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UBC Theses and Dissertations

The application of BEASY software to simulate cathodic protection of pipelines and storage tanks Al-Otaibi , Mohammed

Abstract

Cathodic protection is used in the mitigation and control of corrosion in the petrochemical and oil industries. To test and predict the level of metal protection effectively, various simulation and testing methods have been developed to provide timely and cost effective solutions. The purpose of this study is to match the data generated by the BEASY software with the experimental output data so that the BEASY software can be applied in the field with a high degree of confidence. In the first experiment, Boundary Element Analysis software BEASY has been utilized to test sacrificial cathodic protection. Pure zinc was used to protect a mild steel plate in an aqueous solution. Next, high silicon cast iron or copper was connected to a mild steel plate both of which were protected by a zinc anode. In the final application experiment of sacrificial cathodic protection, the BEASY software was used to investigate the failure of the magnesium anode in an alkaline solution. The possibility to use aluminum alloy as an anode instead of magnesium was also studied. As for the impress current cathodic protection, the BEASY software was used to simulate a small section of carbon steel pipe segment which was protected in sand soil by a high silicon cast iron anode. Additionally, a real impress current cathodic protection system designed for 12 pipes protected with six anodes has been simulated. The results of from the simulation and the experimental data generated by the performed experiments have confirmed the soundness and applicability of the BEM BEASY software in the industrial applications.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International