Keystone Pipeline’s Cathodic Protection Journey Spans Three Years And 2,147 Miles

The Keystone Pipeline is a 2,147-mile (3,456-km) pipeline that transports crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to U.S. Midwest markets at Wood River and Patoka in Illinois, and ultimately to Cushing, OK.

On June 30, 2010, TransCanada (TCPL) began commercial operation of the first phase of the Keystone Pipeline System.

Keystone's first phase was highlighted by the 537-mile (864-km) conversion of a natural gas pipeline to a crude oil pipeline, and the construction of a bullet line that brings the crude oil non-stop from Canada through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois to market hubs in the U.S. Midwest (Figure 1).

In late 2007, Cimarron Engineering teamed with TCPL Corrosion Specialists to serve as Keystone lead designers and project managers for the cathodic protection (CP) system development and installation program. Aside from the task of preparing CP design specifications, the primary function of the CP team was to work with multiple project design teams, regional and national regulators, construction managers, regional contractors, and multiple foreign pipeline operators.

Unlike a majority of projects where CP design is started after the structure is built and commissioned, Keystone integrated CP design into the pipeline project during early design phases. Early CP integration was required to optimize CP system performance and ensure CP systems would be commissioned within six months of pipeline being placed in service. As challenging as the process was, Keystone achieved its CP commitments on schedule, with many lessons learned for future projects.

CP Becomes A Project Activity. As part of Keystone’s U.S. pipeline design and construction, the CP system was to be installed and commissioned within six months of the pipeline being in service.

Accordingly, CP would need to be planned and integrated into the project design long before pipeline construction commenced. To avoid potential inconsistencies associated with CP design being conducted on a regional basis, Keystone assembled a central CP team to develop a single system-wide CP plan.

Design Team Interfacing. The first step for the Keystone CP team was to establish communication protocols with the many project participants involved. This included Canadian and U.S. pipeline design teams, a pipeline conversion team for the more than 800 km of existing gas pipeline in Canada, a facility design team for all pump stations and terminals, numerous consultants, and global and regional construction management supervisors.

Communicating with and understanding the needs and design input of each of these project participants was undoubtedly the most time-consuming and challenging role of the CP team, yet essential for project success.