The first CP Monitoring Conference, organised by Abriox, was held in Leicester on 10 February 2009. The event was intended to act as a focus for discussion of Cathodic Protection monitoring techniques and practices. Despite the unfavourable weather leading up to the conference, over 70 CP engineers attended from the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The morning session was an opportunity for delegates to receive information on Abriox’s MERLIN system. As well as general presentations on the features of the system, there were practical demonstrations of the new Interrupter and software, including the iCPSM web-based package.

Kevin Young of United Utilities presented a case study of how a large CP monitoring project has been successfully implemented in a gas distribution utility. In the afternoon three of the UK’s leading CP consultants presented topical issues. John Dyson (Corrosion Consultancy Services) addressed the importance of ensuring potential measurements are taken correctly, highlighting the differences between ON and OFF potentials. Mike Allen (IACS) reported the experiences of Esso Petroleum, with specific reference to monitoring rail bonds and investigating seasonal fluctuations in results.

Finally, David Eyre (Penspen) explained the causes and effects of AC interference on pipelines, illustrated by data from work carried out on Ineos’ Teesside Ethylene Pipeline.

Anyone requiring copies of presentations made to the Conference is requested to contact the authors directly.