Quality Monitoring of Pipelines

Buried gas and water lines made of steel are endangered by external corrosion. Even after the introduction of cathodic corrosion protection in the early 1960s, pipelines still have to be protected from corrosion by a pore-free coating. Only in this way can gas and water suppliers ensure long-term protection of their investment costs in their pipeline network.

To ensure that the factory coating and the coating applied at the work site are free of pores, these are supplied with high voltage between the steel pipe and a test electrode. If a spark-over occurs here, this indicates a defect in the coating. This coating must be touched up and then undergo another test.

UNION Instruments (Germany) offers the mobile UIP insulation tester for reliable testing of pipe coatings for defects. With adjustable test voltages of 5 kV to 30 kV and a comprehensive assortment of corresponding test electrodes, the coated pipes and system components can be quickly and reliably tested. The battery-powered device operates for many hours without recharging. Thus, even long pipelines or large areas can be efficiently checked. Typical applications of the device are pipeline construction and liquid gas tanks.