TM0497-2002
2
NACE International
Free Corrosion Potential: See Corrosion Potential.
Galvanic Anode:
A metal that provides sacrificial
protection to another metal that is more noble when
electrically coupled in an electrolyte. This type of anode is
the current source in one type of cathodic protection.
Holiday:
A discontinuity in a protective coating that
exposes unprotected surface to the environment.
Impressed Current:
An electric current supplied by a
device employing a power source that is external to the
electrode system. (An example is direct current for cathodic
protection.)
“Instant Off” Potential:
A measurement of a pipe-to-
electrolyte
potential
made
without
perceptible
delay
following the interruption of cathodic protection.
Interference:
Any electrical disturbance on a metallic
structure as a result of stray current.
Isolation: See Electrical Isolation.
Long-Line Current: Current through the earth between an
anodic and a cathodic area that returns along an
underground metallic structure.
Long-Line Current Voltage Drop Error: That voltage drop
error in the “off” potential that is caused by current flow in
the soil due to potential gradients along the pipe surface.
“Off” or “On”:
A condition whereby cathodic protection
current is either turned off or on.
Pipe-to-Electrolyte Potential:
The potential difference
between the pipe metallic surface and electrolyte that is
measured with reference to an electrode in contact with the
electrolyte. This measurement is commonly termed pipe-to-
soil (P/S).
Pipe-to-Soil: See Pipe-to-Electrolyte Potential.
Polarization: The change from the open-circuit potential as
a result of current across the electrode/electrolyte interface.
Polarized
Potential:
The
potential
across
the
structure/electrolyte interface that is the sum of the
corrosion potential and the cathodic polarization.
Potential Gradient: A change in the potential with respect
to distance, expressed in millivolts per unit of distance.
Protection Potential: A measured potential meeting the
requirements of a cathodic protection criterion.
Reference Electrode:
An electrode whose open-circuit
potential
is
constant
under
similar
conditions
of
measurement, which is used for measuring the relative
potentials of other electrodes.
Resistance to Electrolyte: The resistance of a structure to
the surrounding electrolyte.
Reverse-Current Switch:
A device that prevents the
reversal of direct current through a metallic conductor.
Shielding: Preventing or diverting the cathodic protection
current from its intended path to the structure to be
protected.
Shorted Pipeline Casing:
A casing that is in metallic
contact with the carrier pipe.
Side Drain Potential:
A potential gradient measured
between two reference electrodes, one located over the
pipeline and the other located a specified distance lateral to
the direction of the pipe.
Sound Engineering Practices:
Reasoning exhibited or
based on thorough knowledge and experience, logically
valid, and having true premises showing good judgment or
sense in the application of science.
Stray Current:
Current through paths other than the
intended circuit.
Telluric Current:
Current in the earth that results from
geomagnetic fluctuations.
Test Lead:
A wire or cable attached to a structure for
connection of a test instrument to make cathodic protection
potential or current measurements.
Voltage: An electromotive force or a difference in electrode
potentials expressed in volts.
Voltage Drop: The voltage across a resistance according
to Ohm’s Law.
Voltage Spiking:
A momentary surging of potential that
occurs on a pipeline when the protective current flow from
an operating cathodic protection device is interrupted or
applied.
This phenomenon is the result of inductive and
capacitive electrical characteristics of the system and may
be incorrectly recorded as an “off” or “on” pipe-to-electrolyte
potential measurement.
This effect may last for several
hundred milliseconds and is usually larger in magnitude
near the connection of the cathodic protection device to the
pipeline.
An oscilloscope or similar instrument may be
necessary to identify the magnitude and duration of the
spiking.
Wire: A slender rod or filament of drawn metal. In practice,
the term is also used for smaller gauge conductors (size 6
mm
2
[No. 10 AWG
(2)
] or smaller).
___________________________
(2)
American Wire Gauge (AWG).
Summary of Contents for CP 1
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Page 535: ...TM0101 2001 24 NACE International ISBN 1 57590 137 4 ...