Coffman Engineers Broadens Offerings With AC Interference Services By Veteran Team

Coffman Engineers, a national multidiscipline engineering firm, has announced the addition of AC interference services to its corrosion control capabilities. This new service aims to protect property and personnel while preventing costly disruptions for oil and gas clients. The company has welcomed industry veterans Andrew Onken, Alex Ristow, and Eli Rassler to spearhead this initiative.

Andrew Onken, who has over 12 years of experience as a corrosion engineer and integrity engineering supervisor, will be responsible for growing the firm’s AC interference services. Onken holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering and is certified as a NACE Cathodic Protection Specialist and Internal Corrosion Technologist. He is also a Level 1 Certified CDEGS user by SES Technologies for AC interference modeling.

Onken's experience includes overseeing teams of engineers for cathodic protection and AC mitigation system designs and evaluations for both new and existing pipeline projects. He will be joined by Alex Ristow and Eli Rassler, who have worked with him for many years. The trio will provide AC interference services remotely from Duluth, Minnesota.

"Andrew, Alex, and Eli are respected professionals in this highly technical field. Coffman is fortunate to welcome their wealth of experience and bolster our corrosion control services for our oil and gas clients," said Tyler Doil, Principal of Corrosion Control Engineering at Coffman.

AC interference occurs when high-voltage powerlines are co-located with buried pipelines, leading to accelerated corrosion that affects pipeline integrity and creates electrical safety hazards. Coffman uses technical software to evaluate these threats through computer modeling and designs AC mitigation systems to reduce risks to acceptable levels.

Long-standing Expertise in Corrosion Control

Coffman has been providing corrosion control engineering services for national and international clients for over 30 years. The group currently consists of more than 35 engineers and technicians with multiple NACE certifications, including four Cathodic Protection specialists.

Coffman Engineers is a multidiscipline engineering consulting firm offering local, personalized services across various specialties such as civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, among others. With over 800 employees in 21 offices across the U.S., Coffman is celebrating 45 years in business this year.

For more information about Coffman’s corrosion control engineering services or other inquiries, contact Beth Shimogawa at 808.687.8884 or email [email protected].