Influence of HVDC grounding electrode on corrosion of buried pipelines and thought on risk management and control

Abstract

Construction of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system and long-distance oil and gas pipelines has greatly optimized the allocation of energy resources in China. However, attention should be paid to the strong direct current interference caused by the discharging of the HVDC grounding electrode to the buried pipelines. In order to further strengthen the management and control of the relevant risks, the development history of HVDC transmission grid in China was summarized, the typical characteristics of the influence of HVDC grounding electrode by discharging on the buried pipelines were analyzed, and the development direction of risk management and control was identified according to the actual conditions. The results indicate that the influence of HVDC lines and grounding electrodes on the nearby long-distance oil and gas pipelines in the same route has the characteristics of random time, complex interference mechanism, great interference intensity and difficulty in mitigation, and it is one of the prominent safety risks pipelines face to presently. During the commissioning or fault running of the HVDC transmission grid, discharging of single grounding electrode will accelerate the corrosion of buried pipelines. In the future, the level of inspection, research and governance should be enhanced by strengthening the communication, coordination and joint testing, studying the corrosion mechanism and rules in depth and taking the comprehensive governance measures, so as to guarantee the safety and stability of the national energy corridors in all rounds.

Keywords

• long-distance oil and gas pipeline
• high voltage direct current transmission
• corrosion
• risk management and control