Technological advances in horizontal drilling and fracking have changed the oil and gas production landscape that propels the US Pipeline industry. This combined with an increasing demand for natural gas and the promise of larger export markets for both LNG and US crude oil have led to a surge in new pipeline construction. As a result, pipeline corrosion prevention, including cathodic protection design and engineering expertise is critical as the industry adapts to a changing production landscape and new distribution challenges.

Cathodic Protection Engineering Capabilities

MATCOR has been heavily involved in several key engineering projects including pipeline cathodic protection design for new transmission stations. Whether these are compressor stations for gas pipelines or pump stations for liquids pipelines, pipeline owners appreciate MATCOR’s innovative application of linear anodes when designing new construction stations.

Pipeline Cathodic Protection Design with Linear Anodes

The advantages of using linear anodes in a new pipeline station environment include:

• Installation in the same trench as the buried piping during initial construction greatly reduces installation costs
• Close coupling of the anode to the piping greatly minimizes the current losses of the CP system to the station’s grounding system
• Utilizes a low anode gradient / low current output anode system that minimizes interference concerns with other structures and with foreign pipelines outside the station area
• Provides exceptionally long anode life using MMO (mixed metal oxide) anodes operating at mA/ft current output.

MATCOR has successfully pioneered the use of linear anodes in plant environments for two decades. With the recent surge of pipeline projects, the use of linear anodes in stations has gained significant traction in the market. MATCOR design engineers and field technical personnel are uniquely qualified to perform engineering, pipeline cathodic protection design, field installation support, commissioning and testing services for these critical infrastructure projects.

MATCOR also offers a full suite of cathodic protection design and AC mitigation design services for transmission pipeline and oil and gas production pipeline gathering systems.