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Cathodic Protection: A Brief Primer

Article · November 2009

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Adam Junid
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Cathodic Protection
A brief primer
Cathodic protection (CP) is a method of preventing corrosion of a metal
surface by making it the cathode of an electrical circuit. Without getting too
technical and without math, this Knol briefly outlines basic concepts and some
typical design practice.

1. Introduction

Cathodic protection (CP) is a method of preventing corrosion of a metal surface by making it the
cathode of an electrical circuit. CP is used to protect steel pipelines, storage tanks; steel piles, ships,
offshore oil platforms and onshore oil well casings.

Conceptually, the cathode is made negative with respect to the surrounding soil or electrolyte in
order to electrochemically repel OH- hyrdroxyl ions (present in soil and moisture), preventing its
corrosive reaction with steel. Some CP engineers view this concept as the anode supplying
protective CP current to the cathode:

This protective current is calculated by the CP engineer, based on the structure's coating integrity
and resistivity (insulation breakdown) profile over its lifespan, to size the CP transformer. A good
CP system protects a structure without causing hydrogen evolution that may cause disbondment of
the structure’s paint or coating.

A structure can be made cathodic either by galvanic action (using sacrificial anodes), or by
impressed current, using a CP transformer rectifier.

2. Sacrificial Anode CP: Galvanic Action

Galvanic or sacrificial anodes are attractive when very localized protection is desired in areas that
have many foreign metallic buried structures. The close proximity of the galvanic anodes tend to
keep the CP protection current localized to the structure it’s attached to:

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Once the sacrificial anodes are designed, fabricated, tested & attached properly, little or no
adjustment is needed by operations until the anode’s end-of-lifespan (when new anodes should be
installed):

Typical materials for sacrifical anodes are Magnesium (for soil) and
Aluminium/Zinc/Galvalum/Indium alloys (for seawater or seabeds)

3. Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP)

*

For larger structures, Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems are more common
because sacrificial anodes generally will not economically deliver enough CP current to protect
pipelines longer than several several dozen kilometers.

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems are thus often used for very long distance
pipelines or large plants having many large tanks or large buried metallic structures to protect.

*
Anodes for ICCP systems may be in cylindrical, rod shaped, wire, tubular or ribbon form.
Materials may be Silicon-Cast Iron, Mixed Metal Oxide, Graphite, Platinum or Titanium coated
alloys. Silicon-Cast Iron anodes are the most economical, but also crack easily. Much care is
required during lowering into boreholes, with experienced contractors using ropes (not the anode
cable) to support the anode weight and to prevent cable disbondment.

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Flexible "Anodeflex" tubular anodes

A typical ICCP system for a long distance pipeline would include an AC (or in some cases solar)
powered rectifier with a maximum DC output between 10 - 50 A at 50 – 100 V. Typical protection
spans for ICCP anode groundbeds (also called anode boreholes) are 25-50km. The higher potentials
from the ICCP transformer rectifier require the ICCP anode groundbed to be seprated further away
from the pipeline to reduce the ground potential rise near the pipeline. Typically, ICCP anode to
pipeline separation is 80 - 150m. ICCP for tanks use lower anode potentials and typical separation
from the tank base may be anywhere from 8-100m. The approximate minimum separations are be
calculated by the CP engineer based on soil resistivity profiles at the CP station area.

*
Often, there is not enough land on the pipeline right-of-way (ROW) for horizontal anode to
pipe minimum separation and thus the CP designer often designs deepwell groundbeds containing
anodes up to 60m deep, encased with 20 – 25cm steel casings containing conductive coke breeze:

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*
The steel casing is drilled into the soil to provide borehole integrity during the coke breeze
pour, which is done slowly to avoid air voids around the anodes. Upon borehole energization, the
casing corrodes away and eventually become part of the surrounding soil.

*
The operating output of the rectifier is adjusted to an optimum level by a CP expert, based on
measurements of electrochemical potential, and how fast the soil surrounding the pipeline polarises
to provide cathodically protective "Instant-OFF" potential.

4. CP Rectifiers

*
Cathodic Protection Transformer-Rectifiers are AC powered electrical equipment that provide
direct current for impressed current cathodic protection systems. Rectifier units are often custom
manufactured and equipped with a variety of features, including oil cooling, automatic output
adjustment, various types Ingress Protection (IP) enclosures, remote monitoring.

On the other hand, solar powered CP stations are basically DC-DC converters and charger
controllers connected to battery banks for night-time operation.

CP Rectifiers should be installed outside the pipeline or plant's classified hazardous area, i.e.
installed in a safe area.

Solar powered CP station

Analog or digital meters are often installed to show the operating voltage and current output.

5. CP test posts and CP isolation

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*
Cathodically protected structures typically have test posts for operations staff to take structure-
to-soil potential measurements from. They also function as connection points for sacrificial anodes:

Test cables in these test posts may also function as a CP current route to other pipeline sections,
particularly at block valve or metering stations of buried long distance pipelines, where aboveground
sections are isolated from CP current. For liquid transport pipelines, isolation spool lengths are also
calculated by the CP engineer, based on the transported fluid's conductivity.

Pipelines transporting hydrocarbons must have surge arrestors installed at its isolating (insulating)
joints to prevent insulation damage should there be a lightning strike or fault currents along the
pipeline. Both isolated and CP section ends should be earthed. The CP section earthing should be
via polarisation cells to prevent the CP DC current from leaking to earth.

Cathodically protected tanks also need polarization cells connected between earthing bosses and the
earthing grid to prevent CP current from leaking from the tank into the plant’s earthing system.

6. Other design considerations

Apart from transformer sizing (by checking current demand and CP loop resistance) and structure-
to-anode separation calculations, the CP designer also has to calculate designed anode lifespan
(typically 15-30 years for ICCP, 1-15 years for sacrificial) to size the anodes correctly. ICCP anode
to anode spacing must also be calculated to prevent premature anode-end corrosion (resulting
in anode string failure). Coke breeze current rating and its surface area contact with anodes is also
checked to ensure the current carrying capacity of the surrounding anode coke is adequate to ensure
sustained low CP loop resistance.

7. CP measurements and acceptance criteria

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*
CP electrochemical potential is measured with reference electrodes:

1. Copper-copper(II) sulfate electrodes are used for structures in contact with soil or fresh water.
2. Silver chloride electrodes are suitable for seawater applications (compatible electrolyte).

For impressed current CP, experienced pipeline contractors and operators typically recommend an
Instant-OFF structure to soil potential of between -0.95 and -1.13V with respect to a copper - copper
sulfate reference electrode (also known as a Cu2SO4 reference cell). This practice is to eliminate the
potential difference of the current path through the soil (which doesn't provide protection but
registers in the reference cell reading). The Instant-OFF measurement is captured when the CP
current is interrupted, and the IR drop in the soil disappears to reveal a CP potential plateau (lasting
up to half a second) that best approximates the polarised protective polarization between the
protected structure's surface and its contacting soil.

For sacrificial anodes, the criteria for adequate CP is -0.95 to -3V with respect to a copper-copper(II)
sulfate reference electrode. No Instant-OFF potential acceptance criteria is used for sacrificial anode
CP because the sacrificial anodes are close enough to the protected structure to consider the IR drop
through the soil negligible.

Comments

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Anonymous

Car Rust Protection

Nice presentation. Is there any validity to the claims made on products like this:
http://www.counteractrust.com/

Last edited Oct 30, 2008 2:02 PM

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Antonio Centeno

Great drawing and organization of the material!

Although you may need a bit of an engineering background to understand the terms, the organization
and simple layout make the presentation first class. Great job Adam!

Last edited Aug 29, 2008 9:34 AM

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Anonymous

Continue to work hard! Support!

Continue to work hard! Support!

Last edited Aug 28, 2008 4:14 PM

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