Cathodic Protection Services – Buried or Submerged Metallic Structures

Powertech offers comprehensive engineering solutions related to the assessment, design and monitoring of cathodic protection systems for the mitigation of corrosion on buried or submerged metallic structures.

Damage or failure of assets due to corrosion represents a significant risk to safety and reliability. The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP, formerly NACE) estimated the annual global cost of corrosion to be US$2.5 trillion, and also estimates savings of between 15% and 35% of the corrosion cost could be realized using available corrosion control practices. The application of cathodic protection (CP) on buried assets has been proven to improve safety and reliability, reduce maintenance costs, and increase asset service life.
Our AMPP/NACE certified materials engineers have the skills and experience to provide testing, analysis, inspection, consulting and design services for the application of CP systems to ensure the safe and reliable operation of water and wastewater infrastructure assets.

Services include:

  • CP Design and Engineering – CP systems provide corrosion protection and service life extension for new or existing municipal infrastructure. Design packages include specifications, procedures and detail drawings. On-site monitoring and quality assurance observation during CP installation is conducted to ensure components are installed as per the specifications and design drawings. Upon completion of construction, a commissioning survey of the system and record drawings are also provided.
  • CP Assessment and Surveys – CP test stations and rectifiers are visually inspected and documented, and deficiencies are noted. System functionality is confirmed by measurement of structure-to-soil potentials. Measured potentials are evaluated against criteria detailed in NACE Standard SP0169-2013 to determine whether cathodic protection has been achieved. A report detailing cathodic protection status, deficiencies and remedial action is provided.
  • CP System Troubleshooting – For systems not meeting CP criteria, additional testing and troubleshooting may be required. This may include identifying electrical shorts, DC stray electrical currents from third-party sources, rectifier output adjustment for Impressed Current Cathodic Protection systems, and electrical continuity testing.

Asset Management Services:

Powertech offers comprehensive solutions for utilities managing their aging assets, such as wood poles, conductors, insulators, steel towers, anchor systems and water and sanitary infrastructure. The offers include determination of asset remaining strength and life span, development of maintenance and risk-mitigation strategies, evaluation of inspection methods and techniques for condition assessment. Supported by experts across various disciplines of Powertech, the asset management work is usually conducted through in-situ NDT inspection and condition assessment, laboratorial testing, finite element analysis, serviceability analysis and risk and reliability evaluation.

For more information contact:

Earl Mayuga – 604.590.7406
Project Engineer, T&D Asset Management
High Power Testing & Asset Management
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