Articles Installation Guidelines For Copper-Sulphate Reference Electrodes

Installation Guidelines For Copper-Sulphate Reference Electrodes

Copper-sulphate reference electrodes have different configurations:
  1. One membrane
    • connecting conductors lack braided screen;
    • connecting conductors have braided screen;
    • connecting conductors lack braided screen, in a bag with a backfill;
    • connecting conductors have braided screen, in a bag with a backfill.
  2. Two membranes
    • connecting conductors lack braided screen, in a bag with a backfill;
    • connecting conductors have braided screen, in a bag with a backfill.
  3. Three membranes
    • lacks a bag with a backfill;
    • has a bag with a backfill;
  4. One-body
    • Copper-sulphate reference electrode has one ceramic body.
  5. Two-body
    • Copper-sulphate reference electrode has two ceramic bodies.
Copper-sulphate reference electrodes can be used as portable or stationary electrodes, if necessary.

Installation Guidelines for Copper-Sulphate Reference Electrodes:

Before the works:

  1. Remove a protective film from a potential sensor and remove a preservation grease. Then ungrease the surface of potential sensor with industrial alcohol.
  2. Remove a protective film from the basis of electrode screw nut.

1 step: Do preparatory works:

  • check the integrity of copper-sulphate reference electrode;
  • check the requirements to electric parameters for copper-sulphate reference electrode.

Check the integrity of reference electrode:

Inspect electrode body visually, it should have no chops, cracks, stains of oil, paint and other dirt. Inspect the insulated enclosure of the measuring cable visually. Copper-sulphate reference electrode is immersed into a reservoir with water and left there for about min. 10 minutes. Water temperature should reach at least 25° С. Please make sure that water does not go blue, otherwise the electrode does not stand the test.

Check that copper-sulphate reference electrode meets the requirements of electric parameters:

  • Checking the inner electric resistance:
  • Checking reference electrode potential towards a silver-chloride electrode.Place a reference electrode in a corrosion resistant reservoir filled with river sand. NaCl solution in a distilled water wets the sand, then the reference electrode potential is measured.
No reference electrode can be mounted in soil, if any of the following occurs:
  1. water becomes blue, and the electric parameters do not match the required ones.
  2. The electrode is damaged after the tests.

2 step: Mounting in soil. Recommendations:

  • Prior being installed in soil, a copper-sulphate reference electrode is immersed into a reservoir with water and left there for about min. 10 minutes. Water temperature should reach at least 25° С.It is considered ACCEPTABLE to use ARM-5 solution instead of dipping the electrode into water. Use ARM-5 solution for better contact with soil, when the electrode is mounted in soil, and the conductors are on the surface, prior backfill it is necessary to pour ARM-5 solution so that the solution gets on a contacting area of the electrode (its lower part).
  • Solid particles of more than 3 mm should be taken away from a 50 mm thick soil layer where the electrode is mounted.
  • Sieved soil with no solid particles with the size of more than 3 mm should cover a copper-sulphate reference electrode and be carefully compacted.
  • The electrode should be installed in a trench so that the bottom of electrode body is on the same level as the lower part of the pipeline.
  • The distance between the pipeline wall or its projection and electrode body should equal min 100 mm.

3 step: Checking serviceability and installation quality of copper-sulphate reference electrode. Make the measurements with a device, for example, a voltmeter.

  • measurement of electric resistance between a potential sensor and a pipeline.
  • measurement of electric resistance between an electrode and a pipeline.
Measured values should be within 0.1 - 15 kOm. The potential sensor must be connected to the pipeline all the time! They can be disconnected at the time of measurement processes!
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