Design of a Surface Cleaning System for Marine Zinc Electrodes

When zinc is used as a reference electrode in an impressed current cathodic protection system, prolonged immersion in seawater leads to oxidation reactions and fouling organism attachment, affecting the accuracy of potential measurements. To address this issue, this paper designs a surface cleaning system for marine zinc electrodes. The system is based on the electrolysis principle, with the zinc electrode serving as the cathode. The gases released from its surface can strip away fouling organisms and remove the oxide layer, while also maximizing the protection of the zinc electrode. By controlling the electrolysis parameters and utilizing gas evolution methods, the system effectively reduces potential damage to the zinc electrode during the cleaning process, minimizing harm and ensuring its long-term stable operation. Finally, through experimental testing and a comparison of the surface resistance of the zinc electrode before and after the experiments, it was verified that the system effectively cleans the surface of the zinc electrode.