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Lightning Protection

Pipelines

Typical Applications

  • Oil and gas pipelines (buried or above-ground)

  • Other metal pipelines used for transport of water, slurries and other liquefied commodities

  • Cathodic protection systems

  • AC mitigation systems

  • Grounding related pipeline infrastructure, notably valve, compressor and monitoring stations

Risks and Opportunities

  • Premature pipeline failure due to natural electrolytic corrosion

  • High induced voltages on the pipeline produced by co-located electrical transmission tower accelerating corrosion processes and compromising personnel safety

  • Explosion and fire due to lightning strikes on the pipeline or related infrastructure

  • Increased energy and maintenance costs as older technology cathodic protection systems age

  • New environmental regulations that prohibit the use of traditional deep anode cathodic protection systems, driving up legal liability risks and costs

  • Premature failure of cathodic protection systems using older, traditional technologies

  • Desire to improve the financial bottom line for pipeline operations by increasing pipeline asset lifetimes and significantly reducing related operational, maintenance and inspection expenses

Potential Solutions

  • Apply advanced technology cathodic protection systems as older systems fail or lose effectiveness, doubling anode life while slashing CP maintenance and operational costs

  • Select and incorporate new cathodic protection technology that has been approved by regulatory agencies to meet the stringent new environmental regulations

  • Utilize advanced AC mitigation technology to build effective, long-life and extremely low maintenance pipeline protection systems in close proximity to electrical Tx lines

  • Have cost-effective, long life external grounding systems engineered and deployed to protect personnel and pipeline infrastructure against lightning strikes

Next Steps

Exciting new products and techniques have been developed to address age-old corrosion issues in the pipeline industry, with better, long-lived functionality, environmentally friendly characteristics and that offer excellent bottom line returns on investment (ROI). Review these advances in the links below, then call or eMail SAE Inc. for more details or to discuss your specific requirement.

Cathodic Protection
AC Mitigation
Lightning Protection
Engineering Services