Cathodic Protection Guidance?

Who needs that?

Aren’t NACE & STI enough?

David Robinett – Virginia Dept. of

Environmental Quality
December 22,1998 CP required for USTs

• CP required for USTs

• Huge demand for CP professionals
– some well qualified
– some “not so” well qualified
– some qualified, but overloaded with work
• No CP experts on staff, then or now
• Our job is to determine CP compliance
– 6,500 out of 22,000 USTs
December 1998 CP required for USTs

• Owners in need of CP services

• In a hurry
• Don’t want to spend too much
• May not know a lot about what they are buying
• Just want to be in compliance with the UST regs
• Inspection time comes (a year or 5 later…)
• Records of installation? (CP expert signature)
• System testing performed?
– Some CP test report examples:
 volts

-0.1062
6.2 Volts
4.5 Volts
8.7 MA
8.6 MA
9.1 MA
8.9 MA
8.7 mV
8.6 mV
9.1 mV
8.9 mV
 Help for us

• Formal Corrosion Courses

• STI
• Appalachian Underground Corrosion Short Course

• OUST Compendium
• Started April 6, 1989
• Made available on the website ~ December 1998

• Other States
• CP professionals
• Contractors
• CP Experts
 Helping our Tank Owners
• First attempts
• Reference UST Regs, NACE & STI publications
• Inconsistencies among staff
• Varying interpretations (ambiguity) in publications
• Resulted in a number of inadequate installations
and questionable test reports from industry
• Second attempt
• Developed a CP test form (January 2003)
• This Helped!!!
 CATHODIC PROTECTION TEST FORM
FACILITY INFORMATION
JOB # : DATE OF TEST : TIME OF TEST :

NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY: PHONE # :
STATE: ZIP: CONTACT: LAT:
FACILITY ID # : LONG:
CLIENT INFORMATION
NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY: PHONE # :
STATE: ZIP: CONTACT: FAX # :
SUMMARY OF TEST
THIS SUMMARY IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT THE *SITE SKETCH
RECTIFIER INFO. HR.: OUTPUT VOLTAGE: OUTPUT AMPS:
REFERENCE CELL POTENTIAL @
TANK #

STRUCTURE PASSED OR
STRUCTURE RECTIFIER ON / or Galvanic (STI-P3) RECTIFIER OFF FAILED TO MEET THE MINIMUM
NACE STANDARD OUTLINED IN
CONTACT POINT Inst. Off Inst. Off Inst. Off FINAL VOLTAGE RP0285-95
END (R1)* CENTER (R2)* END (R3)*
(R1) (R2) (R3) VOLTAGE DECAY
1
2
3
4
REFERENCE CELL POTENTIAL @
PIPING #

RECTIFIER ON / or Galvanic RECTIFIER OFF STRUCTURE PASSED OR FAILED TO

STRUCTURE CONTACT
Inst. Off Inst. Off FINAL VOLTAGE MEET THE MINIMUM NACE STANDARD
POINT END (R1)* END (R2)*
VOLTAGE DECAY OUTLINED IN RP0285-95
(R1) (R2)
1
2
3
4
TESTER NAME:
SOURCE OF CERTIFICATION:
_________________________________________________ TYPE OF CERTIFICATION:
SIGNATURE OF PERSON CONDUCTING TEST CERTIFICATION NUMBER:
DATE OF TEST:
FACILITY NAME: FAC. ID # :

CONTINUITY TEST
TANK FILL TANK STP FLEX PIPING
(CONTINUOUS, ISOLATED)
No. RISER BOTTOM RISER VENT RISER CONNECTOR RISER
1
2
3
4

IN THE SPACE BELOW, SKETCH THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE FACILITY SUCH AS TANKS, MAN WAYS, VENTS,
ANODES, PUMP ISLANDS AND BUILDINGS. INDICATE REFERENCE CELL LOCATIONS USING LOCATION CODE "R" AND
SEQUENTIAL NUMBERS ( R1, R2, AND R3 ).
COMMENTS
 Helping our Tank Owners
• Second attempt
• Developed a CP test form (January 2003)
• This Helped!!!
• Time intensive
• Consistency issues…

– Recognized the need for more comprehensive

guidance.
 Helping our Tank Owners
• Third attempt-Develop a CP Manual
– Review existing state publications (chose
Mississippi:2002)
– Reinforce as much of NACE & STI as possible
• Include definitions, certification requirements, basics of CP
– Educate and Re-educate staff members
– Study “Remote” CP readings (K. Henderson, LUSTline #48)
– “Discuss” Draft amongst ourselves… a couple of times…
 CP Manual “points-of-clarity”

1. General guidelines for CP – National Standard (e.g., NACE) must be

followed
2. CP “Tester” qualifications defined and referenced (NACE & EPA)
3. Soil access must be provided - No readings over concrete or asphalt
per NACE RP0285
4. IR (voltage) drops considered and instant-off tests required for all
impressed current systems
5. Continuity/isolation must always be established when testing :
Point-to-Point and Fixed Cell–Moving Ground methods reviewed.
6. CP “Expert” consultation required under certain circumstances –
Example: CP Expert must resolve “inconclusive” test results (no
second tester’s opinion)
 CP Manual “points-of-clarity” continued…
7. Test criteria:
• -850mV-On for factory-installed galvanic anode systems (sti-P3)
(never for impressed current)
• -850mV-Off for impressed current and field installed galvanic
interruptible systems
• 100mV Polarization for interruptible galvanic and impressed current
systems
8. Number of Test points:
Galvanic or STI-P3 – 3 test points (one local, one remote, & one
optional location)
Impressed Current – 3 tests (all local over the structure – no
remotes)
9. Reference cell placement locations must always be included on the
site sketch of the CP test/evaluation form
10. Flex connectors in contact with the ground must have the ground
moved away or be CP protected
 Finalize Guidance
• Draft out to industry for review
• Virginia’s CP Manual published May 2006
• Weblink address:
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/tanks/pdf/06-2006.pdf