Electrical

M
ost underground
structures at gener-
ating stations have
traditionally been
electrically bonded
together to reduce
hazardous voltages
associated with lightning and fault or
induced currents in the earth. A com-
Grounding and
mon grounding system is more eco-
nomical and reduces resistance to re-
mote earth better than individual
ground connections. The common
Cathodic Protection
ground tends to assure a low-resistance
return path for power system earth-
return currents and fault currents. It
minimizes earth-potential gradients
around individual earthing electrodes
Issues in Large
or elements, which limits step and
touch voltages to safe levels at the sur-
face of the earth. In addition, redun-
dant electrical grounding circuits in-
crease safety if one or more conductors
Generating Stations
EARL L. KIRKPATRICK, ELK Engineering Associates, Inc.
are cut or otherwise damaged.
Electrically interconnecting many
dissimilar metals in the soil can signifi-
The common bonding of underground ferrous
cantly increase corrosion rates on structures to massive copper grounding grids
some underground structures.1 When creates problems for corrosion engineers and their
materials such as black iron (BI), cast attempts to provide cathodic protection to ferrous
iron (CI), and ductile iron (DI) are in- structures. This article discusses conflicts between the
terconnected in the soil, they are very design and operation of copper and ferrous underground
close together in the electromotive
series of metals and each suffers very
systems and presents alternatives. It describes the case
little additional corrosion by connec- of a large electrical generating station with a bare copper
tion to the other metal. grounding grid, typical of late-1960s construction
Creating a dissimilar metal couple practices.
by connecting BI, CI, or DI to copper
or brass forms a very significant corro-
sion cell. Copper is electropositive
with respect to all ferrous metals. In pipe surface and the local soil or water
addition, it does not polarize readily, environment. These coatings are
as do ferrous metals. Therefore, accel- supplemented with CP to prevent cor-
erated corrosion occurs on ferrous rosion at “holidays,” or voids in the pro-
structures whenever they are directly tective coating. The combination of di-
coupled to bare copper in the soil. electric coatings and CP generally
Cathodic protection (CP) is rou- produces a low-cost corrosion protec-
tinely used to overcome soil-instigated tion system with minimum current
corrosion cells on underground piping demands.
found in power plants and other indus- Most electrical engineers specify
trial facilities. In most instances, a di- copper for grounding electrodes be-
electric coating is used on the under- cause it is the preferred material for
ground piping and serves as a electrical conductors. In addition, cop-
corrosion control barrier between the per is erroneously believed to resist
November 2001 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE 17
 FIGURE 1

iron pipe and groundrods, stainless

steel ground rods, reinforcing steel
encased in concrete, and insulated cop-
per cables. If any of these materials are
electrically coupled to an effective CP
system for the buried plant piping, they
will not corrode.

Case History—
Steam Electric Station
A large, two-unit lignite-fired steam
electric station was designed and con-
structed in East Texas in the mid- to
late-1960s, and it began commercial
operation in 1970. Underground utili-
ties at the plant site include, at a mini-
mum, the following components:
Typical construction activity, not related to CP work. Such construction may damage buried CP • Welded-steel-coated natural gas
components. lines, compressed air lines, and ser-
vice water lines.
• DI pipe, firewater, and potable
water lines that may or may not be
corrosion when buried in soil. When ing system places a very significant coated. (Pipe joints were jumper-
copper is directly buried in the soil and load on the CP system if the under- bonded.)
completely isolated from other con- ground piping is to be polarized to an • Bar grilles, traveling screens, and
struction materials, copper does cor- adequate CP potential. circulating water pumps in the clear
rode. In acidic soil conditions, the cor- Power plants usually bond all struc- wells at the intake structure.
rosion rate of isolated copper may be tures, including the electrical ground- • Driven sheet piling at the intake
greater than that of iron or steel in the ing grid, in common. This provides structure, with a total surface area
same environment. If, however, a cop- electrical safety by significantly reduc- exposed to soil or water of ~55,000
per grounding electrode is electrically ing the chances for a dangerous differ- ft2 (5,110 m2).
interconnected with other engineering ence in step or touch potential be- • Dual 108-in. (2.74-m)-diameter
construction materials (e.g., BI, CI, DI, tween the isolated structure and the prestressed concrete pipe circulat-
or steel [iron]), the copper will be ca- grid. Directly connecting such a system ing water lines.
thodically protected at the expense of to a bare copper grounding system may • Various control lines, electrical
the ferrous metal to which it is con- increase total CP current demand by conduit, and foundation rebar.
nected. Therefore, copper is a poor several orders of magnitude. This effect • An extensive bare-copper ground-
choice in direct contact with the soil creates a serious conflict between CP ing grid containing ~10,000 ft
(i.e., not isolated). It accelerates corro- engineering design and electrical engi- (3,050 m) of 250-MCM (124 mm2)
sion on most other buried engineering neering safety design. Whenever an im- and 4/0-AWG (105 mm2) conductor
metals to which it is connected. In ad- pressed current CP system is not func- with 50 driven-copper ground rods.
dition, it does not polarize as readily as tioning, a strong galvanic couple forms No intentional electrical isolation
ferrous structures. Therefore, the CP between the underground ferrous pip- was provided between any of the un-
current density (CD) required to polar- ing and the copper grounding grid. The derground structures. Some CP was
ize the copper to an adequate poten- couple accelerates the corrosion rate provided for the underground plant at
tial necessary to protect a ferrous struc- of all ferrous structures in direct soil the time of initial construction. A few
ture may be 10 to 20 times as high—on contact. additional rectifiers and groundbeds
a per-unit-area basis—as the level re- Alternatives do exist.2 Other con- were installed in the 1980s.
quired to polarize ferrous structures. struction materials that have been suc- This plant site has been subjected
When one considers that the under- cessfully used for grounding electrodes to considerable construction activity
ground piping in most plant facilities and/or grid conductors include bare since startup (Figure 1). Much of the
is all coated pipe, it is not difficult to iron or steel structural members, cast construction activity has been associ-
recognize that a bare copper ground- zinc anodes, zinc ribbon, galvanized ated with mandated environmental and
18 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE November 2001
 FIGURE 2

pollution control requirements. Other

construction has been associated with
plant modernization.
The author began working with the
plant’s CP system in the mid 1990s af-
ter a number of water lines had been
replaced because of corrosion failures.
At that time, the CP system was in a
general state of disrepair plantwide.
The first course of action was to con-
duct a comprehensive CP survey. The
existing rectifiers and/or anode-beds
were then repaired over a 4-year pe-
riod (Figure 2).
Additional units have since been in-
stalled as maintenance funds have be-
come available. For all new rectifier
units in this facility, negative connec-
tions are made to the grounding grid Repairs being made on a CP groundbed at the generating station.
or to building steel. When practical,
negative connections are also made to
nearby buried plant piping. Individual
negative output shunts are provided units and associated anode beds with a the grid in older generating facilities
whenever two or more negative out- total rated current output capability of to be certain that safe step and touch
puts are employed. 810 A were protecting the buried pip- potentials will exist under fault
During one of the comprehensive ing within the plant. These rectifiers conditions. This is especially impor-
plantwide surveys, a remote reference were putting out a total of 730.1 A. The tant in facilities that have been sub-
electrode was established and the out- plant covers a surface area of ~113 jected to considerable construction
put of the largest rectifier was inter- acres (46 ha). Therefore, the average activity.
rupted. “On” and “off” potentials were CD per unit area at that time was ~6.46
measured and recorded to both a re- A per acre. This is an average current References
mote and a close reference electrode. output for the total area of the plant.
1. E.L. Kirkpatrick, “Effects of Electrical
The remote readings clearly showed Recognize that, in the congested areas Grounding On Corrosion,” CORROSION/79,
that there were several major electri- of the plant with extensive copper paper no. 53 (Houston, TX: NACE, 1979).
cal discontinuities in the plant ground- grounding, the CD per unit area is likely 2. “Alternatives to Copper Grounding in
ing grid. This is a very common prob- at least an order of magnitude higher. Sites Requiring Cathodic Protection,” MP 25,
lem in old generating stations that have 9 (1986): p. 17.
undergone extensive upgrades and Conclusions 3. E.L. Kirkpatrick, “The Conflict Be-
tween Copper Grounding Systems and Ca-
new construction. Earlier work discusses large-plant- thodic Protection Systems,” Paper presented
A revised plant grounding grid draw- area CP current demand in terms of av- at the Second EPRI Corrosion and Degra-
ing was prepared calling for insulated erage amperes per acre (0.4 ha) of dation Conference (Key West, FL: EPRI,
bonding cables ranging from 4/0 AWG plant area.3 The conclusion is that, for 2000).
up to 500 MCM (248 mm2) in order to the case of extensive bare copper
provide an adequate degree of electri- grounding grids, the CP current re- EARL L. KIRKPATRICK is President of ELK En-
cal continuity throughout the plant quirement is almost an order of magni- gineering Associates, Inc., 8950 Forum Way, Ft.
grid. The plant grid resistance-to-re- tude higher on a per-unit-area basis Worth, TX 76140-5017. He is a registered pro-
mote earth was <1 mil-Ω. Therefore, than is the case for a properly coordi- fessional engineer with 42 years of experience
additional bare grounding elements nated and integrated electrical ground- in all phases of corrosion engineering, engineer-
were not required to ensure an ad- ing management, and construction management
ing and CP design. This implies that
in industries that include oil & gas, electrical
equately low grid resistance-to-remote- these older designs are at best 10% ef- systems, airports, light rail, and industrial facili-
earth ratio. ficient—from a CP standpoint. ties. He received a NACE Distinguished Service
At the time of the most recent sur- It is also very important to assess Award in 1990 and has been a NACE member
vey, a total of 14 operational rectifier adequate electrical continuity across since 1960.

November 2001 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE 19