The present invention relates to a process for mantaining a cathodic protection agaist corrosion.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a galvanic process for mantaining a cathodic protection against corrosion on metallic objects, particularly on boilers, using an electrode acting as anode which is crossed by an external current and an electronic control potentiometer.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a device suitable for carrying out said process.

The invention may be mainly applied in the fields of thermo-mechanical and electrochemical industries.

Cathodic protection processes against corrosion in boilers or water heaters are known since long time.

Italian patent n. IT- A- 1.079.586 discloses a device for carrying out a method which provides for the use of two electrodes, respectively an anode and a reference electrode which, together with the boiler wall, are connected to the three input terminals of an electrical generator; more precisely, the anode is connected to the positive pole, the boiler wall is connected to the negative pole, and the reference electrode is connected to the connecting pole of a reverse feedback circuit

The system continuously gauges the potential difference appearing between the reference electrode and the boiler wall, without reducing nor interrupting the current.

The gauged potential difference is compared with a reference value which is seeked for by means of suitable adjustments of the current which is delivered between the anode and the boiler wall.

This system implies some disadvantages and drawbacks, since the measure of potential difference is carried out under current, comprises an ohmic term which is variable with water conductivity and with temperature, and which may therefore not be determined in advance. In order to overcome this problem, the reference electrode is provided with a particular structure, according to which said electrode should be mounted close to the boiler wall.

However, this causes further drawbacks for assemblying the boiler structure. EP-A-0 018 522 discloses a further cathodic protection method according to which a single electrode is used, acting as anode, which is connected to the positive pole of an electrical generator whose negative pole is connected to die boiler.

According to this method, the current which is delivered is periodically interrupted (i.e. its value is set to zero) and, during this phase, the potential difference existing between anode and boiler wall is gauged. During the zero current phase, the anode acts as reference electrode.

In a similar way as that disclosed in the italian patent cited above, the gauged potential difference is compared with a reference value by means of a comparator, and the deviation between the Values is used for determining the intensity of the current to be delivered during the next phase. Measuring the potential difference between anode and boiler wall during a zero current phase aims to avoid the cited drawbacks due to the presence of a ohmic drop in the water.

However, this method provides for disadvantages and drawbacks too; in fact, when the delivered current is interrupted, the anode potential quickly drops from its value under current towards the zero current value, which is remarkably lower than the former. This drop depends on intermediate desorbing processes which are carried out during the normal current operation, and on a superficial pH variation, the pH passing from an acid value, which is typical of the situation when current is flowing, to an alkaline value, which is typical of water. This potential drop, which has a remarkably high value and which is very fast, causes the measurement which is carried out during the zero current phase to be scarcerly reproduceable; thus, the following control of the current intensity is not fully reliable.

The present invention aims to obviate to the disadvantages and drawbacks of the background art, and to provide, thus, for a cathodic protection process which, while

making use of a single electrode, allows a reproduceable current measurement to be carried out, and which therefore allows the intensity of the protection current to be reliably controlled.

This is achieved by carrying out a cathodic protection process against corrosion having the features disclosed in the main claim.

The dependent claims disclose particularly advantageous forms of embodiment of the invention.

Furthermore, claims 6 to 9 describe a device suitable for carrying out the process according to the invention. According to the invention, the cathodic protection process against corrosion features a single electrode, the anode, which is connected to the positive pole of an electrical power supply, whose negative pole is connected to the object to be protected, e.g. to a boiler.

According to an essential feature of the invention, the intensity of the current necessary for mantaining the process is periodically raised or lowered for a predetermined lapse of time about a predetermined percentage value relative to the steady condition value, and during this phase in which a higher or a lower current is delivered the potential difference between boiler and anode is gauged.

This potential difference is compared, by means of a comparator, with a predetermined reference value, and the deviation is used for determining the cuπ-ent intensity during the next steady condition phase.

In this way several advantages may be achieved relative to the known processes.

In fact, measuring the potential difference during a phase in which a lower current is delivered allows the ohmic drop value in the water to be substantially decreased up to a negligible value; this value is otherwise difficult to be gauged, since it varies from place to place and it depends on temperature.

Furthermore, the fact of simply reducing, and of not interrupting the intensity of the protection current, greatly reduces the dropping effect of the anode potential towards the zero current steady value; this fact allows a continuously reproduceable measurement to be carried out and a highly reliable controlling operation of the current intensity to be obtained.

According to another form of embodiment of the process according to the invention, the intensity of the protection current is periodically reduced to a fraction

relative to the steady condition value for a predetermined lapse of time, and a voltage measurement is carried out during this phase.

By means of a suitable control electronics, the result of the measurement is linearly corrected by extrapolating the zero current value, and then compared with a reference value in order to obtain a value for controlling the current during the next steady condition phase.

According to a further form of embodiment of the process according to the invention, the intensity of the protection current is periodically doubled during a predetermined lapse of time, and the corresponding potential is gauged. Yet, an extrapolation of the resulting value is carried out, and the corrected value is compared with a predetermined reference value in order to carry out the current control during the next cycle.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reading the folowing description of a form of embodiment of the invention, given as a non- limiting example, with the help of the figure illustrated in the attached sheet, which shows a block diagram of a device suitable for carrying out a process for mantaining a cathodic protection current against corrosion according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference sign 10 generally indicates a block diagram representing the component parts of a device suitable for carrying out a process according to the invention.

Device 10 generally cooperates with an object 11 to be protected against corrosion, having a metallic surface which contacts water.

Commonly, object 11 is constituted by a boiler; however, the process according to the invention may be also applied to other metallic surfaces which are suitable for being corroded by water, such as boat parts, pipelines, gutters etc. .

Boiler 11, which is filled with water consituting the electrolyte solution, houses an electrode 12 belonging to device 10, and which is connected to the positive pole of a current generator 20, whose negative pole is connected to the wall of boiler 11.

This electrode is generally constituted by a titanium bar activated by noble metals. The electrical power supply for the whole circuit is delivered by a suitable DC source (not shown in the figure), which is generally constituted by a feeder which is connected to the AC mains and which is provided with a transformer, a rectifier circuit and suitable filters.

Furthermore, current generator 20 and electrode 10 are connected to a pair of Sample and Hold cells 14, 15, which are push-pull controlled by an oscillator 19.

According to this form of embodiment, cell 15 is rendered conductive, by means of a suitable control, relative to a current intensity equal to 100% of the steady condition current, while cell 14 is rendered conductive relative to a current intensity equal to 50% of the steady condition current.

Thus, in cell 15 a value Vιoo% (Vi) is stored, which represents the potential value which is present on anode 12 when the current intensity is equal to the steady condition current Iι∞% (Ii), while in cell 14 a value V50% (V2) is stored which represents the potential value which is present on anode 12 when the current intensity is equal to 50% of the steady condition current I50%(Ϊ2).

According to a feature of the invention, values Vi and V2 are used for carrying out a linear correction according to the following formula: Value V3 corresponds to an extrapolated value of the potential corresponding to zero current, and is compared with a potential reference value Vr which is predetermined and stored in a memory.

In order to practically implement said formula, device 10 comprises a first differential amplifier 16 which carries out the substraction (V1-V2) and which, by a suitable choice of the resistance values, is set in order to obtain a total gain equal to two; in this way, the output voltage of differential amplifier 16 is equal to 2(Vι-V2).

This potential is applied to one of the input terminals of a second differential amplifier 17, which substracts said value from the steadi condition potential Vi. Thus, a potential equal to V3 may be found at the output of amplifier 17. Thereafter, potential V3 is applied to an input terminal of a third differential amplifier 18, at the other input terminal of which being applied reference potential Vr, which is obtained from a divider module 22 by dividing the supply voltage; the output voltage of amplifier 18 is then applied to current generator 20.

As a consequence thereof, module 20 generates a current which is proportional to the output voltage of amplifier 18.

The circuit is completed by an electronic switch 21 which, by means of a control signal generated by oscillator 19, and timed with the conduction period (Sample) of cell 14, halves the output current of generator 20 and sets it to a value corresponding to 50% of the steady condition value.

The process described above is then periodically repeated and the current intensity is suitably controlled.

According to this form of embodiment, the potential value V2 corresponds to a 50% reduction of the current intensity. This fact does not involve a limitation of the process according to the invention, since value V2 may be choosed within wide limits, corresponding to values of current intensity comprised between 10% and 50% of the steady condition current intensity; in any case, very reliable controls of the current intensity are achieved.

According to a second form of embodiment of the invention, it is possible to invert the inputs of differential amplifier 16, and to set it in order to obtain a gain equal to one, as well as to connect electronic switch 21 in such a way that the inversion causes the current which is generated at the output to be doubled.

In this case, the current is delivered to one cell with an intensity equal to 100% relative to the steady condition value, and to the other cell with an intensity equal to 200% relative to the steady condition value, for a short period; at the output terminal of amplifier 17 is then present a potential equal to

V =Vl-(V2-Vl) and this value is compared with reference value Vr.

According to a third form of embodiment of the invention, divider 22 is connected to a water temperature sensor (not shown in the figure).

The insertion of a water temperature sensor has the purpose of compensating the potential variation on the anode, due to a water temperature change.

In the applications which are not provided with this sensor, reference potential Vr is generated by divider 22, which reduces the potential which is stabilized by a Zener diode (not shown in the figure); since Vr is fixed, it happens that, by controlling the current delivered by the circuit, the potential between anode and cathode varies in accordance with the different behaviour of the electrolyte solution interposed between anode and cathode at different operating temperatures.

However, when Vr is also controlled, by providing a water temperature sensor cooperating with the divider circuit 22, this reference potential may be varied in accordance with temperature changes in the electrolyte solution.

Therefore, by suitably rating the sensor in order to obtain a variation of reference potential Vr, the potential between anode and cathode is characterised by .a more constant behaviour; this limited possibility of ranging of the potential allows a more reliable and

homogeneous protection to be achieved; the danger of corrosion due to an oveφrotection in the case where passive protection materials (enamels, paintings etc.) are used, is also greatly reduced.

According to a fourth form of embodiment of the invention, a indicating device (not shown in the figure), which is generally constituted by a LED display, is connected to current generator 20.

This device has the purpose of delivering a visible indication of the operation of the protection circuit against corrosion.