Operation and Maintenance of Cathodic Protection Stations

For commissioning and monitoring of cathodic protection stations, the advice in Refs. 1 and 2 is relevant. For potential measurement, the explanations in Section 3.3 are valid. 

After adjustment, the tank and pipe/soil potentials have to be checked annually and recorded. The results of the measurements are the basis of the maintenance process. If the check measurements differ from the values established by the control, the cause must be determined and the defect remedied. 

A direct current flows in the installations during operation of cathodic protection stations therefore, the transformer-rectifier must be switched off when pipes are out or other work on the fuel installation is carried out, and the separated areas must be bridged with large cross-section cables before the work is started in order to avoid sparking that could come from the current network. 

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