HC Deb 31 October 1988 vol 139 cc477-8W
Mr. Doran

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to on which installations on the United Kingdom continental shelf the impressed current type of corrosion inhibitor is in use.

Mr. Peter Morrison

My Department does not maintain these records. For totally submerged steel, all offshore installations on the United Kingdom continental shelf have either the impressed current type of corrosion inhibitor complemented by the use of alternative cathodic protection systems such as sacrificial anodes, or have sacrificial anodes alone.

Mr. Doran

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has concerning the impressed current type of corrosion inhibitor presently in use on the United Kingdom continental shelf.

Mr. Peter Morrison

My inspectors are satisfied that the impressed current type of corrosion inhibitor is generally effective. It employs inert and non-galvanic anodes with an external source of direct current to impress a current on the steel to be protected. This is complemented by the use of alternative cathodic protection systems, such as sacrificial anodes, to ensure adequate polarisation of critical regions when the impressed current may have to be de-energised for operational reasons.

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