Anodic Protection

•It is the prevention of corrosion by

impressed anodic current.

•The potential of the structure can be

maintained constant by a constant
potential device called a potentiostat.
At the corrosion potential,
applied current density is
zero, and the corrosion rate is
100 μA/cm2.
•Since Mixed-potential theory requires
charge conservations, then iapp=ia-ic

•If the potential increased to E1 with a

potentiostat, an iapp of 999 μA/cm2 is
required.
oAt E2, iapp=9999 μA/cm2.

oAt E3, iapp=0.9 μA/cm2.

At the optimum potential E4, iapp=1
μA/cm2, which is equal to the
corrosion rate at this potential

Anodic protection is much more

efficient than cathodic protection.
A potentiostat is an electronic device that
maintains a metal at a constant potential
with respect to a reference electrode.
The optimum potential for protection is
determined by electrochemical
measurements.

Anodic protection is limited to passive metals

or alloys.

It is used in extremely corrosive

environments and requires low current.
 CATHODIC PROTECTION

Cathodic protection is achieved by

supplying electrons to the metal structure
to be protected.

The addition of electrons to the structure

will tend to suppress metal dissolution
and increase the rate of hydrogen
evolution.
If current is considered to flow from (+) to
(-), as in conventional electrical theory,
then a structure is protected if current
enters it from the electrolyte and vice
versa.

There are two ways to cathodically

protect a structure
1. by an external power supply
2. by appropriate galvanic coupling
In the oil field. cathodic protection is
applied to pipelines in soil and water
environments, to offshore structures,
and to process and storage vessels.

Cathodic protection reduces but does

not eliminate corrosion
The combination of protective coatings as
the primary means of corrosion control
and cathodic protection as a supplemental
secondary means of corrosion has proven
most economical for most pipelines and
similarly buried or submerged structures.
In order for cathodic protection to work
all components of an electrochemical cell,
anode, cathode, electrolyte, and return
circuit must be present.

With attempts to protect high-temperature

pipelines where the environment is so hot
that water evaporates and no electrolyte is
present to transmit electrical current.
Principle of cathodic protection

The potential of cathodically protected iron,

shown at -0.85 V (Cu/CuSO4), is above the
equilibrium potential and that corrosion rate,
while reduced by more than two orders of
magnitude, is not zero.
The corrosion rate of most buried or
submerged steel is controlled by the
diffusion of oxygen to the metal surface
and not by hydrogen ion reduction. This
means that the reaction is under oxygen
diffusion control (concentration
polarization)
Cathodic protection causes a pH shift to
higher pHs, where most minerals are less
soluble.

The pH shift produces precipitates of

calcareous deposits, usually calcite but
sometimes other minerals, on the
protected surface.
These mineral deposits reduce the
exposed metal surface and act as
protective coatings on offshore structures.

The oxidation at anodes in cathodic

protection systems alters the potential of
the protected structure and shifts it in a
cathodic direction.
The anode, which corrodes to protect the structure,
is located at a "remote" location, as far away from
the pipeline as is practical.

The purpose of this remote location is to insure that

the current from the anode is distributed to
"ground," so that current is not wasted near the
anode-wire-lead connection location.
Current then comes from "ground" to the holidays
in the protective coating on the pipeline instead of
being concentrated near the anode-wire-lead
connection to the pipeline.

Galvanic anodes are typically supplied with

approximately 3-5m (10-15ft) of lead wire, which is
sufficient to locate the anodes at "remote earth" in
most environments.
The anodes are spaced along the pipe to
ensure uniform current distribution

1
Galvanic anodes are often installed in "distributed
anode" configurations. One anode protects a given
length of pipe and, where the IR drop down the
pipeline is too much and inadequate protection is
available, another anode is located. The critical
location is midway between the two anodes.
The spacing between anodes is determined by the
IR drop down the pipeline and by the current
demand on the pipeline exterior.

A typical spacing between anodes is of the order of

hundreds of meters (yards), but there are wide
variations depending on protective coating quality.
diameter of the pipeline, and corrosivity of the
environment.
Galvanic anodes are seldom used
onshore for long-distance pipelines. They
are used on small structures, in low-
resistivity environments where they can
be relied upon to work, and for
protecting "hot spots" where corrosion is
intensified
Magnesium anodes will corrode in almost
any wet environment.

Zinc anodes will not corrode in many

soils, and the use of zinc in soils has been
restricted to low-resistivity soils (<1000
to 2000 Ω-cm).
Temperatures above 60 oC have been
found to cause zinc to be cathodic to
carbon steel in some freshwater
environments.

This should not be a problem in seawater

and other high-chloride environment.
For marine applications, zinc anodes,
which last longer than magnesium, are less
efficient than aluminum anodes.

Zinc should only be used in brackish water

when the chloride concentration falls below
approximately 6-10 ppt compared to35 ppt
for open seawater.
 Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP)

When large currents are needed or high electrolyte

resistivity prevents the use of galvanic anodes, the
protective current for cathodic protection is supplied
by an ICCP system similar to the one shown for a
buried coated pipeline.
The anode is usually surrounded by backfill
consisting of coke breeze, gypsum, or
bentonite , to improve electric contact
between the anode and surrounding soil.

Cathodic protection using sacrificial anodes

can also be used to protect buried pipe lines.

Protective currents are usually determined

empirically
In such cases , trial and error adjustment of
anode size or applied current can be made
until satisfactory protection is achieved.
A more accurate and less time
consuming approach is to be measure
the potential of the protected structure
with a suitable reference electrode.

The reference-electrode is placed in the

ground or on a sponge in brine to make
electrical contact.
Steel structure exposed to soils, fresh
and brackish water, and seawater are
protected if they are polarized to –0.85
volts versus a copper-copper sulfate
reference electrode.
Limitations of ICCP systems include the
increased possibility of hydrogen
embrittlement of any high-strength (high
hardness) steel, for example, at
improperly welded joints, and the
increased likelihood of causing coating
debonding or stray current corrosion on
nearby structure.
Cathodic protection Criteria

Knowing if the structures are being

adequately protected.
Note that the corrosion rate is reduced
whenever the structure potential is
shifted in a cathodic direction
Some advocates suggested that cathodic
protection needed to approach the
equilibrium potential.

Others suggested that a potential shift of

any amount would yield prolonged life
and overprotection was costly.
Thus, Kuhn,s recommended potential of
-0.85 V (-850 mV) is at least a 50 mV
shift in the cathodic direction, and
usually much more.
In cases where microbially influenced
corrosion (MIC) is suspected or at
elevated temperatures, the protection
potential is considered to be -950 mV
CSE.
Inspection and Monitering

Third-party damage, coating

degradation, leading to increased
current demands, changes in
environment, and ageing of cathodic
protection components can all cause
systems to degrade.
Potential survey: It is necessary to
measure the potential of the structure in
question relative to a standard potential
such as copper-copper sulfate
eleectrode (CSE), which is used
onshore and in freshwater applications.
As long as the potential is more
negative than -850 mV CSE, most
authorities will consider the pipeline to
be protected.
If a metallic object is placed in a strong
current field, a potential difference
develops across it and accelerated
corrosion occurs at points where current
leaves the object and enters the soil.