Pipeline communications
AssigneeItron, Inc.
InventorBarry Cahill-O'Brien
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Communications systems are provided for use with an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system having single or multiple ICCP components. A pipeline may be provided by connecting multiple pipeline sections together as an integrated pipeline where each section has an associated ICCP system. A communications signal comprising an AC signal is impressed on the pipeline and received by receivers associated with power supplies associated with each ICCP system. Upon reception of the AC signal, a controllable switch is operated within the power supplies to synchronously disconnect them from their power source and thereby enable accurate testing of the ICCP system.
Claims16
In a pipeline impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system, a method of synchronizing power control switching of individual ICCP systems associated with respective sections of such pipeline, comprising:
- impressing an alternating current (AC) signal on at least selected ones of the multiple sections;
- and
- disabling individual ICCP systems in accordance with characteristics of a received impressed AC signal.
An impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system, comprising:
- a pipeline, said pipeline separated into multiple direct current (DC) isolated pipeline sections;
- a plurality of power supplies, individual ones of said plurality of power supplies associated with respective individual ones of said isolated pipeline sections, each of said plurality of power supplies including a controllable switch configured to disconnect the power supply from a source of AC power;
- a plurality of receivers associated with each of said plurality of power supplies;
- and
- an alternating current (AC) signal source coupled to at least selected of said isolated pipeline sections,
- wherein each of said plurality of receivers is configured to respond to a received signal from said AC signal source by operating the controllable switch associated with each of said plurality of power supplies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.