Corrosion Management at SaskEnergy: 84 Semi-Deep Wells for Impressed Current CP Systems

Engineers and construction supervisors provided corrosion construction supervision and direct labor during the installation of multiple cathodic protection (CP) systems for several kilometers of gas transmission and distribution pipelines across the Province of Saskatchewan. The scope of work included the supply and installation of 84 vertical semi-deep (less than 50 ft) cathodic protection ground beds at 27 sites across Saskatchewan. Labor, equipment, sub-contractors, and materials were supplied to install the semi-deep ground beds. The purpose and objectives of the project were as follows: (1) To perform preventive maintenance (upgrade/replacement) of existing aging ground beds to ensure continuous and uninterrupted operation of the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems. (2) To prevent unexpected ground bed failure due to complete consumption of the ground bed anode material. (3) To relocate an ICCP system to a road allowance to ensure that the ground bed is not disturbed due to vehicular movement or traffic over the existing ground bed, which could subsequently lead to the ground bed’s failure. (4) To install new ICCP systems on new pipelines to provide cathodic protection on the subject pipelines. (5) To ensure improved soil-side corrosion control on the respective assets due to improved ICCP systems operation. The team reviewed Issued For Construction (IFC) documents and executed all construction work in accordance with the IFC documents and client specifications. The team reviewed project documentation to determine whether any changes could be implemented without affecting project quality and identified trade-offs in material selection and construction procedures that resulted in reduced material cost and ensured that construction was completed within schedule.