ELECTRICALLY-BASED FLUID CORROSION/EROSION PROTECTION APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

The interior of a vessel containing fluid is protected against undesirable chemical corrosion and/or mechanical erosion caused by the fluid due, for example, to changes in the chemistry of the fluid, by an electrically conductive, chemically corrodable sacrificial member having an internal section disposed within the tank and an exposed exterior portion connected to an electrical corrosion/erosion detection circuit operative to create and maintain a flow of electrical current through the sacrificial member. When the internal section of the sacrificial member is subjected to a predetermined combination of fluid exposure time and fluid chemical corrosivity within the vessel a chemical corrosion gap is formed within the internal sacrificial member section. Creation of this gap terminates or at least substantially reduces electrical current flow through the sacrificial member and responsively causes the detection circuit to output a corrosion/erosion detection signal indicating the need for corrective action.