The Electrochemistry and Characteristics of Embeddable Reference Electrodes for Concrete

Industry and commerce use vast amounts of water and in some parts of the world water is becoming a scarce commodity. We need to take more care in our future use of water, and this book is a 'best practice' manual for industrial and commercial users world-wide. It offers a practical account of the measures which can be taken to re-educate industrial and commercial users in the techniques of water saving and re-use anywhere in the world. The principles are covered in detail and supported by examples from specific industries and commercial operations. Author Mohan Seneviratne is Manager of Sydney Water's 'Every Drop Counts Business Program', which won the prestigious 2006 Stockholm Industry Water Award in recognition of how the utility is working in partnership with business, industry and government to help ensure the long-term sustainability of Sydney's water supply.Using reference electrodes to monitor the electrochemical potential of steel reinforcement in concrete is a well established technique for assessing the severity of corrosion and for controlling cathodic protection systems. This report gives a state-of-the-art overview of the electrochemical and physical characteristics and performance of embeddable reference electrodes for concrete, and the method used for installing them.The report first reviews electrochemical potential and reference electrodes in general. It then assesses the different types of reference electrodes for concrete. Finally, it considers key issues such as location and quality control which need to be considered when installing reference electrodes in steel-reinforced concrete structures.