Marine Corrosion Protection Solutions for Ports and Berths

Corrosion Protection for Harbour Structures

During the operation of marine harbor structures, their surfaces are mainly subjected to dynamic loads: damage from mooring, loading, and underwater operations, and impacts from various objects during strong waves. These factors damage the paint and insulation coatings, contributing to the development of corrosion-fatigue failures.

For marine structures that touch seawater, it's a good idea to use active corrosion protection (impressed current cathodic protection, or ICCP) together with passive protection (galvanic cathodic protection, or SACP).

PSS Corporation manufactures equipment for both types of cathodic protection. The main idea of these methods is to slow down the rusting of metal by using another electrode that acts as a positive charge compared to steel parts (sacrificial protection), or by using a direct current to change the electrical charge on the steel surfaces of structures (impressed current cathodic protection). The choice of method is made during the design phase.

Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection (SACP) for Marine Structures

Sacrificial anodes are designed to protect structures that are continuously exposed to seawater, such as:

• Pile foundations of ports
• Sheet pile walls
• Mooring facilities
• Cranes

Protection of ports and berths using sacrificial anodes is a traditional solution. Anodes are cost-effective, maintenance-free, and do not require electrical power.

Anodes are mounted onto the protected structure to establish a reliable electrical connection, ensuring that all corrosion processes occur on the anode. The attachment in water should be below the splash zone. All produced anodes are made of zinc and aluminum alloys and comply with the standards of the International Association of Classification Societies.

A flexible casting system allows for the production of anodes in various sizes and shapes. Parameters can be customized upon client request.

PSS Corporation offers a wide range of anodes for port and berth protection:

• Multi-segmented aluminum bracelet anodes
• Aluminum bracelet anodes
• Cylindrical hanging aluminum anodes
• D-shape protruding aluminum anodes
• Zinc bracelet anodes
• D-shape protruding zinc anode

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) for Marine Structures

Cathodic polarization is an active method of protecting metal from degradation. It allows for a wide range of adjustable protection potentials and current levels. Protection parameters can be adjusted, including automatically.

Unlike coatings, the effectiveness of cathodic polarization does not diminish over time.

When using ICCP, the standard equipment set includes a transformer rectifier unit (TRU, or power supply), reference electrodes, impressed current anodes, cables, and—if necessary—test stations.

Power supplies — transformer rectifiers
The PSS-PRU Pulse Rectifier power supplies are designed for cathodic protection of metal structures by shifting the potential. They render the surface equipotential, allowing only cathodic processes to occur, which slows corrosion down. The pulse rectifiers allow for automated protection control and can be equipped with various telemetry modules for remote monitoring and data transmission.

Reference Electrodes
Reference electrodes are used to measure potential with the ohmic component and polarization potential without the ohmic component (protection potentials) of metal structures. They are also used in automatic control and regulation systems for cathodic protection setups. For berth protection, silver-chloride and zinc modifications of reference electrodes are available.

Anodes
Impressed current anodes on marine structures are either mounted on the pile surface or laid on the seabed. The first method is becoming more popular due to easier maintenance, whereas underwater-mounted equipment can get silted and hinder bottom operations. Anodes are mounted below the splash zone and have housings that prevent marine organisms from settling on the surface, preserving their effectiveness.

Types include:

• Low-Solubility Maritime Anodes in a protective casing
• Tubular MMO/Ti Maritime Anodes
• MMO/Pt Impressed Current Anodes

Test Stations
These are stationary monitoring posts necessary for protecting large areas. They can be equipped with telemetry systems for data collection and transmission.