09541 Effect of Alternating Current by High Power Lines Voltage and Electric Transmission Systems in Pipelines Corrosion

Tuesday, March 24, 2009: 8:30 AM
C302 (Georgia World Congress Center)
Zehbour Panossian , Institute of Technological Research, São Paulo, Brazil
Sergio Eduardo Abud , Institute of Technological Research, São Paulo, Brazil
Neusvaldo Lira de Almeida , Institute of Technological Research, São Paulo, Brazil
Mario Leite Pereira Filho , Institute of Technological Research, São Paulo, Brazil
Eduardo W. Laurino , Petrobras Transporte S.A. - Transpetro, São Caetano do Sul, Brazil
Gutemberg Souza Pimenta , Petrobras Cenpes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
João Hipólito L. Oliver , Petrobras Transporte S.A. - Transpetro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
José Alvaro Carvalho Albertini , Petrobras Transporte S.A. - Transpetro, São Caetano do Sul, Brazil
Diogo Lima Silva , Institute of Technological Research, São Paulo, Brazil
Some cathodic protected pipelines installed along high voltage transmission lines have been presenting corrosion problems. The causes of this corrosion have been attributed to alternating current (AC) interferences coming from high voltage transmission lines and/or from electric supplying systems. There are several criteria adopted by literature to evaluate the probability of AC corrosion. However, these criteria are contradictory and inefficient, since failures due to AC corrosion have occurred in pipelines which presented electric and electrochemical parameters within the acceptable limits of those criteria. Moreover, there is no consensus regarding the mecanisms of AC corrosion. The present work has an objective to understand the mechanisms of AC corrosion and  established a new criteria for the probability of AC corrosion occurrence to suggest field measurement methodologies for evaluating the levels of AC interferences in pipelines, as well as establishing new criteria for assessment of  the probability of AC corrosion occurrence in pipelines.