Two types of cathodic protection systems are used for the control of corrosion.  General Corrosion Corporation has designed and installed numerous cathodic protection systems for a variety of industries.

The Galvanic Cathodic Protection System is used primarily for well-coated, electrically isolated structures where cathodic protection current requirements are insignificant.  The Impressed Current Cathodic Protection System is used where cathodic protection current requirements are higher and, therefore, need an external power supply to deliver the required cathodic protection currents.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of cathodic protection system.

As is the case with either type of cathodic protection system (galvanic or impressed current), the ultimate goal is to mitigate corrosion at the structure(s) and maintain that level of protection throughout the design life of the system.  Only high quality anodes and back-fill materials should be used to ensure low groundbed resistance, which results in greater efficiency, current distribution and anode life.  The anodes should be terminated in a junction box or test station for proper testing purposes. All clamping materials must be made of high alloy materials.  If cable splicing is necessary (although it should be avoided), only high quality splicing materials engineered for the specific task and conditions must be used.  In the case of Impressed Current Cathodic Protection Systems, the DC power supply (rectifier) must be sized properly to accommodate current requirements and to operate efficiently at the same time. 

All other materials used such as cable, conduit, connectors, reference electrodes, test stations and junction boxes must be of the highest quality and durability.