Recent advances in the mitigation of AC voltages occurring in pipelines located close to electric transmission lines

In joint-use corridors where both pipelines and AC electric transmission lines are present, a portion of the energy contained in the electromagnetic field surrounding the electric transmission lines is captured by each pipeline, resulting in induced AC voltages which vary in magnitude throughout the length of each pipeline. During a fault on any of the transmission lines, energization of the earth by supporting structures near the fault can result in large voltages appearing locally between the earth and the steel wall of any nearby pipeline. Some form of mitigation is usually required to reduce these voltages to acceptable levels for the protection of personnel and of the pipeline itself. This paper presents a new mitigation design approach which not only reduces AC voltages effectively and economically, but also provides cathodic protection for the protected pipeline. Performance of this new mitigation method is illustrated with results from computer simulations, which show how important it is to have an accurate electrical model of the soil structure in any interference study. Results from large-scale mitigation design studies performed for ANR Pipeline Company and other gas transmission companies are presented.<
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