Paper: Cathodic Protection of Oil Well Casings

One of the largest investments in petroleum equipment today is the steel casing of the many oil, gas and water wells located throughout the country. The cost per pound of the steel in place in these casings is certainly very high. The annual cost of failures of casings due to external corrosion reaches into astronomical figures when the cost of the casing, lost production and damage to producing sands are all considered. It is the purpose of this paper to review the present state of the art in the application of cathodic protection to oil well casings for control of corrosion on the external surfaces.