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Canister Anodes, Mixed Metal Oxide, MMO Anodes

MATCOR’s MMP Anode Gets a Makeover

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MATCOR’s MMP™ Mixed Metal Oxide based canister anode is very popular in the corrosion industry.

The MMP Anode consists of an MMO anode densely packed in a 99.9% carbon backfill housed in a robust galvanized steel tube.

MATCOR has manufactured over ten thousand of these anodes over the last 20 years and shipped them to users around the globe.

MMP™-Anode Prepackaged MMO Impressed Current Anode
MMP™-Anode Prepackaged MMO Impressed Current Anode

MMO vs Graphite and Cast-Iron Anodes

These MMO canister anodes have proven to be a long-life, cost effective alternative to conventional graphite and cast-iron anodes.

They are ideal for shallow and deep anode installations to protect pipelines, above ground storage tanks, sheet pile walls and other buried structures.

New Housing Material for Our MMP Anodes

Due to supply chain challenges, inflationary pressures and a rapidly evolving steel industry, our long-time supplier of galvanized carbon steel tubes has decided to exit the market.

As a result, MATCOR has had an opportunity to evaluate our MMP™ Anode product line and the best housing material for our canister anodes.

Anode Housing Material Considerations

Some of the factors that we considered important included availability, cost, weight, and material strength.

Lowest Cost

The least expensive canister housing is a thin-walled, 26-gauge (0.018” or 0.45mm wall thickness) spiral welded “stove pipe” galvanized canister. This type of canister housing is used by some in the industry for packaging anodes and offers the benefit of being low cost, readily available, and very lightweight.

The negative with this housing is that it is extremely thin walled and provides little to no mechanical strength. Our experience is that these anodes are too easily prone to damage during shipping, handling, and installation.

Aluminum Housing

We also looked at aluminum as an alternate material – aluminum tubing is readily available with 0.05” (1.27mm thickness) and offers a lightweight tube with significantly more strength than the thin walled spiral welded galvanized canister.

The cost for aluminum, however, is an issue.

Carbon Steel Anode Canisters

While MATCOR has internally approved aluminum as a suitable substitute should the steel tubes not be available. However, for our standard product a carbon steel canister is a more cost-effective solution.

The New Standard

Ultimately, MATCOR has standardized on an 18-gauge carbon steel tube with a nominal 0.065” wall thickness. This is a heavy duty canister that can easily withstand the rigors of being handled (and mishandled) during shipping and installation.

MATCOR is also consolidating our standard product offering by eliminating some sizes from our standard product line including the 2” and 4” options. These are still available on a custom basis with a longer lead time than our standard product line.

For more information please visit our MMP Anode product page, contact us at the link below, or reach out to your local MATCOR account manager.

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AC Mitigation, Cathodic Protection, Corrosion Industry News, News

MATCOR’s Ted Huck to Keynote at CORCON 2021

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MATCOR’s Ted Huck, cathodic protection and AC mitigation expert, is pleased to be a keynote speaker at this year’s CORCON.

Ted Huck, MATCOR, Inc.

CORCON is Asia’s largest corrosion conference, hosted annually by the NACE International Gateway India Section (NIGIS).

The only larger corrosion conference is the NACE CORROSION Conference held annually in the Spring by NACE – we hope to see all of you in San Antonio Texas in 2022 where next year’s CORROSION Conference is scheduled.

Did you know? Our very own Ted Huck is “Youtube Famous” for his Cathodic Protection 101 video, with nearly a quarter-million views!

This year, the CORCON conference is virtual; however, the need for an opportunity to share information and experiences still exists. Even in the midst of a pandemic, show organizers are optimistic that they can resume a live conference in 2022.

MATCOR has over a decade-long history of involvement in the cathodic protection market in India. The company has participated in numerous CORCON conferences as speakers, session chairs, and as an exhibitor.

Corrosion Professionals in India

MATCOR has a small office and staff in Ahmedabad, India and we believe in the great work performed by the many corrosion professionals in India.

This year, we were pleasantly surprised when conference organizers reached out to Ted Huck, a frequent visitor and speaker at the NIGIS CORCON conference, to ask that he be a keynote speaker.

Corcon 2021 Keynote

On November 18, Mr. Huck delivered the presentation “AC Mitigation Criterion and the impact on Cathodic Protection Operations.”

The conference is scheduled for November 18-20, 2021.  For more information visit www.corcon.org.

In addition to speaking at the CORCON conference, you can also find MATCOR at the National Institute for Storage Tank Management conference in the Woodlands December 1st and 2nd.  Mr. Huck will be speaking in person at that conference on Tank Bottom Cathodic Protection Systems – Replacement Options.

Cathodic Protection, Construction Services, Corrosion Industry News

Cathodic Protection Construction and Inflation

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How Today’s Supply Chain Issues Affect Our Industry

For over a decade both the consumer and construction worlds have enjoyed very stable pricing with modest annual increases. 2021 is a very different picture. Suppliers are dealing with supply chain issues and price spikes. These increases far exceed the 2-3% we typically see for cathodic protection construction projects.

Cathodic Protection Construction

In today’s environment, manufacturers and service providers deal with this uncertainty by providing quotes with very limited duration. In some cases quotes are only valid for a few days. This is a far cry from the 30- to 90-day validity once common in the industry.

The challenge for everyone in the industry is the lag time between the budgeting phase of a project and the purchase of materials. For major projects, the planning, permitting and pre-construction phases of a project can take years.

It is important to note that the inflation figures we see quoted in the news are typically “consumer price index.” These inflation figures run about half of the less reported “producer price index,” which more accurately captures manufacturers’ material costs.

When you hear that the core inflation rate is 4 or 5%, you can reasonably expect that material costs are rising at 8-10%.

What can companies performing cathodic protection construction do to manage project budgets in an inflationary environment?

  • Take action quickly. Time is money. The longer you wait to purchase materials and services, the more you can expect to pay for them. Once you have approval for a cathodic protection project, order the key materials quickly.
  • Share the inflation risks fairly with your suppliers and contractors. Holding a contractor to yesterday’s prices is unrealistic and unsustainable. That contractor will be looking for ways to cut costs. And they may accomplish it by cutting quality, reducing the scope, substituting cheaper materials, or demanding change orders at every opportunity. This type of relationship does not benefit any of the parties.
  • Consider ordering materials separately from construction. This applies especially to materials you can pre-stage, have long storage life, or repurpose easily for other projects.
  • Be realistic when providing project schedules. Haven’t nailed down all the landowner or permit issues? Then don’t tell your suppliers and contractors that you expect the project to kick off next month.

What is MATCOR doing to address issues related to cathodic protection construction projects?

As a supplier of cathodic protection materials and construction services, MATCOR takes a team approach. We are eager to engage with customers and work together to minimize impacts from cathodic protection supply chain disruptions and price increases.

Stretch Your Cathodic Protection Budget

Now is a great time to think about stretching your 2021 budget and getting a jump start on 2022.

Days are growing shorter and long summer days are turning to dark winter days. This makes it difficult to spend the last of your CP budget dollars on completed construction projects this year.

Equipment and crews are generally already booked. However, MATCOR and our sister company JA Electronics can still help you spend your 2021 budget dollars productively.

We still have manufacturing capacity for this year. Purchasing cathodic protection anodes, rectifiers and other CP components now can help use up those remaining funds while also giving you a head start on 2022 projects.

Get Your Act Together

The first quarter is often a slower quarter in the construction business since companies are still planning their 2022 CP spend.

But what if you had your act together and were ready to start cathodic protection construction projects earlier in the year?

Well, we at MATCOR are eager to talk to you about special off-season pricing that we can offer for Q1 projects. Are you in a position to buy materials in Q4 and install them in Q1 of 2022? We can load share our construction capacity and provide off-peak pricing, making it very attractive indeed to have your act together.

Have questions or need a quote cathodic protection materials or construction services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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Corrosion, Storage Tanks, Water Treatment Facilities

Corrosion Control for Water Treatment Facilities

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We recently received an inquiry on our cathodic protection FAQ asking about “the best corrosion control protection for above-ground steel tanks treating wastewater.” Well, corrosion control for water treatment facilities is such an interesting and relevant topic that it warrants an expanded response, so here goes.

Wastewater treatment facilities generally have many tanks storing and processing wastewater through multiple treatment stages. These tanks and vessels are subject to corrosion, and there are a range of strategies to extend their service life.

Corrosion control for water treatment facilities' tanks and vessels

Corrosion Protection Strategies for Water Treatment Tanks and Vessels

These strategies fall into four broad categories: material selection, chemical treatment, coatings, and cathodic protection.

Wastewater Tank and Vessel Material Selection

From a material selection perspective, most wastewater treatment vessels are carbon steel. However, some chemical wastewater treatment facilities may require more “exotic” materials early in the treatment process due to the wastewater feed material.

Once the wastewater feed material has been treated and/or neutralized, the remaining process tanks and vessels are likely to be carbon steel construction.

Corrosion Protection via Chemical Treatment

The next broad category of corrosion control strategies is chemical treatment. While chemical treatment is an integral part of the wastewater process, specifically in terms of pH neutralization and chlorination processes, the chemical treatment performed during the treatment of wastewater is not typically intended to control corrosion.

One area where chemical treatment might be a viable corrosion control strategy is with the use of vapor corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) to protect the underside of steel storage tanks.

Coatings for Corrosion Control of Water Treatment Tanks and Vessels

The appropriate selection and application of coatings is a key corrosion control strategy for wastewater treatment facilities.

Coatings are particularly effective in protecting carbon steel structures including above ground piping, atmospheric external tank shells, wetted internal tank walls, submerged steel structures, and many other structures.

Coatings, however, are not perfect and they have a finite life. For structures that are easy to access, inspecting and re-coating are often the sole means applied to protect against corrosion.

Cathodic Protection

The final corrosion mitigation strategy that can be effectively employed to protect wastewater tanks and process vessels is the use of cathodic protection.

Cathodic protection can be used to protect bare steel structures, or in conjunction with coatings.

There are two basic types of cathodic protection, galvanic (often termed sacrificial) and impressed current. Some typical cathodic protection applications in wastewater treatment facilities include protecting the soil side bottoms of large above ground storage tanks and vessels, and protecting the internal wetted surfaces of tanks and process vessels including rotating equipment such as rakes and wiper arms.

MATCOR has extensive experience designing, supplying and installing cathodic protection systems for wastewater tanks and process equipment, including several proprietary impressed current anode systems that are especially well suited for these applications.

Have questions or need a quote for corrosion prevention materials or services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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Close Interval Surveys, Linear Anodes, MMO Anodes, Pipeline, Pipeline Integrity, Uncategorized

Linear Anodes for Hard-to-Reach Places [Rusty Talks]

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Rusty and Josh Johnston chat about a recent project and case study involving the use of linear anodes for hard to reach places.

This month, MATCOR exhibited at the AMPP Central Area Conference held in Kansas City. MATCOR’s Mr. Josh Johnston, along with Mr. Chad Farris of Energy Transfer, jointly presented a paper—a case story using linear anodes as a shallow horizontal anode bed installed along two pipelines in central Kansas.

Rusty: Josh, tell us how it felt to finally be in a real-life conference interacting with people in person after the last year and half of cancelled conferences and virtual conferences.

Josh: It is always great to get to interact with our friends and industry colleagues, clients, suppliers and competitors to share information and discuss the challenges that our industry faces—especially given the events of the past couple of years. Presenting this paper was a great opportunity to highlight the use of linear anodes to protect hard to reach areas on older pipelines.

Rusty: Can you describe the problem that you covered in your presentation?

Josh: Energy Transfer had two older pipelines that were not meeting criteria in a rural location. As is typical in a lot of pipeline cathodic protection applications, the pipelines were being protected by impressed current anodes located at road crossings where power was readily available. The roads ran parallel to each other and were located one mile apart. The pipeline traversed these two roads and the area in between was mostly farmland. As a result of the age and coating condition, the shallow horizontal anode beds, located at the road crossings, were not able to project much more than a ¼ mile from each end, leaving approximately ½ mile in the center under protected. This was clearly identifiable in the close interval survey (CIS) data.Linear Anodes for Hard to Reach Places

Rusty: Couldn’t they simply increase the current output of the existing shallow ground beds at each end of the pipeline to drive more current to the center section in between?

Josh: They tried that approach, and it did not work, raising concerns that driving excessive current onto these older pipelines could actually make the situation worse by further disbanding any coating close to the existing ground beds.

Rusty: So where did MATCOR come into this project

Josh: MATCOR proposed linear anodes be installed parallel to each of the pipelines in the area between the two roads. MATCOR developed the very first MMO (mixed metal oxide) linear anodes over 30 years ago and we have the most experience designing linear anode CP systems.

Rusty: So it sounds easy, you take a couple of ½ mile segments of linear anode, trench them in parallel to pipeline and run a couple of long extension cord cables back to the road where there is power.

Josh: Well it does sound easy; however, in practice it is critical that any linear anode design carefully addresses voltage drop, and that the power feed cabling is configured so that each anode segment output is balanced. If this is not engineered properly, you could have a large disparity in the voltage being applied on one end of the anode segment relative to the other end. This would result in a very uneven distribution of current. Discussing the design considerations for the power feed cabling was the primary focus of this presentation.

Rusty: So how did it work out?

Josh: MATCOR was able to use some creative cabling analysis and routing to assure that the voltage difference from one end of an anode segment to the other was no more than a 10% variance. The post installation and commissioning CIS data delivered an outstanding current distribution.

Rusty: Thanks for providing a very quick overview of your presentation—any final thoughts or comments?

Josh: When designed properly, linear anodes can be a real problem-solving solution for older pipelines with current distribution and attenuation issues.

Oh yeah, Kansas City BBQ still rocks!

Have questions or need a quote for linear anodes or installations services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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News, Safety

MATCOR Wins Gold Score on Safety Audit

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MATCOR’s Chalfont manufacturing facility recently scored a Gold Link award, scoring a 96% from our parent company, BrandSafway, during a Gold Link Audit.

The BrandSafway Gold Link Audit evaluates BrandSafway job sites and facilities around the US and at BrandSafway locations across the globe.

The Audit is an extensive review of a site’s safety programs and processes based around the company’s 7 Safety Links.

BrandSafway’s 7 Safety Links

  1. EHS Administration
  2. Safety Culture and Commitment
  3. Safety Meetings and Training
  4. Safe Work Planning
  5. Health and Hygiene
  6. Safety Program Compliance
  7. Service Specific Safety Compliance

MATCOR’s Chalfont manufacturing facility has earned a strong reputation for its safety programs. We have not had a lost time incident in over ten years.

We take great pride in MATCOR’s world class, ISO Certified quality cathodic protection and ac mitigation products. All MATCOR proprietary CP materials are built in the United States, in our Gold Link certified safe facility.

Have questions or need a quote for cathodic protection or AC mitigation materials or services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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Cathodic Protection, Marine, Storage Tanks

MATCOR Featured in Tanks and Terminals

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In the June 2021 issue of Tanks and Terminals, a quarterly supplement to Hydrocarbon Engineering, MATCOR’s Ted Huck discusses cathodic protection of terminal marine structures including docks, jetties, piers, seawalls and sheet pilings.

Protecting Marine Structures From Corrosion

The article includes a case story discussion from a Texas gulf coast facility using impressed current cathodic protection for a combi-wall structure (consisting of pipe piles and sheet walls.).

MATCOR provides industry leading cathodic protection and AC mitigation solutions to tank and terminal operators around the globe.

Read the MATCOR Feature
AC Mitigation, Cathodic Protection, MATCOR

MATCOR’s New Offices Rock Customer Satisfaction

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In 2019, MATCOR opened new offices in Casper WY, and Midland, TX to better support those regions.

Two years and one pandemic later, we have seen great success from both regions as we’ve increased our service capacity, deployed construction crews and technicians and staffed each office with experienced cathodic protection professionals.

We recently highlighted a success story from our Casper Wyoming office detailing a successful AC Mitigation installation project.

This month we wanted to highlight a similar customer success story from our Horizontal Directional Drilling crew for two recent tank anode systems installed for a Texas based Midstream company with operations in the Permian.

Upon completion of the project, we received a compliment from the client’s Corrosion Supervisor, who reached out to MATCOR’s Permian based project manager, Mario Mahabir saying:

“Gentlemen, just wanted to extend our gratitude for the performance and professionalism we experienced from your team on the recent project at our facility.”

Well MATCOR appreciates the opportunity to work on this project!

For the this project, MATCOR designed, installed and commissioned dedicated under tank cathodic protection systems on two above ground storage tanks.

Installation was performed using our horizontal directional drilling rig and MATCOR’s proprietary mixed metal oxide anodes to install anodes and reference electrode pull tubes under two existing tanks.

Give the MATCOR Permian and Rockies teams a look—we think you will like what you see.

Have questions or need a quote for AC interference mitigation materials or services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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Anodes, Corrosion

Preventing Corrosion of Near Shore Structures

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Rusty Talks about the MATCOR PW® anode, which protects near shore structures in water from the effects of corrosion…

“It’s summertime and our thoughts go to water—backyard swimming pools, kayaking along rivers, boating on lakes, and lounging around the ocean.

Well, here at MATCOR, when we think water, we think about the very versatile MATCOR PW® ANODE system.

Check out some details below and contact our team for assistance.” — RUSTY

Corrosion Prevention of Structures in Water

The MATCOR PW Anode is ideal for corrosion protection of docks, piers, pilings and more.

The PW anode is a lightweight, long life anode system that can be installed to protect a wide range of near shore marine structures from corrosion, including:

  • Docks
  • Piers
  • Jetties
  • Sheet pile walls
  • Wind turbine jackets and monopiles
  • Stationary floating vessels such as riverboat casinos and historic naval vessels

The PW anode system consists of a custom fabricated PVC anode housing and a MATCOR Mixed Metal Oxide anode assembly.

The PW Anode can be supplied with a lowering rope, eye bolt assembly, and optional weight assembly for hanging.

This versatile anode is available in a wide range of sizes and current outputs or can be custom designed for a specific application’s requirements.

To get in touch with our team of corrosion experts for more information, to ask a question or get a quote, please click below. We will respond by phone or email within 24 hours. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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AC Mitigation, News

MITIGATOR® IS THE WINNER!

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MATCOR’s innovative engineered grounding system, the MITIGATOR®, was honored as a winner of the Open Innovation Factory 2021 Awards on June 22nd in Lyon, France.

Over 65 different innovations were nominated, and the MITIGATOR was one of seven trophy winners.

MATCOR MITIGATOR® is an Engineered AC Mitigation System

MATCOR’s innovation was nominated by GRT GAZ France, a European leader in natural gas transportation operating over 32,000 km of buried pipelines to transport natural gas from suppliers to consumers connected to its networks.

The MATCOR MITIGATOR is an engineered linear grounding system. It consists of a central copper conductor packaged inside a fabric housing with an enhanced grounding backfill that incorporates a copper corrosion inhibitor to protect the central copper conductor.

This product is ideal for AC mitigation using a parallel gradient control wire grounding configuration.

To get in touch with our team of AC mitigation experts for more information, to ask a question or get a quote, please click below. We will respond by phone or email within 24 hours. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

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Cathodic Protection Systems | Cathodic Protection Design | alternatives to sacrificial anodes and galvanic anodes