ANSYS Simulation of Surface Potential in Detection of Anticorrosive Coating of Buried Steel Pipeline

Finite element analysis software ANSYS was used to build models of soil, air, pipeline with anticorrosive coating. The effects of soil medium, buried depth of pipeline in soil, adjacent carrying-current pipeline, stray current and other factors on the surface potential in detection of anticorrosive coating of buried pipeline were studied. The results show that the surface potential changed abnormally in the junction of different soil media or in the place where buried depth changed. Surface potentials showed a distribution trend similar to that of leak potential signals when carrying-current pipeline and stray current existed nearby. The nearer the stray current source was, the greater the influence on surface potential was. On the contrary, the influence was smaller. The smaller the angle of carrying-current pipeline crossing with test pipeline was, the smaller the influence on surface potential was.