VSE™ Anode (Vaulted Seawater Envelope)
Impressed current cathodic protection for shallow water

The VSE was designed to self bury, for protecting shallow water assets, like docks and wind turbines.

The VSE is an impressed current anode designed to overcome the problems of shallow water cathodic protection. Normally in shallow water, where tides come and go, and water levels rise and fall constantly, anodes cannot properly polarize a structure, therefore leaving it unprotected. In the process of self-burying, the VSE actually created a little pocket of water inside the anode frame, allowing the impressed current anodes to deliver a consistent cathodic protection current through the mud on the sea floor, even if a tide goes completely out.

Designed for Wind Turbines - Being environmentally safe, and electrically efficient, impressed current cathodic protection is the most elegant cathodic protection solution for offshore wind turbines. The VSE (Vaulted Seawater Envelope) was designed in response to a commission from GE Wind, back in 2004 to retrofit failing corrosion prevention measures on offshore wind farms, off the coast of Ireland. Leveraging our extensive experience in the cathodic protection of large oil and gas offshore structures, Deepwater's cathodic protection engineers were able to provide a reliable, cost-effective design for use in this new market.

A wind turbine, being a minimal structure by Oil & Gas industry standard, combined with the existence of a ready electrical source from the turbine itself makes the use of small impressed current systems (ICCP) a natural fit.

1. ICCP (impressed current cathodic protection) will work in a wide variety of environments, and it eliminates costly engineering, providing a ‘one size fits all’ pre-installed solution.

2. ICCP is an “environmentally friendly” approach that uses power at the source, rather than from sacrificial anodes (a non-renewable energy source from metallic depletion into the ocean). ICCP does not deposit heavy metals or pollutants into the surrounding environment.

3. ICCP provides the lowest cost over life cycle, providing maximum ROI for the operators of the wind farm.

Applications

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What is the VSE?

The VSE (Vaulted Seawater Envelope) anode is designed to provide reliable long-term cathodic protection in shallow water locations where the anode system must be buried below natural bottom. This makes if a useful cathodic protection tool for other applications as well.

Offshore wind-turbines
Shallow water offshore / inshore structures
Docks, wharves, piers and jetties
Offshore pipelines
Outfalls and other inshore structures

Why the VSE?

Impressed current electrodes operate most efficiently and reliably when surrounded by seawater. If they become silted they cannot be operated as well, and they may be subject to a localized failure (to cathodically protect). The VSE system provides a filtered seawater envelope below the mud-line (a sort-of self-enclosed chamber of seawater), allowing the MMO (mixed-metal oxide) anodes to be operated at maximum efficiency. Thus, the VSE anode assembly can be quite compact and still provide the low ground resistance required.

The anode structure is engineered to self-bury, and the ultra rugged construction will withstand suction dredging or bottom trawl operations.