Advancing the assessment of ICCP efficiency for steel reinforcement: A novel electrochemical investigation

Abstract

Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is an electrochemical technique employed to mitigate corrosion. The evaluation of its effectiveness has traditionally relied on qualitative criteria such as protection potential and potential decay. This study proposes a novel electrochemical setup to enable measurements during current-controlled ICCP treatment. The experimental outcomes demonstrate that the proposed approach, in conjunction with protection potential analysis, allows for the quantitative determination of the optimal ICCP current density. As the protection current density increased, the fitted charge transfer resistance (Rct) initially showed an upward trend, followed by a gradual decline. To accurately interpret the results, it is crucial to discern whether the Rct values correspond to oxidation reactions (referred to as corrosion reactions in this context) or reduction reactions. Furthermore, it was observed that the optimal current density was closely associated with the severity of initial corrosion, in line with previous findings. This consistency serves to further validate the efficacy of the proposed method.