Stray Current Corrosion Assessment of Utility Pipes

Stray current corrosion will occur at each point where the current transfers from a metallic conductor (such as structural reinforcement) to the electrolyte (i.e, the soil or concrete). Hence stray current leakage can cause corrosion damage to the rails, railway metallic structures, utility pipelines in the soil and any other low resistance metal buried in the vicinity. The hazard posed by stray current is not confined to structures that are within the vicinity of the railway. Stray currents can flow considerable distances (particularly in soils of low resistivity) and can therefore cause corrosion damage to what may be considered remote structures. This paper presents the importance of corrosion control on utility pipes and then presents and evaluates potential metal loss using arithmetic equations and basic modeling.