Cathodic Protection

Electrochemical technique to prevent corrosion in metals by making them the cathode in a circuit, using anodes or impressed currents.

Cathodic Protection

Sep 10, 2026

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9 min read

The Wrong Shunt Reads Zero

Article 0077 — A test station shunt has a ceiling and a floor. The amp rating is the ceiling. Your meter's last digit is the floor. Pick the shunt for the current you expect, or a healthy anode bank will read 0.0 mV.

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

Hydrogen Embrittlement: The One Thing Cathodic Protection Makes Worse

Aug 19, 2026

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10 min read

Hydrogen Embrittlement: The One Thing Cathodic Protection Makes Worse

Article 0076 — The number I gave our crews for years was right. The reason I gave for it was wrong, and the difference matters more than I expected.

Michael Roberts, +1

Cathodic Protection

Aug 4, 2026

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10 min read

Remote Earth Is Not a Distance

Article 0074 — It is a condition, not a number of feet. You find it with a voltmeter, it moves with the current crossing the pipe, and the place it hides is the one place you most need it.

Michael Roberts, +1

Corrosion Inspection

Jul 26, 2026

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9 min read

The Galvanic Series Is Not a Law

Article 0073 The series is a measurement, not a ranking handed down from chemistry. The version most of us memorized was built in seawater, the soil version reads differently, and on the soil version steel appears four separate times.

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

DC Interference vs. DC Influence: Know the Difference Before You Bond

Jul 6, 2026

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10 min read

DC Interference vs. DC Influence: Know the Difference Before You Bond

Article 0071 A foreign CP system can shift your readings without exchanging any current with your pipe. Interference damages steel; influence damages data. Test before you bond.

Michael Roberts, +1

Corrosion Inspection

Jun 10, 2026

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11 min read

Oxidation Does Not Mean Oxygen

Article 0068 Where OIL RIG came from, why the names mislead, and the trap that catches good techs.

Michael Roberts, +1

External Corrosion

Jun 3, 2026

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9 min read

The Honest Holiday

Article 0067 Your potential tells a story. An external corrosion coupon tells the truth.

Michael Roberts, +1

External Coupons

May 29, 2026

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10 min read

Mixed Metal Potentials

Article 0065 When the voltmeter reads protection but the steel is still corroding — and how the composite reading hides what's actually happening at the pipe.

Michael Roberts, +1

Coating Inspection

ACVG vs DCVG: Picking the Right Coating Survey for the Job

May 22, 2026

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10 min read

ACVG vs DCVG: Picking the Right Coating Survey for the Job

Article 0064 How each method works, where each tends to do well, where each tends to struggle, and what to weigh when you're deciding between them.

Michael Roberts, +1

Coating Inspection

May 15, 2026

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7 min read

The Knowledge Walking Out the Door

Article 0063 On the generation of corrosion technicians that's retiring, the one coming up behind it, and what gets lost in the handoff.

Michael Roberts, +3

External Corrosion

Over-Protection: When More Cathodic Protection Becomes the Problem

May 10, 2026

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6 min read

Over-Protection: When More Cathodic Protection Becomes the Problem

Article 0062 When CP is Pushed Past its Upper Limit

Michael Roberts, +1

Cathodic Protection

May 3, 2026

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8 min read

Testing Electrical Isolation

Article 0060 Why the Ohmmeter Lies - and What to Use Instead

Michael Roberts, +1

CP Rectifiers

CP Rectifier Troubleshooting: Follow the Electricity

Apr 28, 2026

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9 min read

CP Rectifier Troubleshooting: Follow the Electricity

Article 0059 A systematic approach to diagnosing rectifier problems from the incoming AC to the output terminals

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

Sizing a Rectifier for Impressed Current Cathodic Protection

Apr 26, 2026

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7 min read

Sizing a Rectifier for Impressed Current Cathodic Protection

Article 0058 Design calculations get you close. Field testing gets you there.

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

Current Response Testing: Measuring What Your Pipeline Actually Needs

Apr 16, 2026

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16 min read

Current Response Testing: Measuring What Your Pipeline Actually Needs

Article 0055 Test Procedure, Worked Calculations, Anode Bed Design, and Why the Numbers Tell You More Than You Think

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Excavation

Locating and Repairing Cable Breaks in CP Systems

Apr 12, 2026

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10 min read

Locating and Repairing Cable Breaks in CP Systems

Article 0054 When the Amps Drop to Zero

Michael Roberts, +1

Reference Electrodes

Close Interval Survey - The Making Of A Great Technician

Apr 11, 2026

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12 min read

Close Interval Survey - The Making Of A Great Technician

Article LJM 005 What is CIS?

Levi McCullough

Pipeline Integrity

Drainage Bond Sizing: The Calculation Behind the Mitigation

Apr 9, 2026

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9 min read

Drainage Bond Sizing: The Calculation Behind the Mitigation

Article 0053 Drainage Bond Sizing: The Calculation Behind the Mitigation

Michael Roberts, +1

Coating Inspection

What Makes a Coating Repair Acceptable in the Field?

Apr 2, 2026

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7 min read

What Makes a Coating Repair Acceptable in the Field?

Article 0051 An inspector’s view from the pipeline right-of-way

Ken Cragle

Pipeline Integrity

Stray Current: The Corrosion Problem That Isn't Yours — Until It Is

Mar 31, 2026

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7 min read

Stray Current: The Corrosion Problem That Isn't Yours — Until It Is

Article 0050 When the Current on Your Pipeline Belongs to Someone Else

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

Mar 29, 2026

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8 min read

E Log I Testing for Well Casings

Article 0049 How a Polarization Curve Solves a Problem Nobody Can Dig Up

Michael Roberts, +1

Pipeline Integrity

Mar 27, 2026

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9 min read

Current Density

Article 0048 The Number Behind the Protection

Michael Roberts, +1

Coating Inspection

Why Quality Coating Matters to Cathodic Protection

Mar 26, 2026

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6 min read

Why Quality Coating Matters to Cathodic Protection

Article 0047 The Key to Lower Current Demand and Longer Pipeline Life

Ken Cragle

Pipeline Integrity

Influencing Factors: Temperature, Oxygen & Relative Movement

Mar 22, 2026

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7 min read

Influencing Factors: Temperature, Oxygen & Relative Movement

Article 0046 How three key environmental variables drive the current required for cathodic protection — and what that means in the field.

Michael Roberts, +1

Cathodic Protection

Mar 15, 2026

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5 min read

Evaluating Galvanic Anode Beds

Article 0043 Evaluating a Galvanic Anode Bed on a Pipeline: A Guide for Corrosion Field Technicians

Michael Roberts, +1

Cathodic Protection

The Wrong Shunt Reads Zero

Hydrogen Embrittlement: The One Thing Cathodic Protection Makes Worse

Remote Earth Is Not a Distance

The Galvanic Series Is Not a Law

DC Interference vs. DC Influence: Know the Difference Before You Bond

Oxidation Does Not Mean Oxygen

The Honest Holiday

Mixed Metal Potentials

ACVG vs DCVG: Picking the Right Coating Survey for the Job

The Knowledge Walking Out the Door

Over-Protection: When More Cathodic Protection Becomes the Problem

Testing Electrical Isolation

CP Rectifier Troubleshooting: Follow the Electricity

Sizing a Rectifier for Impressed Current Cathodic Protection

Current Response Testing: Measuring What Your Pipeline Actually Needs

Locating and Repairing Cable Breaks in CP Systems

Close Interval Survey - The Making Of A Great Technician

Drainage Bond Sizing: The Calculation Behind the Mitigation

What Makes a Coating Repair Acceptable in the Field?

Stray Current: The Corrosion Problem That Isn't Yours — Until It Is

E Log I Testing for Well Casings

Current Density

Why Quality Coating Matters to Cathodic Protection

Influencing Factors: Temperature, Oxygen & Relative Movement

Evaluating Galvanic Anode Beds

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