Copper grounding has a detrimental effect on cathodic protection (CP) of interconnected underground carbon steel piping. The copper can consume large amounts of protection current as well as introducing significant measurement errors when verifying the protection level of the piping.
This paper examines the interaction between copper grounding and pipeline systems as well as a cost effective solution to the problem. An actual case study is presented confirming that silicon iron can be used to replace copper electrodes resulting in effective electrical grounding with minimal impact on cathodic protection systems.
