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40 year success for power plant cooling products

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 5, 2001

BAC eddy shedding anodes, widely used throughout the world as a standard replacement for solid rod anodes, remove the breakage risk by preventing eddy current build-up

It is now nearly 40 years ago since BAC Corrosion Control, in conjunction with the then named British Atomic Agency developed an anode design that could be used successfully in power plant cooling systems without risk of anode breakage and resultant condenser and line damage.

Internal cathodic protection of cooling water lines and condensers is essential due to the quality of water that is usually employed.

It is untreated and at the high temperatures that exist in these systems it can be extremely corrosive.

The flow can be up to 5m/s and as the water passes around the anodes that protrude into the flow, eddycurrents are created.

These eddys can cause an anode to oscillate and eventually break off completely.

A broken anode in the flow can do a great deal of damage, particularly to condensers.

BAC eddy shedding anodes, widely used throughout the world as a standard replacement for solid rod anodes, remove the breakage risk by preventing eddy current build-up.

Instead of being solid, the BAC anodes are tubular with a series of eddy shedding holes along their length and have a built-in vibration damping mechanism.

They offer much lower resistance to flow and are rated for flow rates up to 5 m/s and pressures up to 5 bar.

Eliminating broken anodes reduces downtime and the cost of replacements and substantially lowers on-going service and maintenance costs.