The document describes the Cathodic Protection Network project to combine corrosion data and computer analysis. It involves measuring corrosion reactions using various techniques, including electronic instruments. A computer and spreadsheet can be used to model a cathodic protection system using Technotoy, which represents instruments, components, batteries, and corrosion cells. The document outlines setting up measuring circuits using the Technotoy to examine individual corrosion cells and multiple cells connected in series and parallel to better understand corrosion reactions and cathodic protection in the field.

1. Cathodic Protection Network
Technotoy
The project is to combine
corrosion data with computer
analysis.

2. Corrosion

3. Field data

4. Electronic measurements

5. Modelling cathodic protection

6. A battery is a corrosion cell
• We must start by measuring the corrosion
reaction.
• We must use all available measuring
techniques that can be applied in field
work.
• We make measurements every day
relating to batteries.
• But we make up different rules for
measuring corrosion on pipelines.

7. We must use electronic instruments
to measure corrosion.
• Technotoy is many instruments, electronic
components, batteries, experimental models and
real corrosion cells.
• A cathodic protection system is instruments,
electronic components, real buried conductors
and corrosion cells.
• A computer is an arrangement of switches that
can be programmed to display the results of
calculations based on the laws of nature.
• A spread sheet and a breadboard can be used
to create a circuit/virtual circuit similar to that
defined by the data that is gathered in field work.

8. Technotoy 8

9. Technotoy1 XLS functioning replica
of the breadboard.

10. We can now use Technotoy to
measure a corrosion reaction
• It can be seen that the
corrosion reaction in this
battery is now less than
the manufactured level.
• The voltage shown in the
previous picture is from a
fully charged battery.
• The loss of EMF is due to
the depletion of chemical
reactants and the
resistance of the
corrosion products
contained in the battery
case.

11. IR drop in the battery

12. Cathodic protection ‘IR Drop in the
soil’

13. The voltage drop

14. IR free measurement

15. DIN50918

16. DIN50918
• In a closed circuit laboratory experiment it is possible to measure
the amount of charges resulting from the corrosion reaction.
• The measuring circuit is composed of metal conductors and
contained chemicals that conduct electricity.
• The displays are created electronically and there is no natural zero
as Gibbs Free Energy has proved.
• Meters are designed to compare the electrical potential between the
input sockets. One of these sockets is regarded as common and the
other is positive.
• This is important to replicate and make clear throughout this project
as a computer requires a zero.
• DIN50918 is one way of establishing a zero potential for the
purposes of studying corrosion but this zero is confined to each
measuring circuit and cannot be transported. The universe does not
have any zero potential.

17. DIN50918 anode

18. Anode = working electrode
• The working electrode is where the energy
is released into the electrolyte creating an
Electro Motive Force (EMF) that can be
measured as an electrical potential in
relation to another electrical potential.
• DIN50918 and the Daniell Cell are
laboratory techniques to create measuring
circuits that render repeated results on
which scientific calculations can be made.

19. Daniell’s Cell

20. ‘Open circuit measurements’
• Neither of these two measuring methods would
work if their circuits were connected to outside
influences by conduction.
• A ‘half-cell reaction’ is not a physical entity that
can be separated from the whole cell.
• A piece of copper in a saturated solution of
copper sulphate may be called a ‘half-cell’ as an
item that can be sold but it can only be used as
a reference potential in closed circuit condition.
• Our project will demonstrate measurements
conforming to science.

21. CIPS measuring circuit.

22. CIPS measuring circuit

23. We can now try this on Technotoy.
• We can try to measure
one corrosion cell that is
in series with other
corrosion cells.
• This is a pack of 8
batteries and we need to
know the voltage
available in one of them.
• It is clear that we cannot
calculate this value from
the measurement we are
able to obtain.

24. CIPS voltage measurements.

25. CIPS analysis

26. Technotoy can model this.

27. CPN Dynamic Software
can model this

28. Charges from power supply to
remote earth.

29. One form of measurement

30. Resulting graph of ground
potentials.

31. Charges pass from high potential to
lower potential

32. The path of the charges is
determined by resistance

33. The total groundbed resistance
determines the current.

34. We can measure the output current
but not the ground resistances

35. We must build in variable
resistances.

36. The Technotoy in action

37. Technotoy 8 batteries

38. Define the actual measuring circuit.
• 8 corrosion cells in series, the batteries.
• Conductors from both ends of the series.
• Black conductor to black lower rail of
breadboard.
• Red conductor to red lower rail of breadboard.
• Conductors to green and blue metering posts.
• Meter leads to common and active channels of
oscilloscope and 3 meters.

39. For this measuring structure
common is zero.
• The meters are manufactured to see common
as zero and in these pictures the oscilloscope
has not been calibrated as there is no wave
form.
• The breadboard is manufactured in the same
configuration as the spreadsheet that I have
designed.
• Formula will be entered into each cell to define
the connections to which each cell has a ‘jump
lead’.
• The display on each meter will then be the ‘goal
seek’ for the values in each part of the circuit to
which they are connected.

40. Set zero on Excel

41. Cells relate to other cells
• We can describe the jumper connections
to the computer using formula.
• We can describe the electronic
resistances in the circuit by the formula of
Ohms Law between cells on the
spreadsheet.
• The spreadsheet can then display the
balance of electrical potentials over the
whole of Technotoy.

42. We can then display this balance
on a computer screen.

43. And zoom in to see the values and
calculations.

44. The two displays.
• The first is a spread sheet with schematic
overlay of many oilfields.
• The next is zoomed in to part of that
spreadsheet to a single oilfield and includes
flowlines, delivery lines, manifolds and facilities.
• I created this spreadsheet in the early 1990’s
using real data but it is limited in the information
that could be gathered at that time.
• The software that I am developing now will be
able to calculate where electrical charges are
leaving the metal conductors and entering the
ground.

45. We need a corrosion cell.
• For the breadboard we can us batteries as
they are each a corrosion cell.
• When we couple the breadboard with
Orac we can embed the Alexander Cell as
this allows us to make potential
measurements at the interface specified in
DIN50918.
• The Oscilloscope has a pH probe that can
be included for the purposes of the
Pourbaix diagrams.

46. Rechargeable battery
• We can use a rechargeable battery in our
experiments but it must be remembered that tat
this has a reversible reaction whereas corrosion
cells on pipelines do not.

47. Corrosion cell.

48. Faraday, charges = metal loss

49. Equilibrium without current flowing

50. CP balances equilibrium
• No current flowing in a corrosion cell
means no corrosion.
• We cannot measure this on a pipeline as
we cannot separate the anode from the
cathode metallic path.
• I we use a battery we are introducing other
metals and electrolytes into the measuring
circuit.

51. Technotoy ready
• This will all be made into
a single portable
instrument to fit into a
survey vest pocket.
• A solar panel on the hat
will top up the batteries.
• The probes will be on the
‘walking sticks’ and the
display mounted with the
trailing conductor.

52. The measuring circuits.

53. The breadboard

54. The corrosion cells

55. The data logger
• The data logger is the
centre meter
connected via
TS232c to the lower
panel of the computer
display

56. The oscilloscope
• The oscilloscope is the
blue item on the white
backboard that is
connected by USB to the
computer and displayed
on the top panel.
• The scope probe
connection is available to
connect anywhere in the
measuring circuitry

57. The computer is connected to the
internet to transfer data.

58. The voltages that are presently
measured.
• In order to relate this
project to historical data
we must model the actual
measuring circuit of the
‘pipe-to-soil potential
measurement.
• We need to examine the
item known as a ‘half-cell’
that is sometimes called a
reference electrode.

59. What is a ‘half-cell’
• It is copper in a saturated solution of
copper-sulphate.
• Copper sulphate crystals result from
copper being dissolved in sulphuric acid
until the acid can dissolve no more.
• At this stage the reaction has stabilised
with no electrical current flowing, no
energy transfer.

60. Copper, copper-sulphate.

61. Pipe-to-soil enabled.

62. The half-cell in a circuit
• When a copper/copper-sulphate electrode
is included in a circuit the energy flow can
be measured.
• The energy created by the other half of the
cell is compared to the energy created by
the copper in the solution of copper-
sulphate.
• During this energy flow the Cu/CuSO4
electrode is subject to the charge transfer.

63. Science
• This is one page of many
written by my partner
during an investigation
and report into corrosion
noise.
• This section of the report
examines the function of
the reference electrode in
corrosion reaction
measurements.
• These pages are part of
my own intellectual
property.

64. What happens on contact?
• This takes 25 pages of scientific notation
that can be summed up as the whole
measuring circuit instantly reaches
equilibrium with no current flowing.
• This is in a closed circuit condition in a
laboratory where each influence can be
controlled.
• This examines the reaction within a single
corrosion cell.

65. Our project is to examine field data
• Our physical model makes it possible to
measure individual corrosion cells in
closed circuit conditions and embed each
into a combined circuit measuring many
corrosion cells in parallel and in series.
• This must be done in definable and
measurable steps.