What is the context?

Cathodic protection is a method that has been used since the early 1800s to prevent the corrosion of maritime structures such as ships or ballast tanks. Complexity and life extension of the structures, associated with increased environmental attention, result in tighter regulations.

Modelling of marine cathodic protection systems is required:

• for commercial applications, where it allows optimal cathodic protection system selection as well as its driving parameters according ship operations (sea type, speed, at docks…);
• for military applications, where it allows to minimize the signature of the cathodic protection system.

What are the issues?

Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection (SACP) and Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems provide good protection against corrosion when they are designed well. The key to a well functioning system is the proper location of all components on the complex hull geometry. Inaccurate design of cathodic protection systems results in hulls that are over-polarized, under-polarized, or contains regions of both, and thus, systems are not designed for the operational life-cycle of the ship. Either polarization extreme can be detrimental to the structure:

• over-polarization will cause excess gas evolution and may lead to disbondment of coatings or embrittlement of high-strength materials;
• under-polarization can result in freely corroding material.

What value do we bring?

Elsyca has developed and validated a robust software platform which allows to design both ICCP and SACP systems.

Furthermore, for military applications, resulting Electro-Magnetic signatures can be minimized. The software suite is uniquely based on the FEM technology which enables fast and accurate simulations on large and complex geometries.
 

Taking advantage of its design tool, Elsyca can provide services to:

• optimize anodes configurations;
• determine ICCP parameters and corrosion rates;
• explore ‘what-if’ scenarios (damaged cathodic protection system, interferences with neighbouring structures);
• minimize the corrosion related electric field (UEP) and the corrosion related magnetic field (CRM).

Examples of Elsyca's achievements in the marine industry can be viewed by clicking here.