All buried stainless steel pipelines are generally equipped with an insulating coating (passive protection) of either bitumen or polyethylene; moreover, following recent legal regulations, steel pipeline networks must be fitted out with cathodic protection installations (active protection). This kind of protection employs specific electrical devices in order to monitor and protect the metal structures from corrosion. ESA’s installations are realized following the strict procedures provided by the DNV Certified Quality System and in accordance with the guidelines and the recommendations of important watchdog bodies like “Nace International” and with UNI and ISO standards in force. As well as providing Cathodic protection, ESA also offers advice for the planning of Cathodic Protection systems.

In order to guarantee the best possible operational procedure to the gas and water network Provider, ESA has developed the Integrated Solution which includes the use of the Smart Point® System. This solution ensures not only to know at any moment who has done what and when in the field but it also provides all the necessary information to the staff in charge of maintenance activities. Smart Points® are usually installed on key elements, as the power supply unit and the ground electrode. The maintenance operator is equipped with a hand-held PC or a laptop and can read and write data through direct contact with the Smart Point using an electronic pen. All the data collected in the field are then immediately or periodically transferred in the database of the central maintenance system.

Cathodically protected structures can often be affected by electrical interferences due to contact with other metal structures. ESA, with the aid of cutting edge technologies and borrowing from its established experience in the field of urban pipelines protection, is able to solve the various problems that may arise by monitoring and pinpointing the specific areas of loss of potential, thus restoring a correct electric state.

A correct management of buried structures is based on an accurate exploration of the subsoil, on a good electrical insulation of the network and on a constant monitoring of the operational parameters of the installations. ESA opens up new horizon in the field of cathodic protection of installations, because of its unique traceability systems. The operation and maintenance services offered by ESA meet the needs of the customer, while complying with the characteristics and the standard of quality required by each system, thus assuring higher efficiency, costs reductions and, most of all, the elimination of records on paper. This innovative system revolutionizes the monitoring of the performed activities by employing new technologies which create a direct and secure link between the activities in the operational field and the decisions in the monitoring centre, thus ensuring not only data alignment but also detailed information about “who did what and when”.

ESA can offer methods that, through immediate and recorded measurements, can check the electric status of a network, or a part of it, in order to locate electric interferences (stray currents), the electric characteristics of the subsoil and the state of deterioration of the protective coating. Uniquely, ESA has developed CPSWITCH/06, a device that allows to use an ON/OFF method to ascertain the real ground insulation state of the pipes. The values’ analysis of these parameters allows to determine the anodic and cathodic areas and subsequently plan an effective system of cathodic protection.

ESA’s installation have been realized according to the strict procedures of the Certified Quality System DNV and in compliance with the guidelines set by APCE, the NACE recommendations and the UNI and ISO standards, which are the current legal rules and regulation in force.

Often a major problem for the management of underground networks is third-party excavations, as such work can modify the electrical status of a structure.

Many problems arise because safety devices are tripped and, in turn, cut off the power supply to the control unit. For this reason measurement points must be subject to simple, but continuous, checks in order to keep control over modifications in the electrical status. If we consider that cables can break, connections may not be cleaned and the electrical and electronic components themselves can cause breakdowns, it is clear that in-field checks are indispensable.

Moreover, these controls must be constant but they must also be economic. They must be able to ensure long life of the structure and therefore of the investment, reduce the costs for repairs and thus human resources, control damage due to third-party work.