TITLE:
Design and Optimized Control of a Photovoltaic/Battery-Powered Cathodic Protection System
AUTHORS:
Amal A. Hassan, Hanaa M. Farghally, Abd El-Shafy A. Nafeh, Ninet M. Ahmed, Faten H. Fahmy
KEYWORDS:
Photovoltaic, Cathodic Protection, MPPT, PI Controller, PSO Optimization
JOURNAL NAME:
Energy and Power Engineering,
Vol.16 No.12,
December
13,
2024
ABSTRACT: Metallic pipeline corrosion poses a significant challenge in the petrochemical industry. In this study, the design and control of a stand-alone photovoltaic (PV)-powered cathodic protection (CP) system based on the impressed current method were investigated. The proposed CP system was applied to a 250 km long steel-buried pipeline in the Sharm El-Sheikh region of Egypt. The system design involved the numerical modeling of the anode bed for the impressed current CP (ICCP) system and the sizing of the DC power source, including the PV array and battery bank. The system was designed and controlled to deliver a constant and continuous anode current to protect the underground pipeline from corrosion during daylight and nighttime. A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm based on the fractional open-circuit voltage (FOCV) technique was implemented to maximize power extraction from the PV array. Additionally, a proportional-integral (PI) controller was optimized and employed to achieve MPPT, while another PI controller managed the anode current of the CP system. Safe charging and discharging of the system’s battery are ensured via an ON-OFF controller. The parameters of the PI controllers were optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed CP system achieved the required protection objectives successfully.