Estimating stray current interference from DC traction lines on buried pipelines by means of a Monte Carlo algorithm

The paper presents a non-deterministic approach to the study of stray current effects generated by direct current railway or tramway lines on buried pipelines which are located in the nearby area. The potential shift induced (via conductive coupling) on the latter ones by the stray current dispersed in the soil is evaluated by means of a suitable equivalent circuit combined with a Monte Carlo procedure. The algorithm proposed has to be intended as a tool for the estimation of the corrosion risk for a pipeline (or, more in general, for long buried metallic structures) due to the stray current generated by electrified railway/tramway lines. Different from the existing models present in literature, which are based on a deterministic approach, a method based on the random and statistical aspects of stray current, which are captured by Monte Carlo approach, is proposed. This is the novelty of the method.