The array of anodes, tied through a header cable to the positive terminal of a rectifier, that pushes current into the soil. Shallow groundbeds lay anodes horizontally or vertically in a row a few metres down, set back from the pipe so current spreads evenly, while deep groundbeds stack them in a drilled hole. Each anode sits in carbon backfill, and the groundbed's resistance sets how much current the rectifier can drive.
Groundbed resistance has doubled since install, either it's gas-blocked or the header cable's broken.
Also heard as
- anode bed
- ground bed
Related terms
Deep anode
Impressed-current groundbed with anodes stacked in a vertical hole drilled tens of metres deep or more.
Coke breeze
Crushed carbon backfill packed around impressed-current anodes to lower resistance and extend anode life.
Rectifier
Transformer-rectifier unit that turns AC power into adjustable DC current for an impressed current CP system.
MMO
Mixed metal oxide anode: titanium coated with precious-metal oxides, the standard long-life ICCP anode.
ICCP
Impressed current cathodic protection: CP powered by a rectifier pushing current through long-life anodes.