FAQ

When metals are in the presence of moisture and oxygen, they undergo chemical reactions that lead to their deterioration. This deterioration is commonly referred to as corrosion. Over time, corrosion weakens metal structures such as bridges, pipelines and industrial equipment, leading to failures that can be costly and dangerous to workers, communities and the environment.

Effective corrosion prevention measures can help mitigate – and sometimes even prevent – damages, accidents and environmental hazards that can arise from corrosion. Structures protected from corrosion maintain optimal performance over a more extended time. This is critical for public, workplace and environmental safety and highly beneficial for operational efficiency and organizational profitability.

Cathodic protection is a dynamic preventative measure that can stop or reduce the corrosion rate on pipelines, storage tanks, structural piles and other buried or submerged metallic structures. Using the principle of electrochemistry, cathodic protection manipulates the corrosion process by shifting the metal structure from a positively charged electrode (an ANODE) to a negatively charged electrode (a CATHODE). This shift prevents or reduces the corrosion of the metal.

Cathodic protection aims to maintain a negative electrical potential on the metal structure relative to its surrounding environment. This suppresses oxidation, which leads to corrosion, effectively extending the service life of the metal structure and preventing its deterioration.

Cathodic protection is commonly used in applications such as oil and gas pipelines, maritime structures, storage tanks, water and wastewater infrastructure, offshore structures, industrial, agricultural and mining equipment and structures that rely on steel and concrete reinforcement like bridges, parking garages and buildings.

While both cathodic protection and galvanization are methods used to protect metal structures from corrosion, they differ in four important ways:

1. PRINCIPLE
   Cathodic protection uses an electrochemical manipulation technique that actively counters corrosion by providing a continuous flow of electrons to the metal structure. Galvanization is a passive process that relies on coating metal with a protective metallic layer (usually zinc) that acts as a barrier to corrosion.
2. APPLICATION
   Cathodic processing is usually used to protect existing structures from corrosive elements. Galvanization is typically used during the manufacturing process.
3. LONGEVITY
   Cathodic protection requires ongoing monitoring and maintenance to ensure its longevity and effectiveness. Galvanized coatings do not require this. However, once the galvanized layer wears away, protection from corrosion ceases.

True compliance in cathodic protection services is essential for safeguarding the integrity of critical infrastructure, protecting the environment, meeting legal requirements, reducing costs, and upholding a positive reputation. It’s a fundamental aspect of responsible and ethical business practices in this field.

While some provincial regulatory bodies require cathodic protection systems to be inspected annually to maintain compliance, a risk-based approach is permitted in other jurisdictions.

At Powers Corrosion, we employ test methods and techniques that ensure True compliance for every project. We rely on precise data and expertise to ensure that our customers feel confident about protecting their workplace, team, the public and the environment. True compliance also protects the longevity of our customers’ assets.

Cathodic protection has been used for more than a century. It was first introduced to prevent the corrosion of copper in ships in the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, scientists like Thomas Edison and others led to the establishment of cathodic protection as an effective method for corrosion prevention in other maritime and military applications. These findings were later applied to the oil and gas industry to mitigate leak frequency, reduce maintenance and maintain the asset value.

Today, cathodic protection plays a crucial role in preventing corrosion-related failures and extending the life span of essential metal structures. Ongoing research and technological advancements, as we do at Powers Innovations, continue to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cathodic protection systems.

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) is an advanced and active electrochemical corrosion control technique that applies a controlled electrical current to the structure electrolytically (through the ground or other electrolyte in which installed) to counteract the natural corrosion process. This external current opposes the natural electrochemical corrosion process in which harnessed energy within milled metals naturally leaves metallic structures electrolytically, effectively making the metal structure the negatively charged electrode (CATHODE) in an electrochemical cell and preventing it from corroding.

ICCP is commonly used in challenging environments to protect critical metal structures like pipelines, storage tanks, bridges and offshore platforms from corrosion. Proper design, installation, monitoring and maintenance are essential for the effectiveness of ICCP systems.

In the contest of cathodic protection, inference testing refers to a series of tests and measurements conducted to determine if the system is providing adequate protection to the metal structure in the event opposing systems or natural balancing effects may compromise desired performance results. Inference testing also identifies potential issues caused by other asset owners’ systems which affect the protection level of your assets and performance and effectiveness of your deployed CP system(s), or deficiencies within existing interference mitigation systems and designs that need correcting.

Sacrificial anodes are also known as galvanic anodes or sacrificial cathodes. In cathodic protection systems, sacrificial anodes are used to protect metal structures from corrosion because they are made of metals that are more electrically active than the metal structure they are intended to protect. We design sacrificial anodes specifically to corrode preferentially to specific structures. In this way, they ‘sacrifice’ themselves to prevent the corrosion of a structure that requires prevention.

Sacrificial anodes are a reliable and cost-effective method for preventing corrosion. However, they require regular monitoring and replacement to ensure the continued corrosion prevention on the metal structures they serve.