Magnesium cathodic protection with

Hydrogen is involved in cathodic protection with magnesium anodes on account of the high contribution of self-corrosion. This must be considered in its use in closed containers, e.g., boilers. In enamelled boilers there is no danger from deflagration of the oxy-hydrogen gas under normal service conditions [2] however safety requirements must be observed [28,29], particularly with routine maintenance work. 

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... 

Cathodic protection with impressed current, aluminum or magnesium anodes does not lead to any promotion of germs in the water. There is also no multiplication of bacteria and fungi in the anode slime [32,33]. Unhygienic contamination of the water only arises if anaerobic conditions develop in the slurry deposits, giving rise to bacterial reduction of sulfate. If this is the case, HjS can be detected by smell in amounts which cannot be detected analytically or by taste. Remedial measures are dealt with in Section 20.4.2. 

Fig. 22-1 Economic application range for cathodic protection with magnesium anodes or with impressed current.

The decision on whether cathodic protection with impressed current or with magnesium anodes is more economical depends on the protection current requirement and the soil resistivity. This estimate only indicates the basic influence of the different variables. In the individual case, installation costs can vary widely so that a specific cost calculation is necessary for every project. 

Fig. 7-17. Cathodic protection with (a) impressed current and (b) magnesium sacrificial anodes.

The cathodic protection of plain carbon and low-alloy steels can be achieved with galvanic anodes of zinc, aluminum or magnesium. For materials with relatively more positive protection potentials (e.g., stainless steels, copper, nickel or tin alloys), galvanic anodes of iron or of activated lead can be used. 

At the relatively low protection current density of 200 llA m and with the anode positioned on one side, it is to be expected that with this storage tank sufficient reduction in potential would be achieved on the other side of the tank from the anode. The off potential was measured using a measurement point at a depth of about 2 m as f/cu-cuso4 = -0.88 V at the tank. At the other side of the tank as well as above it, off potentials of-0.90 to -0.94 V were found. These potentials were measured with a protection current of 10 mA (anode 1 6 mA, anode 2 4 mA) with an additional resistance of 8 Q in the protection current circuit (see Fig. 11-2). With a direct connection between the tank and the group of magnesium anodes, the initial current was about 16 mA, which after 1 h of polarization decreased to about 14 mA. The reserve current, based on a long-term current of 10 mA, amounted to ca. 40% in the operation of the cathodic protection installation. 

Table 22-1 Installation costs of a cathodic protection station with three magnesium anodes for = 100 mA, r = 30 W m and service life of 36 years.

Cathodic protection (CP) is an electrochemical technique of corrosion control in which the potential of a metal surface is moved in a cathodic direction to reduce the thermodynamic tendency for corrosion. CP requires that the item to be protected be in contact with an electrolyte. Only those parts of the item that are electrically coupled to the anode and to which the CP current can flow are protected. Thus, the inside of a buried pipe is not capable of cathodic protection unless a suitable anode is placed inside the pipe. The electrolyte through which the CP current flows is usually seawater or soil. Fresh waters generally have inadequate conductivity (but the interiors of galvanized hot water tanks are sometimes protected by a sacrificial magnesium anode) and the conductivity... 

Magnesium anodes suspended inside a galvanised hot-water tank and in electrical connection with it afford cathodic protection to the zinc, the alloy layer and the steel, at high temperatures as well as in the cold. The magnesium is eventually consumed but it is probable that in the interim a good protective scale will have formed on the inside of the tank, so that the magnesium anode will then no longer be necessary. One of the difficulties of this method, however, is the maintenance of a sufficiently even current distribution over the inside of a tank to protect the whole surface, especially in waters of low conductivity. The method is therefore unlikely to be applicable to soft waters. 

Thus brucite (Mg(OH)2) is also commonly found on surfaces under cathodic protection in seawater. Because more hydroxyl ions (higher pH) are required to cause magnesium hydroxide to precipitate, the magnesium is virtually always found in the calcareous deposits associated with calcium and its presence is an indicator of a high interfacial pH and thus either high cathodic current densities or relatively poor seawater refreshment. 

Cathodic protection equipment has been used very successfully in water tanks and HW and steam boilers as anticorrosion devices for 100 years or more. Such equipment comes in many shapes and sizes, and comprises a sacrificial anode of either zinc or magnesium alloy, either bolted directly to a suitable internal water-wetted (cathodic) metal surface, or self-contained by enclosing the anode with a suitable cathode (such as a silver plated base metal). Usually several devices are required for any boiler, more for larger units and less for smaller ones, and these require replacement every one to two years. 

Electrochemical protection can be achieved by forming an electrolytic cell in which the anode material is more easily corroded than the metal it is desired to protect. This is the case of zinc in contact with iron (Fig. 16.11) in this example there is a sort of cathodic protection. Protection of ship hulls, of subterranean pipeline tubings, of oil rigs, etc. is often done using sacrificial anodes that are substituted as necessary. The requisites for a good sacrificial anode are, besides its preferential corrosion, slow corrosion kinetics and non-passivation. Sacrificial anodes in use are, for this reason, normally of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium... 

Aluminum and aluminum-zinc alloy anodes have become the preferred sacrificial anodes for the cathodic protection of offshore platforms. This preference is because aluminum anodes demonstrate reliable long-term performance when compared with magnesium, which might be consumed before the platform has served its useful hfe. Aluminum also has better current/weight characteristics than zinc. Weight can be a major consideration for large offshore platforms. The major disadvantage of aluminum for some applications, for example, the protection of painted ship hulls, is that aluminum is too corrosion resistant in many environments. Aluminum alloys will not corrode reliably onshore or in freshwater [37]. In marine... 

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