Assured Cyber Security for Client Data

We are very proud to announce that Corroconsult UK Limited have achieved re-certification for Cyber Essentials. Certification confirms that protocols set by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the UK are in place.

Post-pandemic the landscape of the industry has changed, seeing increased working from home / working remotely - this certification provides assurance to our clients that our cyber security protocols will continue to protect against the ever evolving, sophisticated and major cyber-attacks regardless of where or how we operate.

We would like to express our thanks to Molly Nock and John Tuckey for their efforts in particular towards ensuring that we continue to provide our clients with the assurances they require with respect to cyber security.

Cathodic Protection - Monitoring and Maintenance

This is the sixth in a series of presentations by the South East Branch of PIG in the field of external pipe corrosion and cathodic protection.

This presentation explains the requirements and the practicalities of pipeline cathodic protection monitoring and maintenance for non-specialists.

It explains why the monitoring is necessary and what maintenance is recommended. The main pipeline above-ground survey techniques are discussed.

An example of the very latest technical developments in the reporting of routine monitoring and maintenance surveys is given.

IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery

Corroconsult’s Technical Director is a co-author of a new paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery.  It was published on 09 April 2022.

The paper is a collaboration between Dr. David Boteler (Land and Minerals Sector,  Natural Resources, Ottawa, Canada), Prof. C. Charalambos (University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus) and Ken Lax (Corroconsult UK Ltd).

Previously unexplained instances of AC corrosion may be due to the effects of harmonics, which may not have been taken into account in the mathematical modelling and the interference mitigation design.  The presence of harmonics may not be apparent when taking voltage and current density measurements.

The paper gives a worked example of how to perform the calculations, which will be helpful for cathodic protection and pipeline electrical interference specialists.

Abstract:

Electromagnetic interference to pipelines and railways from AC sources has long been a cause for concern. Methods and standards have evolved to enable calculations of the voltages produced under different conditions. These take into account the AC frequency, the soil resistivity and the pipeline characteristics. However, the approximations presented in some standards fail to take into account the phase relationship of the currents in the AC conductors and how that affects the induced currents in the earth. This paper re-examines these issues by introducing a revised complex image method for 3-phase systems that provides a simple and accurate way to include the influence of induced currents in calculations of the induced emf in nearby conductors. Normal positive sequence 3-phase currents produce fields in neighbouring conductors that tend to cancel. For the associated image currents in the earth, the cancellation is so complete that they have no influence on the induced emf. A different situation occurs with the zero sequence currents that occur during fault conditions and triplen harmonics. These currents are in phase, so there is none of the cancelling effect and the contributions from each conductor add to give a larger induced emf in a neighbouring conductor.

Published in: IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery ( Volume: 37, Issue: 2, April 2022)

Page(s): 851 - 859

Date of Publication: 09 April 2021

ISSN Information:

DOI: 10.1109/TPWRD.2021.3072355

Contact Corroconsult UK Ltd for further information.

Exploring alternatives to the 4 Pin Wenner Soil Resistivity Method

Introduction

The Wenner four-pin method is the most widely recognised method for soil resistivity testing, using four pins at equal distance from each other along a straight line. This method has been primarily used in geological surveying since it was first developed in 1915 by Dr. Frank Wenner.

Beyond Wenner’s initial work there have been several developments since, identifying proven alternative methods for measuring soil resistivity.

This post has been put together noting the key factors and necessary information for three of the lesser known methods of soil resistivity testing.

Equatorial Dipole-Dipole Soil Resistivity

• To a depth of 0.5m, with a dipole length of 1m, the depth curve sensitivity is considerably higher than the standard 4 pin Wenner method.

• At a depth greater than 0.5m, the sensitivity-depth-curve decreases exponentially.

• The required maximum depth reading shall not exceed 2.5 metres (due to loss of sensitivity).

• A length of 0.5m with a dipole length of 0.3m provides the most sensitive-depth-curve.

• Evidently, Equatorial Dipole-Dipole soil resistivity testing is most efficient at shallower depths with shorter dipole lengths.

• With this method, you can penetrate further into the ground than the dipole-dipole standard array (so long as the length of the survey line is the same).

• Although the equatorial array penetrates further into the ground, doing so will generate a loss in signal as the depth is expanded, which greatly limits its use.

• This method is incredibly useful for situations where multiple readings of top-surface soil is required to a maximum depth of 2.5 metres.

Summary

Ideal for shallow depths requiring highly sensitive applications out in the field.

Wenner Schlumberger Soil Resistivity

• A combination of the Wenner (most widely used method for soil resistivity and earthing purposes) and Schlumberger methods (high voltage signal, less sensitive.)

• A large difference between this method and the more commonly know ‘Wenner’ method is that using Wenner, the pins are all equally distanced apart whereas in Schlumberger, the pins are not equally distanced and primarily, only two electrodes are moved to take a new reading whereas using Wenner, all four electrodes need to be moved to take a new reading.

• This method of soil resistivity testing is best suited to increased depth requirments due to the high voltage signal.

• Less applicable for shallower, more sensitive operations.

• More practical to use when the task is to plot soil resistivity at several different depths.

• Best suited for ground water and aggregate mineral terrain.

• This method also takes less time to deploy than the standard Wenner array when changing pin spacing (i.e. moving two outer pins as opposed to all four pins).

Summary

Ideal for greater depths, with reduction in time spent altering pin spacings when compared to standard 4 Pin Wenner technique.

Dipole-Dipole Soil Resistivity

• A dipole is a pair of oppositely charged electrodes that are so close together that the electrical field forms a single electrical field rather than a field from 2 different electric poles.

• To conduct a survey using the dipole-dipole method, you place a large number of electrode stakes out with equal spacing between the stakes. i.e. 100 electrodes spaced 1 metre apart – This would generate a 99 metre long profile of the surveyed area to a depth of 1 metre.

• To collect the high number of depth samples from the pin array, specialist equipment with a multiple core harness is required.

• The apparent resistivity data is plotted at the midpoint between the 2 dipoles and at a depth half the distance between the 2 dipoles.

• Typically 99 readings are measured and stored in approximately 15 minutes (this excludes the installation of the pin array and connection of the cable harness).

Summary

Ideal for high sensitivity measurement at increased depths. However, specialist equipment is necessary.

A Pipeline Designer's Guide to Cathodic Protection

As part of our ongoing free webinar series with The Pipeline Industries Guild, our latest presentation “Pipeline Designer’s Guide to Cathodic Protection” is now available on YouTube.

The aim of the presentation is to provide information to pipeline designers on the factors that can influence the effectiveness of the external corrosion protection system - coatings, cathodic protection and electrical interference.

The technical information is given in such a way that it is understandable to people that are not corrosion specialists.

Cyber Essentials Certified

We are very pleased to announce that Corroconsult UK Ltd has achieved the Government backed, industry supported Cyber essentials certification by the NCSC National Cyber Security Centre.

The certification is another step forward in our journey of striving to be at the forefront of the industry. We believe that we are one of the first cathodic protection companies to achieve this certification. It demonstrates how serious we are regarding our cyber security across all aspects of our company and adds a level of external assurance that we are putting the correct protocols in place to protect our systems and client data. We are elated that our efforts and strict protocols in place have been recognised by the Cyber Essentials certification and we plan to renew our certification annually to retain external assurance and to stay up to date with the best procedures in online security.

The scheme is jointly developed by the National Cyber Security Centre UK and the UK Government and covers the most common online based cyber threats. These include hacking, phishing and password guessing. The assessment process involved assessing the following five technical controls of our IT infrastructure: Firewalls, Secure Configuration, User Access Control, Malware Protection and Patch Management. We were already compliant in most of the assessment with only minor adjustments to gain our certification.

The ongoing dedication and contributions of our office personnel has been imperative in achieving the certification and a huge thank you for all their efforts is well deserved.

Customisable M28 Test Post Faceplates

Corroconsult have developed customisable faceplates to fit both plastic and concrete M28 test posts.

The faceplates are made from 5mm thick polycarbonate, allowing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to be read without its removal.

The design of the faceplate incorporates three customisable windows for such information as:

• Client Logo

• Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) Information

• Pipeline Information

• Test Post Identification / Type

• Location Information

Pre-drilled fixing points are provided to suit both plastic and standard concrete test posts. For legacy concrete test posts (tpically with a three bolt configuration) the faceplates can be pre-cut and drilled to allow them to be riveted to the larger aluminium faceplates.

To date we have provided these faceplates for clients such as ESB Energy, OPA, Lynemouth Power Limited, Affinity Water, DNV GL, Uniper and e.on UK.

The printing system used for the labels also allows for the generation of barcodes to be added, for incorporation with client databases / field monitoing equipment (barcode reader enabled).

Moving up to ISO 45001:2018

Since its inception Corroconsult has strived to be at the very forefront of the industry in attaining accreditation against internationally recognised standards pertaining to its Quality Assurance / Quality Control, Environmental, Health & Safety Management systems.

The Company has held its accreditation to ISO 9001 for its Quality Management system since January 2000.

In June 2005 the Company achieved accreditation to ISO 14001 for its Environmental Management system, being one of the first cathodic protection companies worldwide to hold this certification. The award led to the Business section of the local newspaper (Shropshire Star) running an article on the Company’s achievement.

February 2013 saw the Company achieve accreditation to OHSAS 18001 for its Health & Safety Management system, completing an overall Integrated Management System (IMS) approach to all three standards.

As well as the annual external audits to our IMS system for continued accreditation to the latest standards, since August 2017 the IMS has also been audited for both in-house and on-site application by Achilles UVDB (Utilities Vendor Database) personnel, achieving a 100% pass mark in all aspects in the past three years as part of the B1 category audit.

In March 2018 the new ISO 45001 standard was published representing a gradual phase-out of the existing OHSAS 18001 standard where companies’ certification was due to expire.

Corroconsult are delighted to have been awarded accreditation to this latest standard following the latest external audit of our IMS on 14 April 2021.

It is the diligence of all our office and site personnel continuing to work within, and provide feedback to improvement on, our IMS that ensures our continued accreditation.

Corroconsult are now seeking to ensure that we are one of the first cathodic protection companies to achieve the Cyber Essentials certification provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (UK) to deliver assurance to all clients with respect to their data.

Beginners' Guide to Cathodic Protection

This presentation was made by Ken Lax, Technical Director of Corroconsult, on behalf of the Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG) Onshore Panel as part of their ongoing free webinar series.

The presentation is intended for non-specialists to provide an overview of cathodic protection and stray current corrosion.

No electrical or electrochemical knowledge is assumed.

The presentation is non-mathematical and with only a sprinkling of science. It is a description of the processes, rather than a technical analysis.

The presentation covers the following;

• Why steel corrodes

• The role of coatings

• Pipeline Cathodic Protection - General Description

• Cathodic Protection - Galvanic / Sacrificial Anodes

• Cathodic Protection - Impressed Current

• Efffects of DC Stray Currents on External Corrosion

• Effects of Induced AC on External Corrosion

How can Solar Farms affect Buried Pipelines and what can be done about it?

This presentation was made by Ken Lax, Technical Director of Corroconsult, on behalf of the Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG) Onshore Panel as part of their ongoing free webinar series.

The presentation is aimed as a non-tenchnical introduction to this rapidly growing phenomenon, within the field of corrosion, as the scale and number of photovoltaic (PV) systems, i.e. solar farms, increase worldwide.

No electrical or electrochemical knoweledge is assumed.

An overview of the following is given;

• External corrosion on buried pipelines

• Cathodic protection and coatings

• Effects of stray current on external corrosion

• Photovoltaic (PV) system construction components

• Sources of electrical interference from PV systems

• Prevention of stray currents from PV systems

• Mitigation of adverse effects on buried pipelines

The scope of the presentation covers the follwoing three possibilities;

• New PV System with Existing Pipeline

• Existing PV System with Existing Pipeline

• Existing PV System with New Pipeline

All slides prepared by Ken Lax and Richard Lindley (Projects Director at Corroconsult UK Limited) with additional content provided by Professor C. Charalambous (Univeristy of Cyprus) and Dr Thomas Löffler (Dekotec).