Passive protection systems applications

Anodic Protection This electrochemical method relies on an external potential control system (potentiostat) to maintain the metal or alloy in a noncorroding (passive) condition. Practical applications include acid coolers in sulfuric acid plants and storage tanks for sulfuric acid. 

Although the first industrial application of anodic protection was as recent as 1954, it is now widely used, particularly in the USA and USSR. This has been made possible by the recent development of equipment capable of the control of precise potentials at high current outputs. It has been applied to protect mild-steel vessels containing sulphuric acid as large as 49 m in diameter and 15 m high, and commercial equipment is available for use with tanks of capacities from 38 000 to 7 600000 litre . A properly designed anodic-protection system has been shown to be both effective and economically viable, but care must be taken to avoid power failure or the formation of local active-passive cells which lead to the breakdown of passivity and intense corrosion. 

The required protection may be obtained by active, passive, or a combination of both protection systems. For example, steel support located in a fire exposed area within process unit battery limits may be protected by either a fixed water spray system or the application of fire resistant insulating material to the steelwork or possibly both. Note Passive protection is generally the preferable method for protecting structural steel. 

Fire resistant insulating material can provide passive protection for both vertical and horizontal structural steel members. The level or rating of fire resistance should be consistent to the expected fire duration. Where only fire resistant insulating material will be used, the material and its installation system should be specified to have a 2- to 3-hour fire rating (UL 1709). In applications using a combination of fixed water spray or sprinkler protection and fire resistant insulation, a 1- to 2-hour fire rating (UL 1709) is frequently specified for the fireproofing. 

In some applications, where it is necessary to protect the batteries from heat via solar radiation (e.g., PV systems), passive-cooling systems can be used (Fig. 8.29). An example of a passive-cooling system in telecommunications applications is described in Ref. [36]. This design reduces the elfects of heating by direct solar radiation and by heat generated inside the housing. Additionally, the batteries are protected against other effects of the environment. 

Applicability of passive control systems for the seismic protection of oil refinery components... 

Paolacci F., Giannini R., De Angelis M, Ciucci M, (2010). Applicability of passive control systems for the seismic protection of major-hazard industrial plants. Sustainable Development Strategies for Constructions in Europe and China, 19-20, Rome, Italy... 

Platinised titanium anodes (titanium carrying a thin surface film of platinum, of the order of 0-0025 mm thick) have proved successful in cathodic-protection systems employing impressed-current techniques, as electrodes for electrodialysis of brackish water, and in many applications where established anode materials suffer significant corrosion. Platinum-coated titanium anodes can operate without breakdown at very high current densities, of the order of 5 0(X)A/m, in sea water, as although the very thin platinum coating may be porous the underlying titanium exposed at the pores will become anodically passivated... 

Anodic protection possesses unique features. For example, the applied current is usually equal to the corrosion rate of the protected system. Thus, anodic protection not only protects but also offers a direct means for monitoring the corrosion rate of a system. The main advantages of anodic protection are (1) low current requirements (2) large reductions in corrosion rate (typically 10,000-fold or more) and (3) applicability to certain strong, hot acids and other highly corrosive media. It is important to emphasize that anodic protection can only be applied to metals and alloys possessing active-passive characteristics such as titanium, stainless steels, steel, and nickel-base alloys. 

During BMN-170 development, the design principles to provide plant safety was aimed at an optimum combination of reliance on intrinsic safety features and application of engineered (active and passive) systems. To be specific, the protection system being developed employs hydraulically suspended reactivity control rods that effectively influence the reactivity and convert the reactor to a sub critical state when flow rate is reduced through the core [XXI-9]. Use of a passive emergency cool down system allows complete removal of residual heat. 

Because these variables have a very pronounced effect on the current density required to produce and also maintain passivity, it is necessary to know the exact operating conditions of the electrolyte before designing a system of anodic protection. In the paper and pulp industry a current of 4(KX) A was required for 3 min to passivate the steel surfaces after passivation with thiosulphates etc. in the black liquor the current was reduced to 2 7(X) A for 12 min and then only 600 A was necessary for the remainder of the process . From an economic aspect, it is normal, in the first instance, to consider anodically protecting a cheap metal or alloy, such as mild steel. If this is not satisfactory, the alloying of mild steel with a small percentage of a more passive metal, such as chromium, molybdenum or nickel, may decrease both the critical and passivation current densities to a sufficiently low value. It is fortunate that the effect of these alloying additions can be determined by laboratory experiments before application on an industrial scale is undertaken. 

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