Authors : Tamunosiki Dieokuma; Collins Chiemeke

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 3 - March

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2hcrwbt5

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26mar1483

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Abstract : Electrical resistivity investigations were carried out to quantitatively evaluate subsurface corrosion risk associated with buried pipelines and underground facilities at a gas flow station in southern Nigeria. Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) data were acquired using the Schlumberger electrode configuration to determine the spatial distribution of subsurface electrical resistivity. Apparent resistivity values measured in the field were inverted to obtain true resistivity models, which were subsequently integrated into one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) resistivity representations, as well as depth-slice contour maps. The results reveal a laterally continuous near-surface layer with resistivity values predominantly exceeding 1700Ωm to a depth of approximately 5m. Based on established corrosion-risk classification criteria, materials with resistivity values greater than 200Ωm are considered to pose low corrosion risk to buried metallic infrastructure. In contrast, resistivity values below 100Ωm, identified at greater depths, correspond to clay-rich horizons associated with elevated corrosion potential. These findings indicate that pipelines installed within the upper 5m are unlikely to experience corrosion driven by galvanic or stray electrical currents. However, isolated low-resistivity anomalies were detected and require localized remediation through soil replacement or enhanced corrosion-control measures. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of electrical resistivity surveying as a non-intrusive and quantitative tool for pre-construction corrosion-risk assessment in pipeline engineering.

Keywords : Electrical Resistivity; Corrosion Risk; Buried Pipelines; Schlumberger Array; Engineering Geophysics; Niger Delta.

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