Stray Current (SC) has been an area of concern to Cathodic Protection professionals since at least 1917(1) and in the intervening century it has only become a bigger problem. The three biggest causes of increased CP interference is the increased use of underground utility construction, increased oil and gas exploitation, and increased number of electric rail systems.

While analyzing the effects of SC is straightforward, methods of analyzing the problem are rather difficult. Specifically, gathering the data was an inefficient process. Measuring potentials gave an incomplete picture of what was happening and measuring current was difficult.

Modern electronics and software assists in the ease of gathering enough data to assess SC and helping make the information more easily analyzed. The biggest advancement may be non-contact test methods and the ability to accurately measure DC currents.

Subject
Electric current, Rail, Sensors, Piping, Voltage, Pipe to soil potential, Pipelines, Current measurements, Negative potentials, Rectifiers, Electric potential, Stray current, Surveys
Keywords:
Stray Current, Interference, Mapper
© 2007 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2007
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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