Improving approaches to the design and operation of anode ground bed

Anode ground bed is the main, most important and expensive element of the electrochemical protection system. The standard service life of anodes is provided, first of all, by the materials from which they are made. In order to extend the life and reliability of the electrochemical protection system of main pipeline facilities, the authors analyzed the criteria for the operability of anode ground bed operated by the organizations of the Transneft system, conducted full-scale tests using more than 30 samples of anodes of various types and manufacturers, developed recommendations for the use of materials and designs of anode grounding electrodes depending on operating conditions. It has been founded, in particular, that in terms of the ratio of operational properties, the most acceptable materials for the manufacture of deep anode ground bed electrodes used in soil conditions are magnetite and ferrosilid. If it is necessary to provide a high anode current density in an environment with low specific electrical resistance, as well as under conditions of increased environmental requirements, it is advisable to use titanium-based anodes coated with catalytic metals or mixed metal oxides. Based on the results of the analysis of the properties of the materials of anode ground bed, operational information and field test data, the regulatory requirements of the Transneft, PJSC for the type of product under consideration were updated.