Basic Electricity
Cathodic Protection
Certification
Level 1
www.nace.org
Chapter 1
Basic Electricity
Basic
Electricity
Basic Electricity
Topics covered:
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• Electrical Terms and Definitions
• Basic Components of an Electrical Circuit
• Ohm's Law
• Kirchhoff’s Laws
• Series and Parallel Circuits
Introduction
• Corrosion and cathodic protection are
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electrochemical phenomena.
• An understanding of various electrical
terms, laws and circuits is essential.
Electrical Terms and
Definitions
• Electrons
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• Voltage or Potential
• Current
• Resistance and Resistivity
• Power
• Electrical Circuits
Electrons
Particles that carry a negative charge.
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Voltage
• Voltage or Potential
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• An electromotive force, or a difference
in potential expressed in volts.
• Voltage is the energy that puts charges
in motion.
Volt
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Volt = joule per coulomb
where a joule is a unit of energy and a
coulomb is a unit of charge.
Symbols for Voltage
emf = electromotive force
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E = potential difference
across a source of
electrical energy
V = potential difference
across a sink of
electrical energy
Current
The rate of flow of charge as
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measured in amperes.
Ampere
• The common unit of current equal to a flow
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rate of charge of 1 coulomb per second
where a coulomb is a unit of charge equal
to 6.242 x 1018 electron charges.
• The symbol for current is I.
Resistance
The opposition that charges
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encounter when moving through a
material.
Resistivity
• The property of a conductor relating its resistance
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to it’s geometry.
• The unit of resistivity is ohm-cm
(-cm) or ohm-m (-m).
• The symbol is (Greek symbol rho).
Ohm
• The unit of resistance of a conductor.
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• The symbol for resistance is R or
(Greek letter omega).
Conductivity
• Is the inverse of resistivity.
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• The unit of conductivity is Seimen per
cm.
• The symbol of conductivity is (Greek
letter sigma)
Resistivity Equation
R x A
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L
where
= Resistivity in ohm-cm
R = Resistance in ohm
A = Cross-Sectional Area in cm2
L = Length in cm
Resistance to current is
least for:
• Low-resistivity (high conductivity)
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media
• Short length of current path
• Large cross-sectional area of
current path
Resistance to current is
greatest for:
• High-resistivity (low conductivity) media
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• Long current path
• Small cross-sectional area of current
path
Typical Resistivities
-6
-5
-6
-6
8
16
3
Schematic Diagram Symbols
Resistor
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Ground
Battery
Connection
Rectifier T/R
Switch
Diode
Basic Parameters of an
Electrical Circuit
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• Voltage
• Current
• Resistance
Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s Law is a relationship between the
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ratio of voltage and current to the
resistance of the circuit such that
E = IR or V = IR
where E or V = potential difference (volts)
I = current (amperes)
R = resistance (ohms)
Ohm’s Law Triangle
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E or V
I R
E IR E E
I R
R I
V IR V V
I R
R I
Illustration of Ohm’s Law
_ +
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E = 1 volt
I R = 1000 ohms
1 volt
I .001 amps or 1 milliamps
1000 ohms
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Exercise 1-1
Ohms Law
Power
• Power is the energy used by an electrical
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device.
• Power is measured in watts.
• Power = P = EI
P = I2 R
where P = power in watts
R= resistance in ohms
E = voltage in volts
I = current in amps
Kirchhoff’s Law
• VOLTAGE LAW – The sum of the source
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voltages around any circuit equals the
sum of the voltage drops across the
resistances in the circuit.
• CURRENT LAW – current entering a
junction equals the current leaving a
junction.
Example of Kirchhoff’s Voltage
Law
E1=12 V E2=12 V
+ +
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V1= 8 V V2= 8 V V3= 8 V
Source Voltages (E) [12 V + 12 V] = IR Drops (V) [8 V + 8 V + 8 V]
Example of Kirchhoff’s
Current Law
2 amps
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6 amps 3 amps
1 amp
Current In (6 amps) = Current Out (3 + 2 + 1 amps)
In Series Circuits
• The same current flows in a continuous path
from the source voltage through the various
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loads and back to the source.
• The sum of the voltage drops must add up to the
source voltage (Kirchhoff’s voltage law).
• Total resistance of a series circuit equals the
sum of the individual resistances.
Series Circuit Diagram
I
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R1
+ R1 ET = IRT
EE21
ET = E1 + E2
RT = R1 + R2 + R3
R2
R2 ET = IR1 + IR2 + IR3
+ ET = V1 + V2 + V3
T T
EE2 1
R3 R
3
Typical series circuits in
CP systems are:
• A length of pipe or cables
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• The resistance between a single galvanic
anode and a structure
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Exercise 1-2
Series Circuit
Parallel Circuit
• Current divides into a number of separate branches.
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• Voltage drop across each element in parallel is the
same.
• Total current entering a junction point equals the total current
leaving the junction point (Kirchhoff’s Current Law).
• Total (equivalent) resistance of the parallel circuit is equal to
the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual
resistances.
• Total (equivalent) resistance is always less than the smallest
resistance in the parallel circuit.
Parallel Circuit Diagram
Parallel Circuit
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E I1 R1 I2 R2 I3 R3
In this parallel circuit, Kirchhoff’s
Current Law is applicable.
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Exercise 1-3
Parallel Circuit
Series - Parallel Circuit Diagram
IT
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I1 R1 I2 R2 I3 R3
E2
I4 R4
IT
DC Circuits and AC Circuits
Direct Current (DC) - has constant polarity
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and direction.
Alternating Current (AC) - changes polarity
and direction with time (most commonly 100
or 120 times a second). A full cycle is
completed in a 50th or 60th of a second. The
word Hertz (Hz) is used to represent a cycle.
Alternating Current
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Half Cycle
Zero Current
Half Cycle
Alternating current can be
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converted into direct current
using a rectifier.
DC Produced by Rectifying
AC
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Zero Current
Half Cycle Half Cycle
Transformers
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Transformers are used to increase or
decrease AC voltage or to isolate an
incoming AC voltage source from the
outgoing AC voltage.
Rectifier
Typical Schematic
Transformer Wiring in a Diagram
Rectifier
AC Power Input
Step-Down AC Breaker Switch
Transformer
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Adjusting
Housing
Taps on
Secondary
-
Winding Rectifying Stacks
Current Shunt A Output Ammeter
Output Voltmeter V Grounding
-
To Structure
+
To Anodes
Impedance
• Impedance is the total opposition that a
circuit presents to alternating current,
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similar to resistance in a direct current
circuit.
• Impedance is measured in ohms, as is
DC resistance.
Meter Types
• Analog Meters - electromechanical movement, with
a needle that rotates across the meter face and
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indicates the reading on a scale.
• Digital Meters - electronic circuitry with digital
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).
• Hybrid Meters - electronic circuitry with analog
displays.
Meter Types
METER
ELECTROMECHANICAL ELECTRONIC
MOVEMENT (D’Arsonval) CIRCUITRY
ANALOG
DISPLAY DIGITAL ANALOG
DISPLAY DISPLAY
D’Arsonval Movement
Scale
Permanent Magnetic
Range
Resistors &
Selector Switch
Damping Resistor
Digital Multimeters
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Multimeter
• Voltmeter
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12.8 V
Voltage Measurements
• What are the Units?
– Volts
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• How is it used to take a reading?
– Connected across the circuit
element
• What is between the leads?
– Resistance
Voltmeter's Input Resistance
• All voltmeter's have a specific input
impedance, or resistance.
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• Meters with high input resistance will be
more accurate.
• Some meters have a switch for selecting
various input resistances.
• 10 to 20 M ohm is normal for most digital
meters.
Typical Uses for Voltmeter
• Structure-to-electrolyte potentials
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• Rectifier Input (AC Volts)
• Rectifier Output (DC Volts)
• Voltage drop across shunts
Multimeter
• Ammeter
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.24 A
Ammeter
• What are we measuring?
– Current
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• What are the Units?
– Amperes
• How is it used to take a reading?
– Connected in series in the circuit
• What is between the leads?
– Very low resistance
Typical Uses for an Ammeter
• Rectifier output current
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• Sacrificial anode output current
• Bond current
• Test current
Multimeter
• Ohmmeter
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25
Resistance Measurements
• What are the Units?
– Ohms
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• How is it used to take a reading?
– Connected across the circuit
element
• What is in the meter between the
leads?
– DC voltage source
Typical Uses for an Ohmmeter
• Continuity testing of cables, connections
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and fuses
