Carbon steel structures employed to convey hydrocarbons and other dangerous fluids, such as oil or flammable liquids, are equipped with degradation prevention systems, which typically consist of a cathodic protection (CP) system combined with an external insulating coating, both designed to reduce the corrosion rate below 10 mu m/year. The presence of electrical interference, both AC and DC, can cause significant corrosion damage to metallic structures, even when CP is applied. DC interference is determined by the presence of a third-party CP system or public transportation system. AC interference may occur through conduction or induction mechanisms, caused by high-voltage powerlines or high-speed trains, powered by AC. Both interferences may lead to localized corrosion at coating defects, despite compliance with the -0.850 V saturated Cu/CuSO4 reference electrode (CSE) protection criterion. Considering AC-induced corrosion, both field failures and laboratory investigations have demonstrated that corrosion can occur at industrial frequencies, and when CP is applied following the standards. Even though AC-induced degradation is generally not as severe as DC interference, uncertainties remain regarding the protection potential range necessary to achieve acceptable corrosion prevention under AC interference. To formulate a CP criterion under AC interference, weight loss measurements were conducted on carbon steel samples under cathodic protection in solutions that simulate real soil conditions. Carbon steel coupons protected by CP were interfered with AC densities ranging from 1 A/m(2) to 800 A/m(2) for four months. During this time interval, polarization potential, protection current density and AC density were monitored. Based on the experimental data gathered during this study, a proposal for a risk map is also suggested. The results indicate that overprotection (potentials < -1.2 V CSE) represents the most dangerous scenario when AC interference is involved.

The paper systematically studied the effect of AC density on corrosion resistance of FeCoNi HEA in simulated Golmud soil solution. The results imply that the applied iAC seriously decreases the anticorrosion property of the HEA. In particular, under high AC density, the active state is presented and the corrosion characteristic changes from slightly local pitting to uneven overall corrosion with massive large-sized corrosion pits. Moreover, after imposed AC of 100 A/m2, the honeycomb holes are produced within passive film, which suggests that AC severely damages the film integrity, and reduces the protection and stability of the film. This phenomenon is due to the reason that as iAC rises, more generated hydrogen ions/atoms and Cl- are absorbed on the defect regions of passive film, significantly promoting the film dissolution, and facilitating the pitting initiation and development.