METHOD FOR DETERMINING ATTENUATION IN IMPRESSED CURRENT CONTINUOUS ANODES

The present invention relates to a method for determining the attenuation of voltage in continuous anodes related to cathodic protection systems implemented in deeply buried pipes. The main object of the present invention is to prevent voltage drops along the anode used, by means of reconnections from a single supply source (rectifier), which allows minimizing the voltage drop relative to a critical predetermined point, thereby ensuring a homogeneous distribution of current along the metallic structure to be protected (duct) and meeting the 850 mV NO criterion value for the cathodic protection , with respect to the copper/ copper sulfate electrode of (Cu/CuSO4). This invention is proposed based on the need for solving the problem of protecting the duct network used in the hydrocarbon transportation industry which require diverse conditions favoring a potential attenuation, such as the lack of an external coating and a non-uniform electrolyte, among other factors, wherein it is ineffec tive the protection of anodes spaced apart from each other by means of coated copper cable and power supply from a single point using a single rectifier. The proposed method uses hyperbolic equations, which describe the attenuation presented along the continuous anode from the parameters of the anode linear resistance (r), the average conductance of the ground surrounding the anode (g) and the attenuation constant (?), which makes reference to the ratio at which the current and voltage are reduced with the distance measured from the feeding point to the structure, said variables being obtained by the corresponding calculations. La presente invención se refiere a un método para determinar la atenuación de voltaje en ánodos continuos relacionado a los sistemas de protección catódica implementados en tuberías enterradas en gran longitud. El objetivo principal consiste en evitar las caídas de voltaje a lo largo del ánodo utilizado, por medio de reconexiones a partir de una sola fuente de alimentación (rectificador), lo que permita minimizar la caída de voltaje en relación a un punto de interés crítico, garantizando una distribución de corriente homogénea a lo largo de la estructura metálica a proteger (ducto), cumpliendo con el criterio de protección catódica de los -850 mV ON, con respecto al electrodo de cobre sulfato de cobre (Cu/CuSO4). Esta invención surge a partir de la necesidad de plantear una solución al problema de protección de la red de ductos utilizados en la industr