Modeling and Analysis of Transmission Line Structures Corrosion due to DC Current from Pipeline’s Cathodic Protection

This paper investigates corrosion of high-voltage transmission line structures resulting from direct current (DC) emitted by a nearby pipeline's cathodic protection system. With increasing coexistence of power lines and metallic structures, such as pipelines, in shared corridors, stray current interactions induce electrolytic and electrochemical corrosion in transmission line structures. In this paper, advanced numerical modeling is conducted to analyze such corrosion utilizing the Boundary Element Method (BEM) and a direct solution of Maxwell's equations through COMSOL and CDEGS software, respectively. Two case studies using the developed COMSOL and CDEGS models are conducted by comparing simulation results with field measurements, highlighting the effectiveness of numerical methodologies in analyzing stray current corrosion. Findings in this paper contribute to the development of corrosion protection and mitigation techniques to enhance reliability and durability of power transmission systems.