Abstract: The present invention relates to a corrosion protection system and a method of protecting an article from corrosion by placing the article to be protected in a gas impermeable enclosure comprising at least one shell that is adapted to maintain an internal pressure greater than an external pressure outside of the corrosion protection system, placing at least one corrosion preventing device selected from a desiccant, a corrosion inhibitor, an inert gas, or a combination thereof, and sealing the gas impermeable enclosure of the corrosion protection system.

Abstract: Combining an electroosmosis direct current (EP) applied at less than 1 mA/Mcm3 (milliamp per 1000 cm3 of concrete) with an anode placed adjacent an outer surface of reinforced concrete soaked with a substantially neutral saline solution, effectively depletes corrosive anions in the concrete even when the direct current is in the range from 0.01 mA to less than 1 mA and at a voltage less than 100 V. Further, using such electroosmotic treatment as a first treatment, and promptly following it with cathodic protection, preferably by an impressed cathodic current (CP) at a comparably low voltage, the current density of CP required for cathodic protection is unexpectedly reduced. This decrease in the required current density of impressed current CP, coupled with low installation and operational costs of the novel system, improves the efficiency of a conventional cathodic protection system, whether by impressed current or with sacrificial anodes, several fold, as high as by a factor of 3 to 30 times.

Abstract: A steel-reinforced structure supplied with an aqueous solution of an inhibitor for the strucutre, is further protected against deterioration when an impressed cathodic current is applied; preferably the structure is continuously bathed in the inhibitor solution; flow of the first impressed current is maintained until flow is relatively constant at a level at least one-half the level at which the first impressed current was initiated. The concentration of ions is sensed by measurement of the current flow while maintaining a chosen voltage. The inhibitor solution may be used in conjunction with an electroosmotic current to drive ions into the concrete and towards the steel; this may be done prior to applying the cathodic impressed current, or concurrently therewith by providing secondary electrodes. Program controller means in the power station switches from one mode of delivery to another when current usage, measured by current density, is deemd to have become uneconomical.

Abstract: A concrete structure is reinforced with steel rebars coated with essentially pure aluminum in the range from about 0.25 mm to 2 mm thick upon which aluminum coating is an aluminum oxide layer in the range from 0.1 &mgr;m to 100 &mgr;m thick. This layer of aluminum oxide and/or hydrated aluminum oxide is referred to as a combined aluminum oxide layer, and it is in direct contact with the concrete.