Development of a Digitalised Remote Monitoring Device For Predictive Maintenance of Pipeline Cathodic Protection Systems

Cathodic Protection Systems (CPS) are installed in oil and gas pipelines to protect them from Corrosion. To assess the CPS level of protection against Corrosion, specialised staff must carry out routine inspections, data capture and analysis, and these are usually done offline. This traditional method of inspection and monitoring is time-consuming, expensive and often made impossible by insecurities, community clashes and inaccessibility of pipeline right of way. This paper presents the development of an intelligent system that can capture the pipe-to-soil potential (PSP) readings of the CPS, analyse the data, and provide feedback from remote locations, all in real-time, to alert users on the protection status of CPS in time. The hardware component of the tool was developed using GSM Sim900 Shield and Arduino Mega 2560 board. The software component was developed using Arduino software, Thinkspeak IoT server and MATLAB for validation. The system when implemented on real test posts of oil and gas facilities showed consistency of measured data, with real-time feedback to users. The system reported PSP readings below -0.85Vcse, within 0.85Vcse to -1.25Vcse, and above -1.25Vcse, as 'unprotected', 'protected' and 'over protected' status. Comparative analysis with Multimeter showed a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.999172. One main limitation of the developed device is a voltage drop of up to - 0.1Vcse observed at the point of installation. This is recommended as further work. The tool is beneficial to facility owners, industries and government as it helps to reduce the rate of oil spillage and losses through Corrosion.