Innovative Closed-Loop CP Technology for Localized Corrosion Prevention and Control

Conventional cathodic protection (CP) technology has issues in under-protecting or overprotecting metal structures exposed to complex and varying environments, resulting in various forms of localized corrosion, cathodic disbondment of coatings, and hydrogen embrittlement. Closed-loop CP technology has been developed to address these issues by means of an electrochemically integrated multielectrode array probe that is designed and employed to acquire electrochemical corrosion data for regulating CP through closed-loop control. This article presents a typical case of using the technology to mitigate localized corrosion on underground pipelines. Discussion is extended to future perspectives of using this technology to prevent premature failure and to extend the lifespan of engineering structures.