Corrosion poses many challenges for businesses that use metal assets such as pipelines, storage containers, and marine structures in their daily operations. In addition to the financial responsibility resulting from repairs and replacements, if left untreated, corrosion can cause many unplanned failures and pose a health and safety risk to individuals working in and around the impacted areas. The cathodic protection system has earned a reputation as one of the most effective means of preventing corrosion and protecting a company’s assets by increasing their usable life while providing relatively low maintenance and operating costs associated with protecting those assets.
Understanding cathodic protection, a company can assess which business applications afford the best opportunity for maximizing investment, reliability of operations, and the mitigation of any possible downtime resulting from damaged company assets.
What Is Cathodic Protection?
Cathodic protection is an electrochemical phenomenon in which electrons produced by an electrode are supplied to the surface of metal. Until this point, there exists an electrochemical cell, with the cathode being the negative electrode and the anode the positive electrode, and electrons do not have to flow to halt the oxidation of metals and thereby furnish protection by preventing further or slowing down deterioration of metals.
Key Points About Cathodic Protection
It uses cathodic protection to produce non-oxidizing conditions on metal surfaces, thus reducing the amount of oxidation taking place.
It may be used together with coatings to provide even greater protection against corrosion.
This has gained prominence for pipelines, storage tanks, marine structures, and reinforced concretes.
The industries using cathodic protection include oil and gas companies, marine structural repair companies, water supply systems, and manufacturing industries.
How Cathodic Protection Works
The principle of cathodic protection is quite simple. The metal that requires protection is made a cathode and so limits its corrosion by the loss of electrons. Cathodic protection comprises two main systems:
1. Sacrificial Anode Systems
Sacrificial anodes are typically made from zinc or magnesium
The sacrificial metal will corrode instead of the metal being protected
Sacrificial anode systems are often used on pipelines, tanks, and small to medium installations
2. Impressed Current Systems
Impressed current systems use an external power supply to supply controlled direct current to the cathode
Impressed current systems are used to protect large structures when sacrificial anodes are not sufficient
Impressed current systems are typically installed on long pipelines and offshore structures (such as oil rigs)
If designed and maintained properly, both cathodic protection systems offer excellent protection, but the system to use will depend on the size and type of the asset and its environment.
Benefits of Cathodic Protection
Cathodic protection provides many benefits to industrial facilities, including:
Increased asset protection: Cathodically protected assets have far less corrosion than unprotected assets
Reduced maintenance costs: Cathodic protection systems reduce the need for asset repairs and replacements
Improved safety: By preventing the structural failure of an asset, cathodic protection helps to minimize the risk of leakage from pipelines and tanks
Environmental protection: Cathodic protection reduces the risk of accidental releases of harmful chemicals or fluids
Increased operating efficiency: By decreasing the amount of time an asset must be repaired due to corrosion damage, cathodic protection reduces operational downtime
Because of these benefits, Cathodic Protection plays an essential role in long-term asset management.
Utilization of Cathodic Protection
Cathodic protection has a wide variety of uses in numerous different industries. For example, it can be utilized for:
Pipelines
Storage tanks
Marine structures
Reinforced concretes
The industries using cathodic protection include oil and gas companies, marine structural repair companies, water supply systems, and manufacturing industries.
Cathodic protection systems can be designed and installed both as new installations and retrofitted onto existing structures as needed.
Installation and Maintenance of Cathodic Protection Systems
In order for cathodic protection systems to provide the intended level of protection, they must be installed and maintained properly. To do this you must:
Determine the type(s) of cathodic protection required by completing a site assessment independent of the type of assets being protected
Design a cathodic protection system, based upon the size, material(s) and environment(s) of the asset(s) that will receive protection
Conduct regular monitoring and testing of the cathodic protection system to verify the effectiveness of cathodic protection
The use of a combination of protective coatings, along with cathodic protection, provides a high level of corrosion protection. Failure to maintain the cathodic protection system will cause loss in efficiency of the cathodic protection system to be able to protect the asset(s) from corrosion effectively. Hence, this would lead to unforeseen corrosion damage to the asset(s).
How CCENG Provides Support
CCENG provides services to industrial clients that enable them to develop site-specific, customized cathodic protection systems. Their expertise includes:
Developing and implementing site-specific custom cathodic protection solutions
Providing ongoing monitoring and maintenance services
Providing ongoing monitoring of the cathodic protection system to verify compliance with safety and regulatory standards
Providing long-term asset protection of pipelines, tanks, and infrastructure
Partnering with CCENG provides clients with complete peace of mind and assurance of optimal performance.
Closing Statement
Corrosion represents a significant financial risk to factories and manufacturing structures because it generally takes place unnoticed. Installing cathodic protection systems is one of the best methods for protecting metal-based assets, while at the same time reducing the related expenses associated with ongoing maintenance and improving the safety of their work environments. Working with CCENG supports the deployment of cathodic protection systems for the purpose of ensuring that pipeline systems, tanks and other important structures remain adequately "protected" for long-term operation and effectiveness.
