Rustaway
High Temperature Zinc Anode
- It is a well-established fact that conventional zinc alloys typically exhibit failure characteristics when subjected to temperatures exceeding 60°C. In such conditions, these alloys are prone to intergranular corrosion, a vulnerability that becomes pronounced when embedded in saline mud.
- At elevated temperatures, standard zinc anodes may lose their effectiveness or, more critically, become counterproductive in the sacrificial cathodic protection (CP) systems intended for iron and steel structures. This ineffectiveness is due to the passivation of the zinc anode and the potential for polarity reversal – a hazardous scenario where the natural polarity of zinc and steel is reversed, leading to the steel functioning as an anode to the zinc. This results in the corrosion of the steel itself, ironically safeguarding the anode.