Cathodic Protection

Cathodic Protection

Vandervelde Protection is specialized in the design, delivery, installation, monitoring and maintenance of cathodic protection systems. There are two different types of systems:

  • cathodic protection with impressed current,
  • cathodic protection with sacrificial anodes.

Both systems help to prevent or minimize the corrosion of steel objects, thereby reducing the cost for maintenance and increasing the object’s lifetime. Read more about cathodic protection in general.

Cathodic protection with impressed current

For this system the required protection current is to be taken from a direct current source. This current is fed into the soil or water through anodes made of inert materials which do not or barely corrode, like high-silicon iron, platinised titanium or mixed metal oxides.

The current source can be an accumulator for example, but a transformer rectifier unit is usually used.

The main advantages of the impressed current system are the wide range of applications and relative simple control. When designed properly, these installations may have a very long and maintenance-free service life.

Cathodic protection with sacrificial anodes

For this system the protection current is delivered by the sacrifice of the anode metal itself. In this case, galvanic anodes or so-called active sacrificial anode types are used. These anodes are manufactured from metals less noble than steel – such as magnesium, aluminium or zinc. Sacrificial anodes can be applied in a saline environment and are often applied to protect smaller objects.

Impressed current or sacrificial anodes?

Factors that influence the choice between galvanic anodes or an impressed current system are:

  • economical considerations,
  • presence of stray currents,
  • availability of electrical power supply,
  • construction lay-out,
  • presence of other structures,
  • maintenance.

Our cathodic protection services

Vandervelde Protection is active in the design, delivery, installation, monitoring and maintenance of cathodic protection systems for all kinds of applications. These applications include, but are not limited to port facilities and offshore assets.

Apart from the design and delivery of complete cathodic protection systems, Vandervelde Protection also delivers separate cathodic protection materials, such as anodes, rectifiers and electrodes.

On-site installation by Vandervelde Protection.

Vandervelde Protection offers the following cathodic protection services:

  • Pre-construction surveys, such as soil resistivity measurements and pipeline coating surveys.
  • Consultancy by certified specialists.
  • System design of integral cathodic protection solutions.
  • Materials supply, including sacrificial (aluminium, magnesium or zinc) or impressed current (platinized titanium, iron silicon or mixed metal oxide) anodes, electrical fittings (junction boxes, splice kits, line taps, insulating tapes, sealing compounds), pipeline accessories (flange insulating sets, insulating couplings, casing end seals and thinsulators), reference electrodes (copper/copper sulphate, silver/silcer chloride or zinc), concrete or stainless steel test posts, transformer rectifiers (manual or automatic, for any supply voltage and for all conditions), welding (thermit and pinbrazing equipment).
  • On site supervision.
  • Installation of cathodic protection systems by our specialists.
  • Maintenance.

Vandervelde Protection also offers antifouling products and services.