New White Paper: Advancing Cathodic Protection for Mixed-Metal Infrastructure
Chapman Engineering and Tinker & Rasor are proud to announce the release of a comprehensive new White Paper detailing the performance and application of the innovative Multi-Stick™ stationary coupon reference cells.
The Challenge: Complex Mixed-Metal Interactions
In modern facilities, buried carbon steel structures are frequently interconnected with copper grounding systems or stainless-steel components. This White Paper explores the critical challenges these mixed-metal environments pose to traditional cathodic protection (CP) systems, including:
Current "Hogging": How bare copper surfaces can receive up to 20 to 100 times more CP current density than carbon steel, leading to under-protection of critical steel assets.
Dissimilar-Metal Corrosion: The impact of metallic interconnections between storage tanks, pipelines, and copper grounding systems.
Material Risks: The potential for over-protection of stainless steel, which can lead to embrittlement and fracture.
The Solution: Multi-Stick™ Technology
The White Paper introduces the Multi-Stick™ family of devices—the most technically advanced stationary reference cells on the market. These devices allow CP practitioners to:
Monitor Multiple Metals Simultaneously: Utilize dedicated coupons for 1018 carbon steel, 110 copper, and 316 stainless steel to measure independent polarization behaviors.
Obtain True Native Voltages: Each device includes "native" metal coupons to establish accurate starting points for polarization shift measurements.
Measure AC Interference: Integrated 1-sq-cm AC coupons allow for precise AC voltage and current density measurements.
Benefit from Advanced Engineering: Features a "dual ion trapping" reference cell construction to ensure long-term stability (±5 mV) and a 30-year design life.
Key Field Study Insights
The paper provides detailed data from a private test facility, demonstrating how different current output levels affect various metals in the same electrolyte. It outlines practical methods for achieving NACE SP0169 compliance in complex systems and offers strategies for optimizing CP current distribution through proper de-coupling.
Download the full technical White Paper below to learn how Multi-Stick™ technology can improve the accuracy of your CP measurements and extend the life of your infrastructure.