Predicting the coating condition on ships using ICCP system data

Abstract

The condition of coatings on the metallic surface of the hull of a vessel changes over its lifetime due to the action of the sea, deterioration of the paint itself, damage caused by impacts, etc. Although increased current demand from an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system can indicate the presence of damage, the location and extent is unknown. The position, size and the seriousness of the damage are important issues from mainly two points of view. Corrosion: If the hull of the structure is corroded, the ship works inefficiently and can become dangerous from the crack initiation viewpoint. Noisiness of the vessel: As the damage proliferates along the hull structure, the current flux from the anode to the cathode also increases. This increases the noise of the vessel and makes it more detectable to an enemy from the defence point of view. The goal of this work is to find a reliable method to discover the state of the coating of a vessel by using the commonly available data of its system of cathodic protection, ICCP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.