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Field Testing

On-site evaluations of corrosion and protection systems using portable tools and real-time data collection.

Pipeline Integrity

+4

MIC: A Positive Vial Is Not a Diagnosis

Oct 19, 2026

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8 min read

MIC: A Positive Vial Is Not a Diagnosis

Article 0075 — Every standard that tells you how to count bacteria also tells you the count by itself proves nothing. Three conditions have to be met before MIC is the answer.

Michael Roberts, +1

Cathodic Protection

+4

The Wrong Shunt Reads Zero

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

Cathodic Protection

+4

Remote Earth Is Not a Distance

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

+4

The Galvanic Series Is Not a Law

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

Coating Inspection

+4

Field Calibration: Making Sure Your Inspection Equipment Is Telling the Truth

Jul 20, 2026

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8 min read

Field Calibration: Making Sure Your Inspection Equipment Is Telling the Truth

Article 0072 A calibration sticker proves the instrument, not the reading. How to field-verify your DFT, profile, durometer, and holiday gages before you trust the numbers.

Pipeline Integrity

+4

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

+4

Oxidation Does Not Mean Oxygen

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

+4

The Honest Holiday

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

Coating Inspection

+4

Backfill Damage

Jun 1, 2026

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5 min read

Backfill Damage

Article 0066 Protecting the Coating After Inspection is Done

External Coupons

+4

Mixed Metal Potentials

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

+4

The Role of Stripe Coating in Preventing Early Failure

May 4, 2026

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6 min read

The Role of Stripe Coating in Preventing Early Failure

Article 0061 Why the Small Details Often Decide Coating Performance

Cathodic Protection

+4

Testing Electrical Isolation

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

+4

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

+4

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

Coating Inspection

+4

Photo Documentation for Coating Inspectors: Taking Them Is Not Enough

Apr 21, 2026

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5 min read

Photo Documentation for Coating Inspectors: Taking Them Is Not Enough

Article 0057 A field-first guide to capturing, labeling, organizing, and preserving inspection photos that still make sense later.

Pipeline Excavation

+4

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

+4

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

+4

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

Pipeline Integrity

+4

Current Span Test Stations

Apr 5, 2026

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9 min read

Current Span Test Stations

Article 0052 The Pipe as Its Own Shunt

Michael Roberts, +1

Coating Inspection

+4

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

Pipeline Integrity

+4

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

+4

E Log I Testing for Well Casings

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

Coating Inspection

+4

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

Pipeline Integrity

+4

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

Coating Inspection

+4

Mar 20, 2026

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4 min read

When Surface Profile Exceeds the Coating Manufacturer’s Limits

Article 0045 How Overly Aggressive Profiles Undermine Coating Protection