Cathodic Protection Services

EMDAD’s contract for the provision of Cathodic Protection on Wellhead Casing in ADCO Bab and Ruwais fields as an EPC contractor was the largest package out of three that ADCO had tendered in 2006. The project called for the installation of Cathodic Protection systems in 335 wells in the producing fields of ADCO in Bab and Ruwais.

The main advantage of cathodic protection over other forms of anti-corrosion treatment is that it is applied simply by maintaining a DC circuit and its effectiveness may be monitored continuously. Cathodic protection is commonly applied to a coated structure to provide corrosion control to areas where the coating may be damaged. It may be applied to existing structures to prolong their life. The principle of cathodic protection is in connecting an external anode to the metal to be protected and the passing of an electrical DC current so that all areas of the metal surface become cathodic and therefore do not corrode. The external anode may be a galvanic anode, where the current is a result of the potential difference between the two metals, or it may be an impressed current anode, where the current is impressed from an external DC power source.

EMDAD, through a common practice, is undertaking a survey of the 331 wells. This survey is often combined with a study to establish economic justification for the recommended anti-corrosion proposal while the principal data necessary for design (chemical and physical) are also collected.