On pipelines, a short stretch with a history of leaks or low potentials, usually from aggressive soil, coating failure or interference. Hot-spot protection means installing sacrificial anodes only at those locations rather than protecting the whole line, a common approach on older bare or poorly coated distribution mains. Techs also use the term loosely for wherever the pipe is corroding fastest.
Third leak on Maple in two years, it's a hot spot, put mags on every service on that block.
Also heard as
- hot-spot protection
- active corrosion area
Related terms
Mag anode
Field name for a magnesium sacrificial anode, the high-voltage choice for high-resistivity soils.
Interference
Unwanted DC or AC current picked up from another source, which corrodes a structure where it leaves.
Low
CP tech shorthand for a potential that is not negative enough to meet the protection criterion.
Sacrificial anode
Block of a more active metal such as magnesium, zinc or aluminum that corrodes to protect connected steel.
Same word, different worlds
Area of a vessel or kiln shell running hotter than normal because the lining behind it is thin or gone.
Nuclear Safety & Radiation ProtectionA small spot on piping or equipment with a much higher dose rate than its surroundings.
Lighting & Color ScienceA distractingly bright patch in a beam or on a lit surface, brighter than its surroundings.
Photonics & LasersA small region of a beam with much higher intensity than the rest, a common cause of optic damage.