8/21/2012aga-wrgcpage 1 environmentally sealed groundbed technology mike ames vp engineering sae...
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8/21/2012 AGA-WRGC Page 1
Environmentally Sealed Groundbed Technology
Mike Ames
VP Engineering
SAE Inc.,
Houston, TX
www.saeinc.com
Western Regional Gas Conference
Tempe, AZ
Aug 21, 2012
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Restoring Deep Anode Systems as a Viable Cathodic Protection Solution
Long a crucial mainstay of pipeline cathodic protection systems, traditional deep anode beds are currently falling into disfavor due to their negative environmental impacst and long term liability issues.
Understanding and fixing the problem…
Why traditional deep anode designs are in disfavor
New Requirements: Confronting new constraints
A Solution: Develop a new deep anode technology
Benefits: Technical, environmental and financial
Applications: The new deep well should have wide applicability
Performance Improvements: lower costs, longer life, higher current beds
Summary
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The Issues and Constraints
Why Deep anode systems are in disfavor…
Water pollution has forced environmental regulatory agencies and landowners to reduce the use or practicality of deep wells and in some cases prohibit the use of traditional deep anode beds in sensitive areas
Numerous agencies also restrict anode bed depths, inhibiting the installation of suitably effective cathodic protection solutions and thereby increasing the failure risks for protecting pipelines and other infrastructure
Increasingly, governing agencies require abandonment bonds to assure closure of depleted anode beds, reducing the viability of the deep anode business case and creating long term possible legal and financial liabilities, requiring a return to the site to install seals.
Current anode system designs lead to early depletion of deep anode beds, with correspondingly lower current output levels and erratic outputs, due to depth limitations keeping them from aquifers.
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The Challenges
To restore the viability of the deep anode bed:
Shallower deep wells deplete more quickly – provide for real deep wells again.
Extend the stable anode operational spans – reduce tap changing need
Reduce the negative environmental impact of deep anode systems, particularly in the area of underground aquifer contamination, soil contaminant migration, and decommissioning – make it sealed
Provide compliance to increasingly stringent environmental regulations negatively impacting on traditional deep anode systems – change design to make them acceptable for wide spread use.
Improve the business case for the use of deep anode beds – cost over life span vs up front costs
Typical Coke Breeze Deepwell Groundbed
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Environmental Issues – Coke Breeze Beds
Coke breeze allows water/contaminants to travel up and down the hole
Vent pipes required are also open pathways for contamination/water
Vent pipes emit toxic and noxious gases to the surface
Aquifer zones are increasingly not allowed to be penetrated by coke breeze beds
Sealing coke breeze beds are difficult using standard technology of casings, or cement packed zones
It is possible to place the casing or concrete seal zone in the wrong spot.
Fractured aquifers cannot be adequately sealed and allow current output from the coke breeze bed (PVC type casings)
Steel casings are consumed by current from the groundbed and are not practical for aquifer sealing with coke breeze backfills
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The New Technology Requirements
Develop an anode system that will…
Satisfy regulatory agency and landowner concerns for the protection of underground aquifers and reduce owner liability issues
Extend anode life expectancy
Improve anode electrical and environmental performance
Remove the need for vent pipe as a contaminant path
Provide for end of life closure at the time of installation, thereby reducing downstream costs and legal liability
Utilize existing anode installation methods and equipment
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The Solution
Seven years of product development have yielded an innovative anode cathodic protection system that:
Uses a low permeable back fill - a new water impermeable, conductive solid backfill that protects aquifers and excludes soil migration
Protects the Anode - an anode coating material that extends anode bed lifetimes significantly (> 2 times) by eliminating chloride and sulfide attack
Improve anode electrical performance – electronic flow inside the groundbed, ionic flow outside
Enhances aquifer protection by eliminating vent pipes – push gas generation to the outside of the column. Also improves land owner acceptance
Allows the installation of full sized deep wells to provide adequate protection to pipelines and infrastructure. A return to appropriately sized deep wells
Is compatible with normal installation methods and equipment for all CP systems
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The Technical Benefits
Improved electrical performance by significantly increasing the amount of energy transferred from the anode to the soil through an electronic process
Extended anode life expectancy, greater than double typical beds More efficient and consistent anode performance over its effective
life Versatile and flexible technology allows deep anode beds to be
constructed to nearly unlimited depths, using a variety of anode configurations suitable to the client’s cathodic protection design
Water impermeable design eliminates aquifer contamination paths Does not require out-gassing vent pipes, simplifying deployment Utilizes standard anode bed installation practices and equipment Both custom and cost efficient standard anode bed designs are
available
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The Technical Benefits
Anode design and installation practices unchanged and even simplified:
Anode design based on measured soil characteristics like resistivity, moisture and salt content, and current output requirements
Common anode bed installation methods and equipment can be used
Minor learning curve to deploy the new deep anode technology
Vent pipes not used
Overall benefit: same or lower design and deployment costs, longer performance
Environmental Issues
Eliminating the vent pipe will eliminate these concerns !
Note: Noxious gases and coke breeze deposits from existing vent pipe
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Vent Gasses can be very corrosive and noxious
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Corrosive liquids/gasses
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NO chance of gas in shunt boxes
EnvirAnode 9 Years Coke Backfill 9 Years
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Aquifer contamination paths eliminated
Diagram of the sealed deep anode technology
Aquifer water does not migrate through the solid anode bed, thus ensuring no cross-contamination flow between aquifers
The entire anode column solidifies to provide an impervious permanent seal in the well
It can be imagined as a huge carbon anode in the soil
Surface contamination cannot penetrate to the underground aquifers through solid media
Gassing is dissipated on the outside surface of the column into the soil
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The Environmental Benefits
Suitable for use in any cathodic protection system Especially well suited for use in sensitive environmental areas and
where underground aquifers are present, or soil contaminant migration may occur
Impermeable design inherently protects underground aquifers by sealing against contamination from surface and underground water sources
Anode design effectively manages out gassing to eliminate the need for a vent pipe
No anode bed environmental decommissioning costs as the bed is originally installed as a sealed system
Complies with regulatory requirements as an effective aquifer seal and eliminates landowner concerns of aquifer contamination
Restrictive states such as Texas and Kansas have accepted this system as an effective seal
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Applications
This new anode and solid backfill technology is ideally suited for:
New impressed current anode bed installations
Retrofit anode bed replacements
Cathodic protection system upgrades
Cathodic protection systems located in environmentally sensitive areas where underground aquifers or soil contamination issues exist
Sites where traditional anode bed designs are prohibited by landowners or environmental regulatory agencies
Sites where aging infrastructure requires a higher performance cathodic protection system than that delivered by traditional CP solutions
Sites where longer life anode beds are required or specified
Sites where traditional CP solutions do not yield a viable ROI
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The Technology: A Closer Look
Constructed from specially formulated anode and backfill materials that: Promote electronic transfer of energy into the soil, while
significantly dissipating the gases into the soil that would normally be vented to the atmosphere
Are water impermeable, reducing anode deterioration from electrolytic processes, and thereby significantly extending anode lifetimes while simultaneously improving electrical performance
Are chemically stable for a very low environmental impact
Pre-cast anode components: Eliminate the mechanical and cost issues of using centering
devices during the installation phase Are assembled using dual jacketed insulated cables
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The Technology: A Closer Look
Fabrication details:
Both the pre-cast anodes and backfill column are constructed from engineered hygroscopic carbonaceous materials that form a solid system
Once solidified, the entire anode system is water impermeable(with about the same permeability as bentonite)
Pre-cast anodes contain a Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) coated electrode core
Pre-cast anodes are firmly secured to dual jacketed cables with a double compression crimp
The crimped connection is then embedded in resin to form an impermeable seal against water and other corrosive agents
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The Technology: A Closer Look
Diagram of the new deep anode technology system as installed:
Aquifer water does not migrate through the solid anode bed, thus ensuring no cross-contamination flow between aquifers
The entire anode column solidifies to provide an impervious permanent seal in the well
It can be imagined as a huge carbon anode in the soil
Carbon consumption is from the outside surface towards the MMO core
Gassing is dissipated on the outside surface of the column into the soil
Anode Bed Cross Section
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The Technology: Improved Performance
Technical characteristics of the new deep anode technology:
Technical Characteristic Value
Compression | Strength 2,500 to 3,000 psi
Permeability (Water Absorption) 3.8 x 10-7 cm/sec
Hygroscopic BehaviourAbsorbs 34.4% of its Weight in Water
LeachatesMeets and exceeds US and Canadian Regulatory Requirements
Carbon Loss per Amp Year 0.5 kg or 1.1 pounds
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The Technology: Improved Performance
Accelerated Life Cycle Testing Results:
Anode life expectancydouble or more
05
10152025303540
Years
Technology
Traditional Anode Bed New Deep Anode System
Sealed Bed Performance - Refinery
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Rectifier Output
Date Volts Amps Resistance Comments
9/12/2007 Installed new groundbed
10/9/2007 3.16 10.20 0.310 Commissioned new groundbed
10/15/2007 5.02 31.50 0.159 Increased output
11/5/2007 5.01 30.60 0.164
12/19/2007 4.96 29.55 0.168
1/9/2008 5.02 29.70 0.169
2/14/2008 4.96 28.20 0.176
3/20/2008 5.00 29.10 0.172
4/8/2008 5.05 29.85 0.169
4/29/2008 5.12 30.45 0.168 Annual Survey
5/14/2008 5.06 30.30 0.167
6/26/2008 4.91 33.45 0.147 Old rectifier replaced with new
7/16/2008 5.13 30.00 0.171
8/13/2008 5.12 30.15 0.170
9/10/2008 5.05 29.70 0.170
10/28/2008 5.04 29.85 0.169
11/12/2008 5.06 29.70 0.170
12/10/2008 5.16 30.60 0.169
1/21/2009 5.12 30.00 0.171
2/23/2009 5.09 30.15 0.169
3/23/2009 5.03 29.40 0.171
4/28/2009 5.10 29.40 0.173
Sealed Bed Performance – Salt Water Deep Well – Near King Ranch
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Installation Date: 25-Oct-05
Initiated Date: 5-Jan-06 41 DaysCure time
Date 5-Jan-06 7-Apr-06 30-Aug-06 13-Dec-06 5-Oct-07 3-Mar-09
Volts DC 7.2 7.4 7 8.4 8.35 8.4
Amps DC 30 31 52.8 73 76.8 72.1
GB Ohms 0.2400 0.2387 0.1326 0.1151 0.1087 0.1165
Anode #
15 1.91 1.93 4.10 5.30 5.89 5.40
14 2.07 2.08 3.67 5.20 4.98 4.10
13 1.68 1.70 1.59 2.50 2.95 1.80
12 2.35 2.50 5.54 6.90 6.79 6.10
11 2.72 2.70 5.93 7.20 8.11 7.20
10 2.05 2.08 2.86 3.10 4.42 3.30
9 2.40 2.40 4.95 5.80 5.49 5.80
8 2.67 3.00 3.91 6.80 5.22 1.50
7 2.42 2.42 4.03 6.00 6.16 7.60
6 1.93 1.93 4.24 6.10 5.77 7.30
5 1.74 1.74 3.44 5.40 6.11 7.70
4 1.62 1.62 3.05 4.40 4.86 5.40
3 1.48 1.70 2.38 3.40 3.28 3.90
2 1.59 1.60 1.16 2.40 2.73 3.70
1 1.10 1.40 2.08 3.50 4.03 1.30
Total Amps 29.73 30.80 52.93 74.00 76.79 72.10
Resistance Value Jan 06 to Oct 10
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3 Kansas Deep Wells
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Kendall 6" Johnson #13 LewisDCVolts 9.79 22.12 22.28DCAmps 7.1 32.2 30.7GB Ohms 1.37887324 0.686956522 0.725733Tap C/F C1 F6 C2 F6 C2 F6
Anode1 0.53 2.29 2.202 1.21 2.01 2.403 1.86 2.50 2.264 0.60 2.07 1.315 0.54 4.72 0.966 0.49 4.15 0.867 0.39 2.30 4.238 0.48 1.80 5.559 0.37 3.58 6.26
10 0.26 4.18 3.8411 0.22 2.23 1.7712 0.35 3.58 1.5013 0.39
Sum All 7.69 35.41 33.14Act Ohms 1.273 0.625 0.672Structure -1.335 -0.979 -0.871
Well InfoDiam "Depth Ft 250 475 475Top Void 40 40 200
Deepest Shallowest
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
DC
Am
ps
Resistance Value of 36 Beds in a Refinery
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Design Information Requested
All deep well groundbed designs are based on common data
• What is the soil resistivity profile in the area?
• How much current is required of the bed?
• Is there a diameter or depth restriction?
• What is the distance between the well head and the shunt box?
• What is the desired life span at the required current output level?
“Cookie Cutter” groundbeds have been established by several companies based on their experience in a given area and with the common materials they have used successfully. This at times gets into their purchasing departments as the specifications for every groundbed. When bids go out, new technology is ignored by the purchasing agents as they do not fit the letter of the spec.
Cookie cutter groundbed specifications keep out good new technologies and if your company has them, they should be reviewed to allow consideration of this new technology.
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The Technology: Regulatory Approvals
Relevant State environmental agencies that have restricted the use of deep well anode system are being contacted.
To date this technology has been accepted by:
The Railroad Commission of Texas
The State of Kansas Corporation Commission
Notes:
Petitioning approvals now in Minnesota, Florida, New Jersey, California
California does not require the new sealed well’s “destruction” at end of life, as the bed is technically installed in a “closed” state. This has saved customers $5,000 per well on closure costs.
Kansas may not require “closure bonds” when the sealed bed is used.
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Summary: Key Attributes
The new anode bed technology is constructed of highly conductive, water impermeable pre‑cast anodes and solid column backfill
Dual jacketed cables and double crimped, resin encased connections ensure the new anode design is sealed against water and corrosive agents
Engineered carbonaceous and environmentally neutral materials harness efficient electronic energy transfer to eliminate the need for out-gassing vent pipes
Anode life is extended, projections show up to double
The new anode technology systems are designed and built to the depth and energy output levels required
The system seals underground aquifers against surface and cross-contamination
The materials eliminate any soil migration paths
Eliminates future shutdown and decommissioning costs and liabilities
Accepted by Environmental Regulatory Agencies for use in impressed current deep well anodes
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Summary: Benefits
A CP solution with sound technical, environmental and financial performance
A CP solution that prevents any soil migration issues Flexible and versatile CP tool suitable for new and retrofit anode beds High performance electrical characteristics with an extended lifetime Inherent protection against the contamination of aquifers from surface or
underground sources – a major environmental and landowner concern Environmentally compliant design built from purpose engineered materials Elimination of future decommissioning costs and attendant liabilities All factors contribute to excellent bottom-line performance and ROI Finally, and most importantly…
The new technology restores the viability of deep anode solutionsas a critical tool in the struggle against infrastructure corrosion andpreserves landowner’s water resources.
Questions?
E mail: [email protected]
Mike Ames 281 445 9311
SAE Inc.
www.saeinc.com
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