Corrosion management of concrete structures [technical note]

The use of sacrificial anode technologies is a rapidly growing branch of electrochemical treatments for corrosion damaged concrete structures. The original technologies are generally less powerful than impressed current cathodic protection but they are less complex to apply. The technology requires no long term expert maintenance and is less susceptible to vandalism when compared to impressed current systems. In general, the output of a sacrificial anode technology cannot be adjusted to manage corrosion risk. However, some systems have been used in both an impressed current and a sacrificial role and future corrosion risk may be managed by including the facility to turn the system into an impressed current system, or by applying a brief impressed current treatment to arrest the corrosion process. [continues...]