coating quality on the carrier pipe, the casing wall native potentials (both external and internal), the presence of a coating on a casing wall surface, and a metallic contact (between the casing and the carrier pipe) with a variable contact resistance. The effect of the voltage variation inside the pipe metal wall is also investigated.