If you’ve observed rust or damage on your metal equipment, your initial instinct might be that it’s too late to salvage it. In that scenario, you’re correct—it may indeed be too late to intervene. However, if preventive measures had been implemented to shield your metal surfaces from corrosion beforehand, you could have avoided the trouble and expenses.
To prevent corrosion damage on active metal surfaces like tanks, the solution lies in safeguarding them with appropriate coatings, and cathodic protection is the answer. Delve into this article to delve deeper into cathodic protection and learn how to efficiently manage it.
What is Cathodic Protection?
Cathodic protection is essential for maintaining water tanks, providing a protective barrier for submerged or buried metal structures within these tanks against the damaging effects of rust and corrosion. This technique is extensively utilized to safeguard various components within water tanks, encompassing the tanks themselves, piping systems, valves, pumps, and other submerged or buried metal elements.
Despite its effectiveness in preventing corrosion, cathodic protection can present a considerable financial challenge, especially for large-scale steel assets.
Types of Cathodic Protection
Two main categories of cathodic protection services include “Galvanic” and “Impressed Current Cathodic Protection.”
Galvanic
Galvanic protection, sometimes called galvanization, entails the application of a protective coating, typically made of zinc, onto corrosion-prone metals like steel. In this method, the zinc coating serves as a sacrificial barrier, sacrificing itself to shield the steel underneath from corrosion. Since the zinc layer diminishes over time, revealing the steel beneath, this method isn’t ideal for long-term corrosion prevention strategies.
Impressed Current Cathodic Protection
In an impressed current cathodic protection system, anodes continuously supply electrons, powered by a connected power source. This method employs anodes made of more reactive metals to sacrificially donate ions, thereby shielding the susceptible metal from corrosion. Usually, these anodes are composed of alloys with a higher electrochemical potential, such as magnesium, aluminum, or zinc, similar to those found in batteries. This technique is utilized to provide extended protection against corrosion.
Why is Cathodic Protection Important?
Cathodic protection is vital for water tanks to prevent corrosion and preserve structural integrity. Water tanks, particularly those used for storing potable water, are susceptible to corrosion due to continual exposure to water and various environmental elements. Without adequate protection, corrosion can compromise the tank’s integrity, resulting in leaks, contamination of stored water, and potentially catastrophic failures.
By implementing cathodic protection, water tanks can effectively mitigate the corrosion risk on submerged or buried metal components, including the tank itself, piping systems, valves, and other internal parts. This protective measure helps prolong the lifespan of the water tank, ensures the safety and purity of stored water, and reduces the necessity for expensive repairs or replacements.
In summary, cathodic protection is indispensable for water tanks to maintain their functionality, durability, and dependability while upholding public health and environmental safety.
Prevents Corrosion
Leakage currents originating from electrified railway networks, adjacent cathodic protection systems, operational welding equipment, and other sources of direct current represent a significant risk to the structural integrity of industrial water tanks and pipelines.
These leakage currents trigger electrolytic corrosion in subsurface metal structures, potentially leading to cracks even before the facility becomes operational. The diverse composition and characteristics of the soil further complicate the corrosion process, making it challenging to anticipate its corrosive impact on embedded metallic components, typically constructed of carbon steel.
Upon detecting corrosion in underground pipes and storage tanks, the installation of a cathodic protection system becomes essential. Such a system serves to mitigate various forms of corrosion, including soil corrosion, galvanic corrosion, corrosion induced by leakage currents, or a combination thereof, thereby safeguarding the integrity and longevity of the infrastructure.
Economical
Galvanization, anodization, and painting represent fundamental approaches utilized to prevent corrosion across diverse industries. These methods offer notable advantages for small, above-ground pipelines that are readily accessible for maintenance.
Nevertheless, for high-pressure pipelines transporting oil and gas, additional measures are imperative to combat corrosion effectively. Maintaining a considerable safety margin for plate thickness under high pressures might not be economically viable, potentially resulting in revenue loss, heightened maintenance costs, and plant downtime. In such situations, a blend of coating and cathodic protection emerges as the most cost-effective solution to guarantee pipeline integrity and durability.
Offers Safety and Efficiency
Cathodic protection provides a dependable remedy for operational pipelines, guaranteeing their safety and effectiveness, especially under corrosive soil conditions. Whenever a system encounters harsh environments, the incorporation of cathodic protection becomes indispensable. It’s important to highlight that cathodic protection can theoretically be implemented for pipelines buried underground or submerged underwater.
Beyond coating applications, cathodic protection stands out as an efficient technique for safeguarding pipelines. In instances where coating thickness fails to meet requirements or coating quality requires enhancement, cathodic protection can be targeted to particular segments of the pipeline. Furthermore, it can be deployed for unprotected pipelines to elevate their resistance against corrosion.
To Conclude
Cathodic protection systems are essential for protecting steel infrastructure, thereby optimizing asset performance. Acknowledged for its effectiveness in preventing corrosion on metal surfaces, cathodic protection is extensively employed to safeguard diverse structures, such as pipelines, tunnels, water treatment facilities, offshore platforms, submerged storage tanks, ship hulls, and beyond.
Need Tank Refurbishments? Call Panel Tanks by American Tanks Now!
Once you express interest in Water Tank Cleaning, we’ll coordinate an on-site inspection to evaluate your tanks’ condition thoroughly. Following this assessment, our cleaning team from Panel Tanks by American Tanks will craft a personalized cleaning plan tailored to your needs, addressing any necessary repairs along the way.
Following this, we’ll provide you with a quote for the desired services and schedule a convenient time to commence the cleaning process at your site. Feel free to contact us at +1 800 656 0167. Don’t hesitate to reach out today!
Or email at info@americanpaneltanks.com
