Saltwater corrosion is a significant maintenance problem for the maritime industry, affecting hull fittings and metals below the waterline. This can be controlled through the use of impressed cathodic protection, involving the use of a powerful external current to suppress the natural electrochemical activity. Less corrosion also enables the hull to be kept clean and smooth, reducing fuel costs.

Ideally the current should be controlled by adjusting the applied voltage to counter the effect of changes in seawater resistivity. One producer of a sophisticated cathodic protection system has utilised TDK-Lambda’s Z+ series of programmable power supplies. Six 200W 2U high units are mounted in a 19” rack, each capable of supplying 20V at 10A. The Z+ units are operated in constant current mode, allowing precise control of the current via a LAN interface.

TDK-Lambda offers a wide range of Programmable Power Supplies for industrial, test and measurement applications, click for more information