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The range of applications of DC Voltage Gradient Technology is already extensive and increasing all the time. Some typical examples of the applications of DCVG Technology to quantify problems with the pipeline protective coating, to provide information on the coating damage so that faults can be prioritised for repair and investigative information about the Cathodic Protection (CP) System and its interaction with the coating are set out below: -
1. Accurate location of coating faults.
2. Approximate severity of coating faults.
3. Determine the degree of protection of steel exposed at coating faults.
4. Determine the approximate shape of coating fault particularly ruffling in tapes and crown cracking in coal tar.
5. Identify faults taking abnormal amounts of Cathodic Protection (CP) current.
6. Identify coating faults close to CP power sources that are taking abnormal amounts of CP current.
7. Recognise and locate interference from foreign structures.
8. Recognise and locate interference from foreign CP systems.
9. Identify coating faults picking up or discharging DC Traction Interference.
10. Identify Optimum location of where to site DC Traction Drainage Bonds.
11. Test the functional ability of Insulating Flanges and Joints (expressed as % efficiency of insulation).
12. Test the functional ability of pipeline support insulators.
13. Recognise without excavation the failure of field joints because of the regular spacing of coating faults.
14. Identify the quality of field bends on buried pipelines.
15. Assess the quality of protective coatings on valves and other pipeline components.
16. Assess the quality of the coating repair at CP cable attachments to pipelines.
17. Identify cable shorts inside metal test posts.
18. Identify which cable is attached to which pipe in a multi pipeline CP test post.
19. Identify the extent of effectiveness of CP system along a pipeline, i.e. the throw of CP system.
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