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Protecting DTA's Wharf From Corrosion

March 27, 2024

Location

Newport News, VA

Period

1984 - Present

Contractor/Engineer

Freyssinet USA

DTA wharf with Cassette ICCP system

Dominion Terminal Associates (DTA) is a coal shipping and ground storage facility located on the East Coast of the USA in Newport News, Virginia. The reinforced concrete structures at DTA include a ~1500 ft concrete wharf, used by large cargo ships for loading/unloading coal to/from the terminal. 

 As a marine structure, DTA’s concrete wharf is exposed to a harsh environment with ideal conditions to facilitate corrosion of the reinforcing. Having performed rounds of concrete restoration in the past, DTA was frustrated at the speed with which the repairs failed due to ongoing corrosion. Looking for a solution that could mitigate the corrosion of the reinforcing steel and extend the service life of the structure, DTA looked to cathodic protection as a possible answer. 

 Upon consultation with their engineering team, DTA opted to invest in a CASETTETM Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) system to be installed on the concrete wharf elements located in the splash zone. Installation commenced in 2022 and is ongoing.

The Solution

Our CASSETTETM ICCP was installed on the reinforced concrete pile caps, girders, beams (and slab Phase II) to provide a long-term (25+ years) corrosion protection system to the wharf. The system is remotely operated and monitored using our Camur III technology. 

 CASSETTETM is a surface mounted Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) anode that does not require extensive excavation of the concrete. The CASSETTETM profile is anchored to the exterior surface of clean concrete, greatly reducing labor costs that are normally associated with embedding MMO ribbons. As CASSETTETM is surface mounted, this also eliminates the risk of acidification, a common problem with embedded ribbon ICCP systems. This allows the anodes to be spaced further apart and operated at higher outputs, leading to more efficiencies during installation. 

Phase I of the installation commenced in 2023 and is currently ongoing on the structures pile caps, girders, and beams. 

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