3D SOFTWARE SIMULATIONS COMPARED WITH EXPERIMENTAL DATA FOR THE INTERFERENCE BETWEEN A CATHODICALLY PROTECTED UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK (UST) AND A CONCRETE FOUNDATION

摘要

This paper presents a 3D software tool for the design and optimization of cathodic protection systems for buried and submerged structures. It provides the corrosion engineer an intelligent tool for managing operational costs, significantly reducing expensive commissioning surveys and costly repairs, adding major value to the cathodic protection business. In this paper, simulations are compared to experimental data obtained by the Nederlandse Gasunie. The case that has been investigated is the interference between a cathodically protected underground storage tank (UST) and a concrete foundation. Experiments show that the protection level at the side of the UST near the concrete foundation is only -600 to -700 mV versus CSE, while the far field potential is about -1200 mV. The interference can be mitigated by putting a PVC screen between the UST and the concrete fundation. This increases the protection level on the tank with about -200 mV at the foundation side, while the potential at the other side of the tank is hardly affected. The agreement between the experimental data obtained on site and numerical simulations, using a two-layer model that accounts for the ground water level, is very good.