Pacu™ - Mooring Chain Cathodic Protection

The corrosion of mooring systems for permanently moored offshore structures has long been a recognized challenge. This is particularly acute within the Oil & Gas industry, where corrosion of the chain is a leading cause of mooring failures and pre-emptive replacement of these systems in Floating Production, Storage and Offloading units. As floating offshore installations increase in number across other industries, this issue will present itself across the board, impacting the integrity of all systems.
Until today, the only solution to prolong the lifespan of these mooring chains has been to accept the corrosion with an ‘allowance’, using more steel and thicker chains. However, rates of corrosion can be unpredictable, varying hugely across the globe thanks to differing marine environments. At best, this results in significantly shorter than expected lifespans for the chains and at worst, increased failure rates and integrity issues in the mooring systems with costly, unplanned interventions to replace them.
Cathodic Protection has long been an integral part of the corrosion prevention strategies for offshore steel structures, but until now, this has not been successfully extended to protect the mooring lines themselves.

Setting a new standard in the protection of mooring systems

Capitalising on our extensive experience with Cathodic Protection, we at Imenco Corrosion Technology are setting a new standard in the protection of mooring systems. This now includes the chains on permanent offshore structures through the use of sacrificial anodes. Combining the incredible strength and conductivity of our industry-leading Piranha® clamp with a revolutionary system for the installation of anodes along the length of the chain, Pacu™ is transforming the available strategies for subsea chain protection.

Applicable to any permanently moored structure, the Pacu™ system is adapted to meet the needs of each installation. With the size, shape and spacing of the anodes engineered to fit the requirements of each mooring system, we ensure optimal corrosion protection no matter how challenging the environment.

Installed safely and efficiently using an ROV with our custom-built Tool Deployment Unit, the corrosion of chains is slowed dramatically. By avoiding the need for costly workovers and ultimately enabling companies to use thinner, lighter chains without compromising on their lifespan, Pacu™ helps to reduce the carbon footprint of chain management and supports the drive for greener, more sustainable operations.