[ Home ] [ Nuclear ] [ Bridges ] [ Pipelines ] [ Turbines ] [ Gas ] [ Engine Test ] [ Metals ]

Project : Offshore Cathodic Protection Oil & Gas

Technical Data

Datascan Network

 Single 7220's

  

CONFIGURATION    
Channel Input Output Total   Customer: Corrintec UK Ltd
Analog 16   16   Signals Monitored:
Digital        
Cathodic Potential, Temperature
Total 16   16  
Humidity
Computer Platform

 

Laptop Computer

 

    
Software: In-house OS: Windows

Overview of application

Customer :Corrintec UK Ltd Supplier: Measurement Systems Ltd

Corrintec UK provides cathodic protection services for underwater structures and oil pipelines. Cathodic protection is a process of inhibiting corrosion by neutralising the current flowing from the surface of the metal.

The cathodic protection is surveyed by using ROV-Remote Operated Vehicle (submarines, see diagram) which travels along the pipeline and measures the cathodic potential which is a DC voltage measurement. The signals picked up by the probe are only of the order of tens of microvolts and a great deal of noise is created from the ROV's on board electric's. The I/O system consists of a 7220 located on a DIN rail within a pressurised Bomb, with a cable running within the umbilical to the survey ship.

The I/O Requirements are:

a high level of accuracy because of the tiny signals involved
a high degree of noise immunity gained with the in-built technique of the ADC integrating over a main’s cycle,
the unit needed to be small enough to fit into a small sealed cylinder,
the channels needed to be flexible within one module i.e. temperatures and voltages, and it had to be friendly enough for Corrintec to be able to write the software driver into their own package.
the resolution depended on the cathodic potential thus the auto-ranging capability of Datascan allowed the full 16 bit

Analog to Digital conversion to be applied to any best suitable range.