Abstract
The challenge of protecting steel foundations placed offshore to support wind turbines from deterioration has created renewed interest in understanding the corrosion process and how best to control the problem. This study investigated how development of macro-galvanic cells and fouling settlement on vertical steel surfaces that are exposed to three different zones, including tidal, submerged, and buried zones alter corrosion protection properties of both freely corroding and cathodically protected arrays. The results showed that differences in the environmental conditions at each panel created a dynamic system where macro-galvanic cells determined the direction of current flow and the location of anodes and cathodes. The higher partial pressure of oxygen at the intertidal zone increased the corrosion reaction and the cathodic protection current demand of the submerged steel. This research identified the influence of macro-galvanic cell on cathodic protection current demand and how this knowledge may be used to improve the design of these systems.
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