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 Cathodic protection up.date
Report from t{il¡on Walton lnternalional
The cost of a vessel represents a substantial investment
to the owner. During its working lífe it will be submersed
In tne sea a corrosive environment from which it will
-
need prolection to avoid substantial additional costs for
repatr.
Whilst the standard methods of protection, barrier
coatings such as coal tar epoxy or chlorinated rubber,
are satisfactory they cannot protect steel exposed by
physical damage caused by accident or abrasion. lf thá
vessel is not protected by a secondary system the steel
wilf corrode at rates of 2 to 3mm pei yéar resulting in
repair costs in such areas as weld seams.
The ship repair cost of steel plate is currently of the
order of US$ 5000/tonne and if internal stiffeners need
replacement this can increase by 33%. Weld seam costs
can reach US$ S/metre to which can be added the cost of
extended dry docking time and the consequential loss of
Income.
Cathodic protection is the only economic, effective
tool available to the corrosion engineer and the designer
to protect the steel exposed by coating failüre. The frin-
ciple can be applied to the exlernal huil including ru'dOer
and propeller, to tanks, condensers, bow thrusiers and
other equipment subject to sea water corrosion.
_ Cathodic protection can be used to protect bare steel,
for example in permanent ballast tanks, provided it is
totaily immersed. Deck heads of tanks are protected
against atmospheric corrosion by coating; coáting and
cathodic protection may be used to complement each
other.
A well designed, well maintained corrosion protection
system can have a positive cost benefit. Good perfor-
mance from a vessel relies on a smooth hull. lf this
surface is well maintained throughout the operating life
of the ship, substantial cost savings can be achiéved
resulting from increased speed and reduced fuel con-
sumption engine wear.
There are two types of cathodic protection (Cp) sys-
tem
- that
current
using sacrifical anodes and the impressed
system. These will be discussed in detail later.
The choice of which to inslall will depend on three fac-
Part of the Ceres Hydroways fteet of hydrofoits.
IU
Pictured above are samples of Atoline and Zincolíne
anodes manufactured by Wilson Walton.
tors: cost, operating conditions and the size of the vessel
under consideration. Cost factors will be the initial out-
lay set against the design life of the vessel. The climate
and general conditions under which the vessel will oper-
ate (eg an icebreaker with excessive abrasion on the
hull) must be considered whilst the size of the vessel rnay
be an important deciding factor. Certainly the number of
anodes required for a vessel of over 100,000 tons dwt
would preclude the use of a sacrif¡cial system because of
the effect on performance. lt must be stressed here that
an effective cathodic protection system will be the result
of precise design against specification, not inspired
guesswork.
Sacrificial anodes
The action of a sacrificial anode is to corrode in prefer-
ence to the structure to wh¡ch it is attached. The anode
material selected will depend on the performance
requirements of the CP system and can be zinc, alumi-
nium or rarely magnesium.
Wilson Walton International's Zincoline Anodes are
cast to.a strict specification from zinc of gg.995o/o purity
alloyed to ensure even corrosion, reliable electricál
characteristícs and a long working life. Zinc anodes are
suitable for hulls and particutarly for ballast tank protec-
tion where the installation of aluminium anodes is res-
tricted in the upper areas.
Aloline aluminium anodes, also manufactured by WWl,
are characterised by light weight, even corrosio'n, nign
electrical capacity and stability. As a result of theée
propert¡es fewer anodes may be used for a given applica-
Beandri I's ice-breaker'Terry Fox'.
ANTI-CORROSION February 1987
 tion compared with zinc, this factor leading to reduced
frictional resistance from the hull for the same level of
protection, Aluminium anodes are widely used for hulls
and for permanent ballast tanks.
Magnesium anodes are found rarely in shipboard CP
systems because of the inherent ignition hazard. The
material r¡sed has a high potential compared with steel.
Magnesium is highly reactive and its use tend to be
confined to applications where high resistivity condi-
tions prevail such as potable water tanks.
A material not yet mentioned is iron. In condensers,
components manufactured from a mixture of copper
alloys are f itted which, being dissimilar metals, present a
corrosion potential. lron is anodic to copper and besides
providing a means of cathodic prolection also provides a
protective film over the copper based components to
inhibit corrosion.
The installation of sacrif icial CP systems presents few
problems. Most anodes are welded or bolted to the shell
plating on the upper and lower sides of the bilge keel
with a concentration of anodes in the stern section
where high turbulence leads to excessivecorrosion, par-
ticularly on the propeller.
The stern section ol a vessel {itted with sacrif icial anodes.
The eff ective life of sacrif icial anodes on hulls can be2 or
4 years, during which time the anode current flow from
electrolytic corrosion will result in metal loss necessitat-
ing replacement which takes place during routine dry
docking.
lmpressed Current (lC) systems
lmpressed current cathodic protection systems act by
suppressing the naturally occuring currenl flowing as a
result of the corrosion process. An independent power
source introduces a direct current through inert anodes
capable of dissipating large amounts of current without
themselves suffering significant wastage. This current
effectively'neutralizes' the corrosion current.
Wilson Walton International's Aquamatic system is an
example of this type of cathodic protection, the basic
components of which are: (see diagram on page 12)
the controller power unit (A)
anodes (C)
reference electrodes (E & G)
the propeller shaft grounding slipring (D)
the rubber bonding cable (B)
(ILLUSTRATION
- lC system components)
The controller is housed in a robust steel cabinet close
to the anode location. lt is powered by an AC supply
from the ship's electrical system rectified to a DC low
voltage, typically 12 volts, and distributed to anodes on
ANTI-CORROSION February 1987
A grounding slipring fiiled to a propeller shaft.
the hull. The current flows through the surrounding sea
water before returning to the hull, thus making the entire
hull cathodic or more negative in relation to the anodes.
The anodes are of two types
of lead silver alloy encapsulated - insurface mounted strip
reinforced resin or a
plate of either platinised t¡tanium or platinised niobium,
aga¡n encapsulated in resin and mounted in steelwork
for recessing into the hull.
To ensure adequate cathodic protection the protect-
ing current is monitored constantly by reference elec-
trodes as it varies with the condition of the hull, the type
of barrier coating used, the vessel's trading pattern and
the climatic conditions. The electrodes monitor hull
potentials and control the current output f rom the power
unit. Each reference electrode is a block of pure zinc
fitted flush to the hull.
The propeller shaft grounding slipring is fitted to
ensure adequatc protection for thc propcllcr, nornrillly
isolated f rom the hull by non-metallic shaf t bearings and
lubricanls. The slipring is an assembly comprising a
copper track contained in a steel band clamped directly
to the propeller shaft. Electrical continuity is maintained
through spring loaded brushes. Grounding the propeller
has the additional benefit of protecting the main engine
bearings.
The rudder too must have adequate protection and to
ensure this, the Aquamatic system includes a heavy f lex-
ible copper cable which bonds the rudder stock to the
hull to give electrical continuity.
There are no restrictions to the location of lC anodes
except for areas where mechanical damage could occur
or in the way of fuel oil tanks" Usual practise on general
and bulk vessels is to install anodes near the stern of the
ship to give protection to the rudder and the propeller.
Such anodes would normally be surface mounted. On
larger vessels and in oil tankers where hull penetration is
not possible, additional anodes are mounted in the bow
area, recessed to obviate damage and anchor chain
abrasion.
lC systems are also used to protect the housing tun-
nnel and components of bow thrusters, a separate sys-
tem bging employed for this purpose.
When the first impressed current systems were
installed the controllers tended to be unreliable but the
advent of solid state components has led to the devel-
opment of units which are now expected to last the
design life of the ship. Under normal operating condi-
tions the anodes will be replaced every 10 years or effec-
tively once in a 20 year ship life.
An impressed current system has two principal advan-
tages. Firstly it ensures consistent, precise control over
11
I
cathod¡c protection. Secondly it has low maintenance
costs. Against these can be weighed the disadvantage or
relatively high ¡n¡tial costs.
Wilsoñ wátton lnternational's experience has shown
that their Aquamatic lC system, in conjunction with
complementary paint schemes, can play a vital part in
stopping the underwater corrosion of ships' hulls and
fittings iesulting in a corresponding reduction in fuel
consumption.
Applications
Tólllustrate the diverse nature of cathodic requirements
in vessels two examples are taken. The first concerns
icebreakers in the Arctic. Traditionally, zinc sacr¡ficial
anodes have been used for these vessels but, due to the
considerable abrasion experienced during icebreaking,
pa¡nt loss is high and surface mounted anodes are
vulnerable. Dom-e Petroleum, aware of these problems,
ran a trial on their ship 'Canmar Kigoriak' using 12
recessed plátinised titanium anodes in a 600 amp sys-
tem. Two Aquamatic controllers, each of 300 amp capac-
ity, ensured optimum protection whatever the changes
in sea temperature. The trial proved successful and two
more of Dome's icebreakers have now been similarly
eqipped. Further, encouraged by this success Beaudril
Ltb', another company operating in the Beaufort Sea,
have f itted their fleet of four icebreakers with Aquamat¡c
controlled impressed current systems' One of these is
illustrated on Page ??
In a totally difference climate Ceres Hydroways' a
member oi tne Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises
Group, encounlered corrosion problems in their fleet of
'15 hydrofoils which provide ferry services.around the
Greek lslands. The problem occured at the junction
between the aluminium hull and the sta¡nless steel foils
where these two dissimilar metals produced a severe
corrosion couple. BA 780, an aluminium alloy developed
for offshore environments, was found to have the
enhanced electro-chemical properties ideal for this
application. Meticulous design and careful quality con-
tiol have paid off as inspection during dry docking over
the last three years has shown no evidence of the pre-
vious corrosion Problem.
l¿
Cathodic protectlon and paint syslems
Cathodic protection is an essential part of corrosion
prevention which includes coating with a good paint
system and an antifouling composition. All coatings can
' b-e damaged by abrasion f rom accidental grounding or
anchor chains, etc and by impact and it is to protect the
surfaces exposed by such damage that cathod¡c protec-
tion is designed.
In the pait, cathodic protection has been blamed for
damage io paintwork. lt is certainly true that in the elec-
trolytió reaótion between the cathodic ship's hull and the
anodes there is an alkali formed at the cathode' This
could lift poor quality paints especially if badly applied l
but will have no effect on properly applied coatings or
antifouling. I
f
Servlcing CP sYstems
Summarising what has already been said, replacement
of sacrificialánodes will normally take place during dry
docking every two years. This is a straightforward job
entailirig ren{oving'exhausted or spend anodes and
replacing with new anodes.
Wilsoñ Walton International have a network of offices
and agents throughout the world to back up their CP
systerñs. At these óentres marine engineers skilled in the
design, installation and servicing of the systems are
avaiiable to offer advice and assistance whenever and
wherever necessary. The very nature of the shipping
industry makes this an essential serv¡ce.
Lald up shiPPing
That tñe coriosion process proceeds during the period
when vessels are laid up is often overlooked. In fact' in
estuaries where laid up vessels are often found, condi-
tions are often more corrosive than those encountered at
sea. Cathodic protection should be maintained during
this period and the condition of anodes monitored to
ensure adequate Protection.
Summary
It is evidént that for given requirements such as climate'
operating conditions, size of vessel, design, speed and
continued on Page 16
ANTI-CORROSION FebruarY 1987