critical evaluation of current demand determination methods for cathodic protection retrofits of offshore structures

Development of a baseline design protocol for cathodic protection retrofits of offshore structures is becoming an increasingly important topic in light of the large number of structures operating beyond their original cp system design life. One of the critical steps in this development is determination of the total anode mass which is required to continue sufficient cathodic protection for which structure current demand must be established. Three current demand determination methods were investigated including the Gaussian ammeter, the Potential method, which utilizes the driving potential and anode resistance in its current calculation, and the IR Drop method. To this end, three anodes were deployed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Key West, Fl., and current output determinations were made upon these. Each of the three current measurement methods was evaluated on the basis of accuracy, reliability and feasibility in field use.