Impressed current cathodic protection is applied by coupling the metal to be protected to the negative pole of a direct current (DC) source (schematic), while the positive pole is coupled to an auxiliary anode. Since the driving voltage is provided by the DC source there is no need for the anode to be more active than the structure to be protected. There are basically three types of anode materials:
All items to be protected shall be electrically connected and should have a welded or brazed connection to an anode. For bolted or clamped assemblies without an all welded brazed electrical grounding, the electric resistance should be less than 0.10 ohm. Coating on contact surfaces shall be removed prior to assembly.
