Sealed Glass Ceramic Powered Anode Assemblage and Method For Impressed Current Cathodic Protection
AssigneeTimothy David Stoltenburg
InventorTimothy David Stoltenburg
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Abstract
A method of using an assemblage that is comprised in part by utilizing a ceramic material to form a glass-to-metal seal for the purpose of the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) of a structure. Until this invention, ICCP assemblages have utilized polymer seals which can often fail during use due to heat or thermal cycling. This new method is able to mitigate these detrimental environmental factors, thereby enhancing the reliability and longevity of the ICCP system.
Claims20
A method of using a ceramic material element to fixture an electrically conductive metal element inside a stainless steel element for application to structures in contact with an electrolyte for the purpose of utilizing an electrical current to control the corrosion of said structure by the method of impressed current cathodic protection, the method including creation of an assemblage comprising:
- providing a stainless steel element with an internal passageway through its body;
- placing an electrically conductive metal element within the internal passageway of said stainless steel element such that contact is not made between the two elements;
- introducing a ceramic material element within the internal passageway of said stainless steel element;
- heating the aforementioned components to a temperature at which the ceramic material element undergoes sufficient softening to facilitate intimate contact between the stainless steel element and the electrically conductive metal element to form an environmental seal between said assembly elements and to environmentally seal the internal passageway of the stainless steel element;
- cooling the assembly to solidify the ceramic material element thereby fixing the elements of the assembly together, resulting in the formation of an assemblage.
An assemblage for application to structures in contact with an electrolyte for the purpose of utilizing an electrical current to control the corrosion of said structure by the method of impressed current cathodic protection, the assemblage comprising:
- a stainless steel element provided with an internal passageway that pierces as a through-hole the entirety its body;
- an electrically conductive element within the stainless steel element;
- a ceramic material placed internal to the stainless steel element which has sufficiently intimate contact with both the stainless steel element and the electrically conductive element such that all the elements are fixtured to each other and form an assemblage.
A method for producing an assemblage for the use of delivering an electrical current to an electrolyte for the purpose of controlling corrosion, the method comprising:
- providing a rigid element containing an internal passageway through its body;
- providing an electrically conductive element placed within the internal passageway of said rigid element;
- providing that a ceramic material is a part of the assemblage elements:
- as a third element of the assemblage which is present between the electrically conductive element and the rigid element, or providing said ceramic material as the composition of the aforementioned rigid element or providing said ceramic material as the composition of the aforementioned electrically conductive element, or providing said ceramic material as the composition of all or a combination of the elements of the assemblage;
- heating the aforementioned elements to a temperature at which the ceramic material has sufficient deformation to form intimate contact with a portion of the assembly elements;
- cooling the assembly to the solid material state of the ceramic material thereby fixturing the elements of the assembly to each other to form an assemblage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.