Aluminum-magnesium-zinc system, directed

Examples of the sacrificial-anode method include the use of zinc, magnesium, or aluminum as anodes in electrical contact with the metal to be protected. These may be anodes buried in the ground for protection of underground pipe lines or attachments to the surfaces of equipment such as condenser water boxes or on ship hulls. The current required is generated in this method by corrosion of the sacrificial-anode material. In the case of the impressed emf, the direct current is provided by external sources and is passed through the system by use of essentially nonsacrificial anodes such as carbon, noncor-rodible alloys, or platinum buried in the ground or suspended in the electrolyte in the case of aqueous systems. 

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