What is Cathodic Protection?

Cathodic protection (CP) is a technique used to control the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. A simple method of application connects the metal to be protected to a more easily corroded "sacrificial metal" to act as the anode. Cathodic protection systems are most commonly used to protect steel pipelines and storage tanks; steel piers, ships, and offshore oil platforms.