Cathodic Protection Ground bed Basics

For underground /buried /immersed structures requiring cathodic protection, the

location and nature of the site where the anode is placed needs careful
consideration. A low soil resistivity, which would otherwise be classified as a
highly corrosive soil, is not the only factor which determines the location of the
anode. Other factors to be considered include the presence of foreign metallic
structures, accessibility and availability of a power source. The location which is
specifically prepared to house a single or a combination of anodes is called a
ground bed.

 Impressed anode ground beds: Once a location is selected and the soil
resistivity is determined, the engineer needs to design the type of ground
bed and choose anode material and combination. Types of ground beds
are classified as: shallow vertical, shallow horizontal or deep well. Anode
materials used for underground impressed current systems are generally
graphite or high silicon cast iron. In the ground bed, it is preferred for the
anode to be surrounded by a carbonaceous backfill. The backfill particles
help to reduce anode resistance to earth, extend anode life by allowing
anodic reactions to occur on their surface and provide a porous structure
so the gases produced can escape.

 Shallow Vertical Ground bed: The individual or multiple anode ground

bed resistances can be determined using Dwight formula or can be
determined graphically.

 Shallow Horizontal Ground beds: Sometimes due to unfavourable soil

conditions shallow horizontal ground beds are preferred. Again earth
resistances can be determined by calculation.

 Deep Well Ground beds: Where soil resistivity at the surface are very
high, a series of vertical anodes are sometimes installed in deep well
ground beds (up to 100 m and more deep). To determine the depth of the
well it may be necessary to carry out a soil resistivity survey. Using the
four-pin method, soil resistivity variation with depth can be determined by
changing the pin spacing. Deep well ground beds can take different forms.

A basic design necessitates incorporating the use of a steel casing to

prevent the collapse of the drilled hole. Several anodes attached together
with a rope are placed inside the casing. The remaining space is then filled
with carbonaceous material. Once the ground bed becomes operative the
steel casing will be consumed. After the pipe corrodes away the anode
and backfill become active. Deep wells are generally fitted with a vent to
allow gases to escape. Gas entrapment tends to increase the ground bed
resistance. It should be added that in certain rock formations anodes have
been installed satisfactorily without a steel casing. Although deep well

Cathodic Protection Ground Bed Basics_by KG Nair_2022 Sheet 1 of 2

 Cathodic Protection Ground bed Basics

ground beds provide good current distribution they are expensive to

construct because of the cost of the drilling. Careful design is also
necessary because anode failures cannot be easily rectified.

 Sacrificial Anode Ground beds: In certain situations, for example in

reducing stray current effects, a sacrificial system may be specified to
protect underground structures. The backfill used with these anodes is
different from that described for impressed anodes. A typical backfill
contains a mixture of gypsum, bentonite and sodium sulphate. The
function of this chemical backfill is to provide conditions favourable to
anode dissolution. It also helps to reduce the ground bed resistance.
Ground bed resistances can be calculated using the same procedure
adopted for impressed current anodes. Individual galvanic anodes in a
horizontal ground bed are generally not used. For this type of ground bed
a continuous galvanic anode strip is found to be practical.

 Remote and Close Ground beds: Since a ground bed is a source of

current, there is a field (potential) gradient associated with it. When the
voltage gradient in the soil near the structure is far from the voltage
gradient of the ground bed, the ground bed is referred to as remote.
However when the voltage gradient in the soil near the structure overlaps
with that of the ground bed, the ground bed is referred to as close. This is
because the ground bed is near enough to interfere significantly with the
field gradient around the structure.

Cathodic Protection Ground Bed Basics_by KG Nair_2022 Sheet 2 of 2