CORROSION CONTROL IN OIL PIPELINE USING CATHODIC PROTECTION
ABSTRACT
Galvanic cathodic protection involves protecting a metal surface of a piece of equipment using another metal that is more reactive. The latter metal, usually called the galvanic or sacrificial anode, has a less negative electrochemical potential compared to the metal component being protected. Therefore, the sacrificial anode undergoes oxidation rather than the operating equipment. This technique is illustrated in Figure 1 below for an offshore platform with a steel pipe submerged into seawater. The sacrificial anode is an aluminum anode in this example.
Sometimes, steels are galvanized rather than connected to galvanic anodes. Galvanized steels are steels that are coated with a protective zinc layer. The zinc layer acts to cathodically protect steel against corrosion in most underground and marine environments.
