CORROSION OF BURIED PIPES DUE TO SOIL

Abstract

Corrosion of buried pipes have drawn the attention of public, research, scientists, and service engineers all over the world. Corrosion of buried pipes due to soil is a complex phenomenon. The corrosion of water pipes not only results in loss of pipes, but in contamination, shutdown of supplies, loss of efficiency and production, public relations, physiological factors attending imminent failure and consequent damages which are many times the cost of new metal required for replacement. It has, therefore, become an important engineering problem. In India, it is difficult to give an idea of corrosion losses in water works industry due to non-availability of any data. The economical loss due to corrosion in water works field in United States is estimated to be approximately one billion dollars per anum. In the present study an attempt has been made to evaluate corrosive nature of soil along a horizontal water pipe at sub surface soil level. The study was conducted around EP. Hostel, University Campus, Roorkee. The resistivity profiling of 41 meter stretch has been carried out. Soil from seven different locations along the pipe line have been characterized to assess attacking nature of soil. Another part of study deals with the prediction of the possibility of soil corrosion on a vertical pipe. The soil at NCC ground was evaluated by sounding method of resistivity. The results show that the soil at both the sites in ground is non corrosive. The dissimilar corrosion cell may develop either due to natural soil stratification or land based activities. In view of increasing land based activities regular soil evaluation along the existing pipe is suggested.