Description

The Rota-Cell™ is a unique piece of equipment. It is actually a "reference electrode accessory" that utilizes a water bridge to maintain continuous contact between your "portable reference electrode" and the soil, greatly reducing contact issues due to human error or terrain. The ability to mount this piece of equipment to an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or a truck and survey over navigable terrain with little to no pre-staging makes it ideal for use by pipeline corrosion technicians to hot spot areas of concern on their pipeline. For longer surveys where terrain is navigable by an ATV or truck, productivity can be doubled or better.

Rota-Cell™ System Features

Easily mounts to the hitch of an ATV or truck.
Use with any standard plastic water tank.
Use your existing data logger or voltmeter, standard reference electrode and backpack.
Surveyor rides on ATV or in truck while surveying.
The reference electrode remains in continuous contact with soil through a water pathway during the survey, permitting the surveyor the option of triggering data on a timed cycle, by footage or to view a constant profile.
Ideal for pipeline technicians needing to hot spot a section of pipeline.
Verify levels of cathodic protection between test stations.
Improved data quality in difficult soil contact environments.
Identify potential anomalies and field mark for further testing or "dig and inspection."
Survey foreign pipeline crossings or any other area where stray current interference is suspected.
Use for troubleshooting, verifying levels of protection on distribution piping systems down alleyways, or to identify locations of buried sacrificial anodes.
If the pipeline is not navigable directly over the line and only "off-set" survey (to the side of the pipeline) can be performed, the Rota-Cell can be used to identify areas justifying more detailed close interval survey (i.e. drilling asphalt roads, clearing of right-of-way, etc.).

Field Test Data

Field data was collected using two simultaneously triggered data loggers attached to a common pipeline test lead. One surveyor rode an ATV utilizing the Rota-Cell reference, and the other surveyor walked directly behind the ATV with standard cane reference cells. Conditions were dry, windy, and 95ºF. The soil was pre-watered using the Rota-Cell pre-water feature. The rectifier interruption cycle was 1.6s ON, 0.4s OFF.