Coated anodes structure

As shown in Figure 1.6, the optimized cathode and anode structures in PEMFCs include carbon paper or carbon cloth coated with a carbon-PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) sub-layer (or diffusion layer) and a catalyst layer containing carbon-supported catalyst and Nafion ionomer. The two electrodes are hot pressed with the Nafion membrane in between to form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is the core of the PEMFC. Other methods, such as catalyst coated membranes, have also been used in the preparation of MEAs. 

The MCFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprises three layers a porous lithiated NiO cathode structure and a porous Ni/NiCr alloy anode structure, sandwiching an electrolyte matrix (see detail below). To a first approximation, the porous, p-type semiconductor, nickel oxide cathode structure is compatible with the air oxidant, and a good enough electrical conductor. The nickel anode structure, coated with a granular proprietary reform reaction catalyst, is compatible with natural gas fuel and reforming steam, and is an excellent electrical conductor. As usual, the oxygen is the actual cathode and the fuel the anode. Hence the phrase porous electrode structure . 

In this work, a cermet electrode structure is developed for the anode structure using a porous borosilicate structure as the mechanical base for the anode structure coated with a thin silver film from the reduction of Ag resinate film to provide a conductive base. The electrode catalysts were added by the reduction of a mixture of platinum/ruthenium resinate. 

The US National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) has published a test method for evaluating coatings. TMOl 105-2005 Test Procedures for Organic-Based Conductive Coating Anodes for Use on Concrete Structures . 

Methacrylate polymers and copolymers employed to coat anodically oxidized and roughened aluminium sheets. The structures of the polymers are shown in Fig. 1... 

There are several hundred bridge substructures protected with coating anodes in the UK and Europe, and dozens of buildings. There are also hundreds of parking structures in the USA and Canada with conductive paint coating anodes applied to them,... 

Further improvements in the coating and the anode structures followed rapidly along with the commercialization of anodes by De Nora [151] under the trade name Dimensionally Stable Anode (DSA). Because of the dimensional stability and the lifetime of the coating and the ability to increase the current densities, rapid introduction of the activated titanium anodes was possible. At present only a few plants still use graphite anodes, largely due to the initial investment costs for titanium anodes. 

Good results are obtained with oxide-coated valve metals as anode materials. These electrically conducting ceramic coatings of p-conducting spinel-ferrite (e.g., cobalt, nickel and lithium ferrites) have very low consumption rates. Lithium ferrite has proved particularly effective because it possesses excellent adhesion on titanium and niobium [26]. In addition, doping the perovskite structure with monovalent lithium ions provides good electrical conductivity for anodic reactions. Anodes produced in this way are distributed under the trade name Lida [27]. The consumption rate in seawater is given as 10 g A ar and in fresh water is... 

Production platforms are coated only in exceptional cases or for the purposes of investigation because the life of the structure is greater than the life of the coating. Therefore in the design of the cathodic protection, only the protection potential Us of the steel need be considered. Steels with an ultimate tensile strength of up to 350 N mm are used for these structures, which are weldable even in thick sections, and the hardness of the welded material can be kept to 350 HV (see Section 2.3.4 [2,10]). Aluminum anodes with the same protection effect and life as zinc anodes have much less weight. This is a very important advantage for... 

Cathodic protection cannot work with prestressed concrete structures that have electrically insulated, coated pipes. There is positive experience in the case of a direct connection without coated pipes this is protection of buried prestressed concrete pipelines by zinc anodes [38], Stability against H-induced stress corrosion in high-strength steels with impressed current has to be tested (see Section 2.3.4). 

The use of corrosion-resistant materials and the application of corrosion protection measures are in many cases the reason that industrial plants and structures can be built at all. This is particularly so in pipeline technology. Without cathodic protection and without suitable coating as a precondition for the efficiency of cathodic protection, long-distance transport of oil and gas under high pressures would not be possible. Furthermore, anodic protection was the only protective measure to make possible the safe operation of alkali solution evaporators (see Section 21.5). 

The cost and economics of cathodic protection depend on a variety of parameters so that general statements on costs are not really possible. In particular, the protection current requirement and the specific electrical resistance of the electrolyte in the surroundings of the object to be protected and the anodes can vary considerably and thus affect the costs. Usually electrochemical protection is particularly economical if the structure can be ensured a long service life, maintained in continuous operation, and if repair costs are very high. As a rough estimate, the installation costs of cathodic protection of uncoated metal structures are about 1 to 2% of the construction costs of the structure, and are 0.1 to 0.2% for coated surfaces. 

The modern procedure to minimise corrosion losses on underground structures is to use protective coatings between the metal and soil and to apply cathodic protection to the metal structure (see Chapter 11). In this situation, soils influence the operation in a somewhat different manner than is the case with unprotected bare metal. A soil with moderately high salts content (low resistivity) is desirable for the location of the anodes. If the impressed potential is from a sacrificial metal, the effective potential and current available will depend upon soil properties such as pH, soluble salts and moisture present. When rectifiers are used as the source of the cathodic potential, soils of low electrical resistance are desirable for the location of the anode beds. A protective coating free from holidays and of uniformly high insulation value causes the electrical conducting properties of the soil to become of less significance in relation to corrosion rates (Section 15.8). 

The capacity of an anode is dependent on the anode current density. To some extent it will be governed by the exposure environment but, in part, is within the control of the design. Certainly wholly unsuitable current densities can usually be avoided. At lower operating current densities some anodes exhibit reduced capacity this is shown in Fig. 10.17. Long periods of low operating current density can lead to passivation. This may result in failure to activate when the current demand increases (as can occur with anodes on coated structures when the coating deteriorates). 

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