Comparison between sacrificial anode cathodic protection and impress current cathodic protection in concrete structures: A review

The corrosion of reinforcement is considered to be one of the major problems for concrete deterioration. Corrosion of reinforced concrete leads to damage, deterioration, and destruction. This phenomenon will affect significantly the reduction of the service life and the load-bearing capacity of reinforced concrete elements. For the last the century, cathodic protection (CP) has been known as one of the best methods to limit corrosion in concrete structures. Cathodic protection has been demonstrated to be an effective technique to control corrosion of reinforced concrete structures in corrosive areas such as coastal and marine environments. Cathodic protection works by the passing of a small electrical current from the anode to the corroding steel thereby protecting it from further deterioration by increasing the hydroxyl ions locally. There are two types of cathodic protection systems commonly used for reinforced concrete structures namely the sacrificial anode cathodic protection (SACP) and the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP). The decision on which of the two cathodic protection systems to be used is usually influenced by a number of factors. This paper presents the literature-based study of the application of SACP and ICCP. This paper focuses on the comparison of SACP and ICCP methods in reinforced concrete elements based on structure condition, budget, service life, maintenance, and monitoring requirements. In addition, the paper also contributes to knowledge related to cathodic protection in reinforcement concrete structures by providing a ready reference for researchers, practitioners, and other decision-makers in order to assess the fitness of cathodic protection types as an effective technology to prevent concrete corrosion.