Numerical modeling of stray current corrosion of ductile iron pipe induced by foreign cathodic protection system

摘要

Stray current corrosion phenomena of ductile iron pipe (DIP) located in the vicinity of cathodically protected steel pipe was assessed using the boundary element method. When all joints in DIP were electrically connected, the maximum corrosion rate was 0.005 mm/y. However, when the joints were isolated, the corrosion rate increased due to the jumping effect of stray current at isolated joints, which resulted in the increase of maximum corrosion rate to 0.87 mm/y at the isolated point. Moreover, the electrical bonding between the DIP and steel pipe could not act effectively but showed an adverse effect of collecting more cathodic protection (CP) currents into the DIP, which eventually jumped out into the soil and resulted in larger amount of stray current corrosion. Therefore it is desirable to apply control methods from the design and construction stage, which include the increase of anodebed and the pipe distance, electrical connection of DIP joints, installation of sacrificial anode at isolated joints, or the application of CP on DIP, etc.