Individual applications of floating-type inhibitors and cathodic protection for the corrosion mitigation of steel floating drydock ballast compartments have shown promising results in specific areas of the compartments. The theoretical considerations and results of simultaneous use of both methods in an experimental study are described.
After exposure for one year in a sea water environment, test coupon results indicate that a floating-type inhibitor can effectively retard corrosion in the intermittently submerged and non-submerged zones and will provide temporary protection in the wet zone. Cathodic protection, effective only on a submerged surface, achieved a 70 percent reduction in corrosion under severe exposure conditions. Cathodic currents were reduced by a factor of five when used with a floating inhibitor. No serious interference in the individual protective ability was detected when the two methods were used simultaneously. 8.9.5
