N e w U.S. Coast G u a r d Patrol C r a ft Employ Electrocatalytic's Capac System Selected To Arrest Corrosion In All N a t u r a l W a t e rs

By Paul Byrne E l e c t r o c a t a l y t i c , Inc.

At the dock of Bollinger Machine and Shipyard, Inc. the latest in the series of "Island" Class patrol craft is being readied for sea trials. The skipper and crew look proudly at one of the finest patrol craft available today. The Island Class is based upon the 110-foot hull design offered by Vosper-Thornycroft, UK, but modified to meet the Coast Guard's exacting needs and specifications.

These patrol boats see a variety of environments in their daily activity, protecting the coastal waters of the United States. The Coast Guard and Bollinger selected the HR Series Capac, manufactured by Electrocatalytic, Union, N.J., for hull protection because these systems were proven to perform in the broad range of service conditions anticipated.

Operations in warm Gulf, cold Arctic and inland waters dictated the use of reliable, stable and long-lived equipment. Coordination of the design and manufacture enables Capac to meet the five key demands of effective corrosion prevention; sensing, control, power handling, grounding and display.

The silver chloride sensing electrode recognized for its high accuracy, stability and 20 year life is coupled with integrated circuit control. This control detects wiring faults as well as protecting the silver electrode during power off conditions.

Sacrificial anodes that can supply electrical current to the underwater hull and appendages to counteract and suppress corrosion could have been specified for cathodic protection.

However, the design specification required impressed current protection because of its lighter weight and recognized cost advantage over sacrificial anodes. The Capac system weighs just 400 pounds and compares in ampere availability to 90 sacrificial anodes which weigh nearly a ton. Both weight and drag are important for this 160-ton, 25- knot craft.

The superior performance of Capac requires a higher initial cost, however, U.S. Government studies have shown that this cost is recovered in 3 to 5 years when compared to sacrificial anodes. This economic advantage would represent a 20 percent return on investment over the 20-year life of the vessel. Electrocatalytic, manufacturer of electrochemical systems and products that employ proprietary catalytic technology and provide their users with costs savings compared to alternate technology.

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Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 49, Dec 1987

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