IMPRESSED CURRENT

CATHODIC PROTECTION

Under the Guidance of: By:

Mrs. Madhu Joshi Shailesh Shukla
Scientist - B M.Tech - D&H
IMU Visakhapatnam
26 November 2019
13400102004
 What is Corrosion ?
 The word “Corrosion” is made from Latin word
“Corroder” = To gnaw

 It is the gradual destruction of materials

(usually metals), by chemical reaction with its
environment.

 It means electrochemical oxidation of metals in

reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen.

 It also occurs in non-metals like polymers &

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ceramics.
 What is Cathodic Protection ?
 Cathodic Protection is a method of corrosion control
that can be applied to buried and submerged metallic
structures.

 The material to be protected is supplied with an external

cathodic current.

 The electrochemical potential of the protected material

is moved in a negative direction to the immune area.

 The material is completely protected when it reaches

the Protection Potential.
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 CORROSION CONTROL METHODS

CATHODIC
PROTECTION

SACRIFICIAL IMPRESSED
ANODE CURRENT
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 HISTORY
Cathodic Protection was first described by Sir
Humphry Davy in a series of papers presented to the
Royal Society in London in 1824.

Thomas Edison experimented with impressed

current cathodic protection on ships in 1890 but was
unsuccessful due to lack of a suitable current source
and anode material.

In USA by 1945 CP was applied to oil & natural gas

industry.
 DISCRIPTION
 The simplest method to apply CP is by connecting the metal to
be protected with another more easily corroded “Sacrificial
Metal” to act as the anode of the electrochemical cell.

 The sacrificial metal then corrodes instead of the protected

metal. When passive galvanic CP is not adequate, then we
provide an external Dc source.

 Common applications are: Steel water or oil pipe lines,

storage tanks, ship & boat hulls, offshore platforms, metal
reinforcement bars in concrete buildings.

 In galvanized steels , in which a sacrificial coating of zinc on

steel parts protect them from rust.
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 Why it is important ?
 Corrosion costs money.

 Corrosion of metals cost USA

economy almost $300 billion per
year and it is estimated that 1/3 of it
can be controlled by better
techniques like this.

 Our country has been losing around

₹1.52 lakh crore every year due to
corrosion in various sectors like;
infrastructure, manufacturing,
production, defense & nuclear
waste.
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 Reaction
The basic process at an anodic site is the release of
iron (Fe) from the steel surface into the environment
and can be expressed as:
Fe Fe2+ + 2e-
 During the process two electrons are generated
which must be consumed by the environment.
4H++ O2 + 4e- 2H2O
2Fe + 2H2O + O2 2Fe(OH)2
 The term Fe(OH)2 is iron oxide which can be
oxidized to form the Red-brown Fe(OH)3 called
Rust.
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 SACRIFICIAL ANODE
 In the usual application, a galvanic anode, a piece of a more
electrochemically active metal, attached to the vulnerable
metal surface where it is exposed to the corrosive liquid.
Galvanic anodes have more active voltage that the target
material usually steel.

 For effective CP, the potential of the steel surface is polarized

more negative until the surface has a uniform potential.

 Metals like Zn, Al & Mg are used for making anodes.

 For increasing electrical contact the active metal is placed in

back fill (Coal & NaCl).
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 IMPRESSED CURRENT CATHODIC
PROTECTION
 For larger structures, galvanic anodes can’t economically deliver
enough current to provide complete protection.

 In this method, an impressed current is applied in opposite

direction to nullify the corrosion current and convert the corroding
metal from anode to cathode.

 ICCP systems use anodes connected to a DC source.

 This current is given to insoluble anode like graphite, stainless steel

or scrap iron buried in soil.

 The negative terminal of DC is connected to pipeline to be

protected. The anode is kept in back fill to increase the electrical
contact with the surrounding soil.
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 Impressed Cathodic
Cathodic Protection Protection

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26 November 2019
 Example of Impressed
Current Installation

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26 November 2019
 Applications of Impressed
Current
Applied on steel in seawater or soil
Oil Platforms in steel and concrete
Subsea Pipelines
Hull
Quay structures and sheet pile curtains
Concrete bridges placed in seawater
Pipelines buried in soil
Vessels/tanks buried in soil
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PIPE LINES

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SHIPS

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OFFSHORE PLATEFORMS

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GALVANIZED STEEL

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 IMPRESSED CURRENT
Advantages:
High driving voltage (30 V)
Few anodes – reduced resistance

Disadvantages:
Vulnerable components
Need for regulation/control system
 Risk of overprotection of highly charged materials
 Coating damages – cathodic accouplement
Need for/recommended protection shield around the
anodes
Need
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Problems Arised Due To CP
Production of hydrogen ions

Cathodic Disbonding

Cathodic Shielding

Safety

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26 November 2019