Simulation of sacrificial anode protection for steel platform using boundary element method

In the present paper, an offshore platform model dealing with sacrificial anode protection was simulated using boundary element method. The potential and current density were calculated, and the distribution trend of the data was analyzed. To evaluate the computation results, proper physical model was built in a given dimension. The physical platform model was placed in a marine environment modeling tank that was designed to simulate the real marine environment with seawater, and the calculation data were compared with those from laboratory experimental work. This study showed that the boundary element method is a powerful tool for the sacrificial anode protection of marine structures.

► Boundary element method (BEM) is powerful for sacrificial anode protection modeling.
► Potential and current density are simulated using BEASY software based on BEM.
► The experimental validation proved the computation results to be valid.