Current Matters: Design and Maintenance of Cathodic Protection Systems on Pipelines

As demand for rehabilitation and installation of cathodic protection (CP) systems in Arizona grows, clients and treatment operators seek to understand and apply maintenance techniques to increase the longevity of such systems. The following paper provides insight into the design and maintenance of impressed current cathodic protection systems and galvanic anode cathodic protection systems, and their applications in water conveyance. Throughout the project, the following items were investigated: the purpose and types of cathodic protection systems, methodology used to determine the system design, detailed maintenance criteria, utility coordination, impressed current cathodic protection system design, and test station rehabilitation and installation for a 48-in. ductile iron pipe (DIP) raw water transmission main (RWTM).