Impressed current anodes

There are two types of impressed current anodes either they consist of anodically stable noble metals (e.g., platinum) or anodically passivatable materials that form conducting oxide films on their surfaces. In both cases, the anodic redox reaction occurs at much lower potentials than those of theoretically possible anodic corrosion. 

This general statement does not of course mean that materials with stoichiometric weight are completely unsuited as impressed current anodes. 

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The first anode installation for the cathodic protection of gas pipelines in New Orleans consisted of a 5-m-long horizontal cast-iron tube. Later old tramway lines were used. Since in downtown New Orleans there was no suitable place to install impressed current anodes and to avoid detrimental effects on other pipelines, Kuhn recommended the use of deep anodes which were first installed in 1952 at a depth... 

In the cathodic protection of storage tanks, potentials should be measured in at least three places, i.e., at each end and at the top of the cover [16]. Widely different polarized areas arise due to the small distance which is normally the case between the impressed current anodes and the tank. Since such tanks are often buried under asphalt, it is recommended that permanent reference electrodes or fixed measuring points (plastic tubes under valve boxes) be installed. These should be located in areas not easily accessible to the cathodic protection current, for example between two tanks or between the tank wall and foundations. Since storage tanks usually have several anodes located near the tank, equalizing currents can flow between the differently loaded anodes on switching off the protection system and thus falsify the potential measurement. In such cases the anodes should be separated. 

Galvanic anodes must not be backfilled with coke as with impressed current anodes. A strong corrosion cell would arise from the potential difference between the anode and the coke, which would lead to rapid destruction of the anode. In addition, the driving voltage would immediately collapse and finally the protected object would be seriously damaged by corrosion through the formation of a cell between it and the coke. 

Data on impressed current anodes are assembled in Tables 7-1 to 7-3. 

Table 7-1 Data on impressed current anodes for use in soil...

Fig. 7-1 Material consumption from impressed current anodes. graphite anode without coke backfill, O graphite anode with coke backfill, FeSi anode without coke backfill, A FeSi anode with coke backfill.

Table 7-2 Composition and properties of solid impressed current anodes (without coke backfill)...

Impressed current anodes of the previously described substrate materials always have a much higher consumption rate, even at moderately low anode current densities. If long life at high anode current densities is to be achieved, one must resort to anodes whose surfaces consist of anodically stable noble metals, mostly platinum, more seldom iridium or metal oxide films (see Table 7-3). 

Impressed current anodes must be insulated from the surface that is being protected. Also, the current connections must be well insulated to prevent the free ends of the cable from being attacked and destroyed. 

The current needed for cathodic protection by impressed current is supplied from rectifier units. In Germany, the public electricity supply grid is so extensive that the CP transformer-rectifier (T-R) can be connected to it in most cases. Solar cells, thermogenerators or, for low protection currents, batteries, are only used as a source of current in exceptional cases (e.g., in sparsely populated areas) where there is no public electricity supply. Figure 8-1 shows the construction of a cathodic impressed current protection station for a pipeline. Housing, design and circuitry of the rectifier are described in this chapter. Chapter 7 gives information on impressed current anodes. 

Where there is available ground and the specific resistivity of soil in the upper layers is low, the anodes are laid horizontally [3]. A trench 0.3 to 0.5 m wide and 1.5 to 1.8 m deep is dug with, for example, an excavator or trench digger (see Fig. 9-2). A layer of coke 0.2-m thick is laid on the bottom of the trench. The impressed current anodes are placed on this and covered with a 0.2-m layer of coke. Finally the trench is filled with the excavated soil. No. IV coke with a particle size of 5 to 15 mm and specific gravity of 0.6 t m" is backfilled at a rate of 50 kg per meter of trench. The anodes are connected in parallel and every three to four anode cables are connected to the anode header cable by a mechanical cable crimp encapsulated in an epoxy splice kit to give an economical service life at high current output. 

Centering equipment is used to ensure that the impressed current anode is centrally situated in the borehole. The anode with the centering device can be inserted in the borehole by use of, for example, plastic-insulated wire ropes (see Fig. 9-11). After each of the anodes is inserted, the free space is filled with No. IV coke up to the level of the next anode about 50 kg of coke are necessary per meter of anode bed. The wire rope is fixed to a support above the borehole and provides offloading to the anode cable. The anode cables are laid to a junction box so that the... 

The installation costs for a single impressed current anode of high-silicon iron can be taken as Kj = DM 975 (S550). This involves about 5 m of cable trench between anodes so that the costs for horizontal or vertical anodes or for anodes in a common continuous coke bed are almost the same. To calculate the total costs, the annuity factor for a trouble-free service life of 20 years (a = 0.11, given in Fig. 22-2) should be used. For the cost of current, an industrial power tariff of 0.188 DM/kWh should be assumed for t = 8750 hours of use per year, and for the rectifier an efficiency of w = 0.5. The annual basic charge of about DM 152 for 0.5 kW gives about 0.0174 DM/kWh for the calculated hours of use, so that the total current cost comes to... 

Fig. 9-14 Economic number of anodes for impressed current anode beds.

Experience shows that in interference by the anodic voltage cone, no unacceptable anodic interference is caused by an interference voltage Uy < 0.5 V versus the remote ground. The distance from the impressed current anode at which Uy = 0.5 V depends on the anode voltage, f/, and the anode length, L [ 13]. It amounts to ... 

The current output of galvanic anodes depends on the specific soil resistivity in the installation area and can only be used in low-resistivity soils for pipelines with a low protection current requirement because of the low driving voltage. Impressed current anode installations can be used in soils with higher specific soil resistivities and where large protection currents are needed because of their variable output voltage. 

Cathodic protection with magnesium anodes can be just as economical as impressed current anode assemblies for pipelines only a few kilometers in length and with protection current densities below 10 xA m" e.g., in isolated stretches of new pipeline in old networks and steel distribution or service pipes. In this case, several anodes would be connected to the pipeline in a group at test points. The distance from the pipeline is about 1 to 3 m. The measurement of the off potential... 

In urban districts, installation of impressed current anodes near the surface is usually very difficult because of the interference of nearby installations. Here the installation of deep anodes in suitable soils is recommended these also have the advantage of being able to be installed in the track of the supply line (see Section 9.1.3). 

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