A half-cell with a reproducible potential used as the reference point for measuring a structure's potential in an electrolyte. Copper-copper sulfate electrodes are standard for soil and fresh water, silver-silver chloride for seawater and concrete, and zinc for permanent buried or marine installations. The electrode must be clean, checked against a master and in good contact with the electrolyte, or every reading on the survey carries the same error.
Check your reference electrode against the master before the survey, yesterday's set was 15 mV off.
Keep a master electrode that never goes to the field and check working cells against it; if they drift more than about 10 mV apart, clean or recharge.
Also heard as
- reference cell
- ref cell
Related terms
CSE
Copper-copper sulfate electrode, the standard reference for pipe-to-soil potential readings.
Half-cell
Field name for the portable reference electrode that CP techs carry to take potential readings.
Pipe-to-soil potential
Voltage between a buried pipe and a reference electrode on the soil surface, the basic CP measurement.
Native potential
Potential of a buried or immersed structure before any cathodic protection current is applied.