Implementing Remote Wireless Monitoring of Pipeline Integrity and Cathodic Protection

Energy and pipeline companies are wrestling to meet new, more strict, state and federal pipeline integrity requirements while trying to control operating costs. Unfortunate pipeline news events made corrosion and cathodic protection front page news. This elevated concerns to the extent that the U.S. Congress and several states are now working on legislation directed specifically toward cathodic protection practices. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation has shown new interest in regulating compliance, making adherence even more important in today’s world.
Many companies are looking to new technologies and automation for answers.  Some companies have tested and used cell phone technologies for remote pipeline monitoring. Unfortunately, ever changing cell phone technologies left companies scrambling to stay ahead of obsolescence. Effective answers to critical issues affecting public safety often are found in a combination of both old and new technology. In addition, it is important to ensure that your radio technology be backwards-compatible so that older technology can “talk” to new and future ones as well.
The key building block to a cost effective, pipeline integrity, corrosion protection program is vital, timely monitoring and reporting of cathodic protection data from remote corrosion protection field sites to a centralized data collection system complete with automated regulatory reporting. The first step in implementing this level of automation technology exists today in the form of supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA). Now there is a radio-based system that can support these requirements.
Today, multi-purpose, built-for-purpose, all-in-one, pipeline integrity automation, wireless, data communication radios are available that monitor and report all cathodic protection rectifier operations, automate rectifier interruption, monitor rectifier operational status, monitor and report pipe-to-soil potential, pipeline pressure and pipeline pigging operations. These new cathodic protection monitoring radios wire directly to field assets and feed critical pipeline information into existing company data systems without going outside the company’s firewall security protection. This presentation will discuss how to implement remote wireless new cathodic protection monitoring radios that are relatively low-cost, easy-to-install, have no licensing fees and no monthly, re-occurring fees.