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ICCP Offshore Wind turbine protection

ICCP anode for wind turbine protection against corrosion

ICCP technology and wind turbine protection

CORROSION’s highly sophisticated Impressed Current Cathodic Protection
(ICCP) offshore wind system is the most cost-effective, easy-to-maintain and environmentally friendly solution on the market for the protection of offshore wind turbine foundations against corrosion.

Better performance at better value

While Galvanic Anode Cathodic Protection (GACP) systems operate on the natural driving force between two metals, our ICCP system uses a continuous external power source. CAPEX/OPEX calculations demonstrate that the ICCP-systems offer a far more economical solution for offshore wind turbine corrosion protection in the long term.

With this innovation, we respond to the developments in the market of offshore wind turbine corrosion protection, the increasingly challenging weather conditions, and the need to protect increasingly larger foundations, also known as the XX(X)L monopiles, in an environmentally friendly way.

The newly designed sustainable Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) anode is already proving very effective on offshore turbine foundations worldwide. CORROSION’s new ‘slim fit’ anode design delivers the same quality and reliability as the current ICCP system, but is more efficient, versatile, and future proof.

The launch of our new ICCP anode design represents a huge step forward in efficiency in wind turbine corrosion protection. The anode head is more powerful and can therefore ‘impress’ more current. This makes it possible to protect the largest monopiles and reduce the amount of coating on monopiles to no coating at all.

In addition, this design offers a unique and new installation option. Besides to mounting on a TP and boat landing ladder, this anode can also be installed on the foundation itself. Which leads to big savings in time and money in wind turbine protection

Durability and longevity

What’s more, traditional technologies require large quantities of heavy sacrificial anodes to meet the offshore foundation design life of over 25 years. In contrast, CORROSION’s ICCP system requires only a limited number of ICCP anodes and sensors to work effectively for well over 25 years, which is in excess of the initial design life of the wind turbines. As a result, the same system can continue to be used even in the event of the offshore wind farm lifetime being extended.

A further advantage of our ICCP wind systems is that they are equipped with a standard feature to take data readings and make adjustments at the touch of a button from an offshore wind farm control center rather than having to do so on location – something particularly important given the hard-to-reach locations of many offshore wind farms. System performance is monitored, and a warning is triggered if any of the values are too high or too low.

For GACP systems, regular offshore campaigns are necessary to execute a performance and protection level check. These are both costly and time consuming.

Offshore Wind Projects

Protecting over 2.300 foundations, and counting

Project nameFoundation
Albatros16Monopile
Albatros16Monopile
Alpha Ventus6Tripod
Arkona Becken60Monopile
Baltic Eagle50Monopile
Baltic II Substation1Jacket
Belwind II50Monopile
Borkum West II1Jacket
Borkum west II – Phase II32Monopile
Borssele III & IV77Monopile
Borssele V2Monopile
Butendiek80Monopile
Changle A26Jacket
Changle A Substation1Jacket
Changle C14Jacket
DanTysk80Monopile
DanTysk Substation1Jacket
DanTysk OAP Substation1Jacket
Deutsche Bucht31Monopile
Galloper56Monopile
Global Tech80Tripod
Global Tech Substation1Jacket
Greater Gabbard140Monopile
Hohe See71Monopile
Hollandse kust70Monopile
Horns Rev III49Monopile
Kaskasi Substation1Monopile
Kaskasi II38Monopile
Les Eoliennes Flottantes du Golf du Lion4Monopile
Luchterduinen43Monopile
Meerwind80Monopile
Meerwind Substation1Jacket
Merkur66Monopile
Seamade (Seastar)30Monopile
Seamade (Mermaid)28Monopile
Northwester II23Monopile
Northwester II Substation1Monopile
Noshiro Port21Monopile
Rentel42Monopile
Riffgat30Monopile
Riffgat Substation1Jacket
Saint Nazaire80Monopile
Sandbank72Monopile
Triton Knoll90Monopile
Veja Mate67Monopile
Xinghua Bay Substation1Monopile
Yunlin80Monopile

Offshore Wind Projects

Protecting over 2.300 foundations, and counting

Project name

 

Foundation quantity

Foundation type

ICCP Protection

Commissioning date

      
Albatros 16MonopileInternal09-01-2020
Alpha Ventus 6TripodExternal27-04-2010
Arkona Becken 60MonopileInternal01-01-2019
Baltic Eagle 50MonopileInternal30-09-2024
Baltic II Substation 1JacketExternal29-10-2015
Belwind II 50MonopileExternal and Internal09-12-2010
Borkum West II 1JacketExternal03-07-2020
Borkum west II – Phase II 32MonopileExternal and Internal03-07-2020
Borssele III & IV 77MonopileExternal and Internal06-01-2021
Borssele V 2MonopileExternal and Internal25-02-2021
Butendiek 80MonopileExternal04-08-2015
Changle A 26JacketExternal and Internal01-10-2021
Changle A Substation 1JacketExternal01-10-2021
Changle C 14JacketExternal01-10-2021
DanTysk 80MonopileExternal30-04-2015
DanTysk Substation 1JacketExternal30-04-2015
DanTysk OAP Substation 1JacketExternal30-04-2015
Deutsche Bucht 31MonopileExternal and Internal30-09-2019
Galloper 56MonopileInternal03-04-2018
Global Tech 80TripodExternal02-09-2015
Global Tech Substation 1JacketExternal02-09-2015
Greater Gabbard 140MonopileExternal07-08-2013
Hohe See 71MonopileInternal01-11-2019
Hollandse kust zuid 140MonopileExternal01-06-2023
Horns Rev III 49MonopileExternal and Internal22-08-2019
Kaskasi Substation 1MonopileExternal and Internal01-10-2022
Kaskasi II 38MonopileExternal and Internal01-10-2022
Les Eoliennes Flottantes du Golf du Lion 4MonopileExternal01-09-2023
Luchterduinen 43MonopileExternal21-09-2015
Meerwind 80MonopileExternal29-12-2014
Meerwind Substation 1JacketExternal29-12-2014
Merkur 66MonopileExternal and Internal24-06-2019
Seamade (Seastar) 30MonopileExternal and Internal15-12-2020
Seamade (Mermaid) 28MonopileExternal and Internal15-12-2020
Northwester II 23MonopileExternal and Internal14-05-2020
Northwester II Substation 1MonopileExternal14-05-2020
Noshiro Port 20MonopileExternal and Internal31-12-2022
Rentel 42MonopileInternal31-12-2018
Riffgat 30MonopileExternal and Internal07-03-2014
Riffgat Substation 1JacketExternal07-03-2014
Saint Nazaire 80MonopileExternal and Internal31-12-2022
Sandbank 72MonopileExternal and Internal25-01-2017
Triton Knoll 90MonopileExternal and Internal01-01-2022
Veja Mate 67MonopileInternal31-05-2017
Xinghua Bay Substation 1MonopileExternal01-01-2017
Yunlin 80MonopileExternal and Internal31-03-2022

GACP systems have a very significant carbon footprint long before they are even installed on wind turbine foundations. The production process of aluminum – from extracting bauxite to producing a suitable aluminum alloy, in addition to that of heavy metal alloying elements such as Zinc – requires the transportation of metals over long distances, sometimes from one side of the world to another. Moreover, every additional sacrificial anode leads to the further depletion of resources such as aluminum and all the alloying elements.

Post-installation, GACP systems release tons of potentially harmful metals into the world’s seas and oceans. A 1,000-megawatt windfarm with 100 monopiles requires an average of 1000 tons of aluminum anodes, in addition to heavy metal zinc alloying element of approximately 50 tons – all of which will dissolve in the seawater and affect the marine life.

In comparison, for the very same 1,000-megawatt windfarm, CORROSION’s ICCP system anodes only require a 750-gram coating of Metal Mixed Oxide (MMO). These oxides are made of precious metals such as Iridium, Platinum, Ruthenium and not of heavy metals.

This means around 60,000 times less zinc and 1.5 million times less aluminum is emitted into marine environment than our ICCP system than with traditional sacrificial anodes. More information can be found in our whitepaper ‘ICCP vs GACP’.

To learn more about sacrificial anodes, please click here.

FAQ

Preventative maintenance should in general be carried out on offshore wind turbines two or three times a year. The frequency of maintenance of offshore wind turbine foundations depends on whether the turbines are protected using an Impressed Current Cathodic Protection or a (ICCP) system or a Galvanic Anode Cathodic Protection (GACP) system, with the latter requiring more frequent checks.  

The average design life of wind turbines is approximately 25 years, depending on environmental conditions such as wind speed. Turbine foundations are designed to last longer, taking into account the time of installation and disassembly

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Whitepaper ICCP vs GACP