SOGEC - CP

CATHODIC PROTECTION TRAINING

MANUAL-MODULE 6

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
 INTRODUCTION
Specialized Oil and Gas Engineering Company is a major supplier of cathodic
protection services which includes Engineering, Material
supply,Installation,commissioning,monitoring and maintenance in accordance with the
standards and requirements of Major oil and gas, petrochemical and energy sector customers
across the middle east.
This training manual is intended to improve the technical competency and knowledge
of new CP technicians and engineers working with SOGEC CP.

This training manual is prepared as nine modules.

1. BASIC ELECTRICITY

2. CORROSION BASICS

3. CATHODIC PROTECTION BASICS

4. REFERENCE ELECTRODES (HALF-CELLS)

5. TYPES OF CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEMS

6. METHODS OF CABLE CONNECTION TO STRUCTURE

7. INSTALLATION OF CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEMS

8. FIELD MEASUREMENT AND TESTING OF CP SYSTEMS

9. PRECOMMISSIONING AND COMMISIONING OF CP SYSTEMS

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
 MODULE 6
METHODS OF CABLE CONNECTION TO STRUCTURE
A good and reliable electrical connection of cables to the structure and proper sealing with
a dielectric material is important for the efficient operation of CP system.
The various connection methods include,
o Thermite welding/Cad welding
o Pin bracing
o Bolted connections
o Clamps
o Conductive epoxy

1.Exothermic welding/ Thermite welding/Cad welding

Cad weld connections are made with a semi-permanent graphite mold, which holds the
conductors to be welded. Weld metal (a mixture of copper oxide and aluminum) is dumped
into the top of the mold. The mold is covered and the weld metal ignited. The exothermic
reaction produces molten copper, which produces a permanent, high conductivity connection.
o Cad weld connections are the accepted method of attaching cathodic protection leads to
pipes (steel or cast iron), tanks and structures.
o It welds conductors to the object to be protected. Therefore, no galvanic corrosion can
occur at the interface. (With mechanical connections, surface contacts are present, and
can corrode, resulting in an ineffective current path.)
o Cad weld connections for cathodic protection use a special alloy to provide minimum
heat effect on the steel, especially important on thin wall, high stress pipes.
o Cad weld connections are also used for header cable taps, conductor splices and
terminations, and ground rod connections.
Cad weld connection
• Has current carrying capacity equal to that of the conductor.
• Is permanent – cannot loosen or corrode to cause a high resistance connection.
• Uses lightweight, inexpensive equipment.
• Requires no external source of power or heat.
• Requires no special skills.
• Can be easily checked for quality.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
 Fig. Cad weld mould and charges.

Cad weld procedure

o Refer to the approved design and engineering document for locations of the cable-to-
pipe connections and the construction drawings for details cable to pipe connection.
Make all materials and equipment available at the site.
o Mark the location of cable-to- pipe connection by suitable marker.
o Remove pipe coating to suitable size so as to seat the graphite mould and to expose
cable joint area on the pipe surface.
o Clean the expose area with wire brush or emery cloth to remove all traces of pipe
coating materials and clean to bright metal. Make sure that surface is free from any
traces of oil by wiping the expose area with organic solvent using clean cloth.
o Remove approximately 25mm of insulation on one end of each cores pipe cable
connection has sufficient length as to reach up to each adjacent connection.
o Ensure a copper conductor strands are free from corrosion and place on the clean
exposed pipe metal surface. A copper sleeve to suit appropriate size conductor is to be
crimped on the conductor wire less than 10 mm2 in size.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
o Select proper type and size of graphite mould as per surface curvature of pipe, cable
size and orientation of exothermic weld joint and verify that the graphite mould is intact
with no physical defect.
o Clean graphite mould to remove all slugs, dirt, ashes, etc. and ensure graphite mould is
completely dry and prepare graphite mould by placing metal disk, cone side down, at
the bottom of graphite mould.
o First pour content of metal powder on top of the disk and then pour the starting powder
on top of the metal powder and then close cover of the graphite mould.
o Place the graphite mould upright over the conductor wire at the desired location on the
pipe.
o Ensure conductor wire exits the graphite mould through to the channel provided and the
cover on graphite mould is closed. Hold the graphite mould over cleaned area of pipe,
holding firmly in full contact with pipe surface.
o Apply spark gun to graphite mould cover to ignite the starting powder and hold graphite
mould against pipe surface until weld solidified.
o Remove graphite mould using handle and remove slag with hammer/wire brush, and
file sharp edges off top of weld.
o Lightly top on weld with0.5 kg hammer to ensure mechanical strength of connection.
o Seal expose cable to pipe connection with approved coating repair kit.

Precautions

o Appropriate work permit shall be obtained prior to the commencement of job.

o Always wear necessary PPE’s (Goggles, coverall, gloves, safety shoes) while doing cad
welding.
o Use powder marked C.I. for cast iron. Do not use regular powder.
o Under some conditions of temperature and humidity, the surface to be welded will
sweat causing porous welds. This can be eliminated by warming the surface with a
hand torch prior to welding.
o Do not use wire brush to clean mould.
o A fouled flint gun may be cleaned by soaking in house hold ammonia.
o Cartridge size is the approximate weight of the powder in grams. When the cartridge
size specified is not available, two or smaller cartridges or part of a larger cartridge may
be used. Care should be taken not to mix the starting powder in-between cartridges.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
2.PIN BRAZING

SAFETY
The safety of staff must be of prime consideration on every occasion that work on or
about the site is to be carried out; staff must comply with all current safety requirements. The
minimum requirements are as follows. Protective goggles must be used during grinding by the
operator and any staff within 3 metres. It is considered necessary for the operator to wear
colored glass welding goggles during the act of brazing but as this takes less than two seconds
and unlike other forms of welding and it is not essential for the operator to look directly into
the Arc whilst brazing, standard brazing spectacles should be worn with a shaded lens at a
protection value no less than Shade 5 – manufactured in accordance with BS1542 and
EN166/EN169. Operators should wear suitable work gloves, overalls and hat to protect the
skin from possible solder spatter.

o All operators undertaking pin brazing for any form of attachment should have attended
a training course in the pin brazing technique and hold a certificate of competency.
o Pin brazing attachments can be successfully made to wet steel and in mildly inclement
weather, i.e. light rain, drizzle or snow.
o It is possible to undertake pin brazing attachments to steels at sub zero temperatures.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
BRAZING GUN LOADING / PREPARATION / ADJUSTMENT

o Batteries must be fully charged and all equipment in good working order.
o Load the gun with a brazing pin and ceramic ferrule, ensuring that they are back fully
home and tight.
o The legs of the pin holder may be adjusted as necessary to ensure a firm grip of the pin.
o Set the switch on the control panel of the power unit to the correct type of brazing pin
as indicated on the pin container.
o Before connecting the earth clamp to the steel, adjust the gun “Lift Height” as follows:
o Hold the copper bond lug flat on the steel surface.
o Insert the loaded brazing pin into the hole in the bond lug and press the gun/ferrule
against the surface of the lug, evenly overcoming the internal spring.
o Note the position of the white adjustment cylinder at the rear of the gun barrel.
o Lift up the gun and rotate the ferrule holder until the white adjustment cylinder is flush
with the gun’s rear face when pressed back down on to the steel.
o The brazing gun will now be correctly set.
o When using threaded pin attachments, i.e. M8, M10, M12 brazing pins, the ceramic
ferrule must be flat against the steel surface when checking the white adjustment
cylinder.

LOCATION OF CONNECTIONS

The desired position of the bonds required should be accurately marked. Try to
avoid using any oil-based marker e.g. spray paint as this will contaminate the grinding
burr.

PREPARATION OF SURFACE

• If necessary the steel surface encompassing the pin braze area and adjacent earth
connection shall be degreased before any grinding operation.
• The steel surface must be ground to a bright finish to ensure a sound electrical
connection between the earth device and the work piece.
• An area in excess of the cable lug/threaded pin ferrule must be correctly located
and cleaned to a bright finish using the grinder provided. All pits and marks
must be removed.
• To prevent the ground surface re-oxidizing, brazing must take place as soon as
possible after grinding, i.e. not more than 5 minutes delay.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
 BRAZING

• The magnetic earth lead attachment must be applied to the steel so as to ensure a
sound electrical circuit.
• Scrape and clean the steel and grind an area for the earth clamp as near as
practical to the braze area.
• The brazing gun must be correctly adjusted with the correct pin and ferrule
fitted. The control switch must be set for the pin type F,B or G as indicated on
the container. Switch on the electronics.
• Locate the brazing pin so that the pin is in the centre of the hole in the cable lug.
If the connection is to be made onto a vertical surface then the brazing pin must
be located at the upper part of the hole in the lug.
• Apply pressure on the brazing gun so that even contact is made between the
ferrule and the lug around the whole circumference. The operator’s stance
should be stable enough to ensure sustained pressure on the brazing gun for the
entire brazing and cooling time.
• When the operator is ready to braze he should look well to one side to protect his
eyes from glare.
• The operator should also indicate to other nearby personnel that he is about to
braze.
• Hold the gun firmly and close the circuit by squeezing the trigger.
• Keep the trigger depressed until the braze is completed.
• After about 2 seconds the electronics will disconnect the circuit. The arc will
extinguish and the pin or stud will be shot forward into the molten filler. After
the brazing has stopped, the gun must be held in place for at least a further 3
seconds to allow the braze to set.
• Remove the gun by pulling straight off in line with the pin. Do not allow side-to-
side movement during gun withdrawal, as this will loosen the grip of the pin-
holder for subsequent brazing pins
• Remove the ferrule if this has remained in the gun only by levering against a
suitable edge, beware, it may be hot.

TESTING A COMPLETED BOND

PLAIN PIN

The shank of the brazing pin must be carefully broken off with a small hammer; the braze
is then complete. After breaking off the shank the broken surface should be level with the
outer surface of the lug. If the surface of the broken pin is proud of the surface of the lug this
is an indication that the brazing gun is incorrectly adjusted or there is a poor earth connection.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012
 THREADED PINS

Stud attachments should be tested by a torque device and a plain nut. For an M8 stud the
torque device should be set to 10 Nm. The threads will fail at 25 Nm so do not use excessive
force when testing.

DEFECTIVE BRAZE
If the ferrule is not held evenly against the copper lug and is in partial contact then the arc
can escape out of the gap and this will result in the side of the copper lug burning away. This
bond must be classed as defective and the bond reworked.
If during brazing the operator moves the brazing gun, the pin can braze to the lug and not
the steel. This bond must be classed as defective and the bond reworked
Defective connections can be removed by hammer and chisel.
WARNING: - Repeated bond attempts must not be made at the same position as this may
cause structural/metallurgical damage to the steel.
3. BOLTED CONNECTIONS
A 50 x 50 mm steel plate cut from structure material with an M12 hole drilled at the centre
shall be welded to the structure by an approved welding procedure. Cables crimped with
appropriate lugs shall be connected to these plates using nut, bolt and washers. The connection
shall be covered with a suitable insulating compound.

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CP Training manual Prepared on 14 Jan 2012