Paper No.

11018

ADVANCEMENT OF CATHODIC DISBONDMENT TEST METHOD

Benjamin T. A. Chang
PolyLab
10400 Westoffice Dr. Ste 107
Houston, TX 77042
USA

Dennis Wong
Shawcor
25 Bethridge Road
Toronto, Ontario, M9W1M7
Canada

ABSTRACT
Protective coatings are often used with cathodic protection to protect steel structures in buried or
submerged services. Cathodic disbondment resistance is always on the top of the coating property list
required by end users. Many standard test methods for cathodic disbondment are available to evaluate
the resistance to cathodic disbondment. However, there is no universal agreement on which standard
to run the test. Test parameters like voltage, electrolyte composition, test temperature, test time,
sample configuration etc. vary over a wide range among various test standards. Not all test parameters
have been specified in the test standards and frequently, the standard test methods are modified by
users. It is difficulty to rank coatings based on the test results obtained from different labs. NACE has
formed a Technical Group, TG #470 to develop a new standard to include all test parameters on the
cathodic disbondment test. A review paper on “critical evaluation of international cathodic test
methods” was published in 2008 to assess many test parameters. Here we highlight special
enhancements: (1) to use the high temperature and environmental friendly reference electrode -
Ag/AgCl; (2) to define the test temperature measurement procedure; (3) to check the accuracy of the
reference electrode; (4) to develop an inexpensive anode isolation method to eliminate the hypochlorite
formation, etc.

Key words: protective coatings, cathodic delamination, test parameters, cathodic disbonding, test
parameters, hypochlorite, anode isolation

INTRODUCTION

The submerged and buried steel structures, such as tanks and pipelines, are normally protected by
both protective coatings and cathodic protection. Any protective coating on steels with cathodic
protection must be evaluated by the cathodic disbondment (CD) test method to evaluate their CD
resistance. There are many CD test standards developed in the world. A critical review of the

©2018 by NACE International.

Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084.
The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
1
 international standards on CD has been published in 20081. There are many test parameters to be
considered in the CD test. These parameters shall be specified in the CD test to compare test results
among different test labs. The following test parameters have been discussed in the review paper.
(1) Oxygen Concentration in the Electrolyte
(2) Electrolyte Type and Concentration
(3) Applied Potential
(4) Dry Film Thickness
(5) Test Duration
(6) Pre-treatment of the Substrate and Surface Profile
(7) Effect of Hypochlorite
(8) Effect of Temperature
(9) Specimen Configuration – Flat and Curved Steel
(10) Holiday Size
(11) Holiday Shape – Cone or Straight Hole
(12) Specimen Orientation
(13) Selection of Reference Electrode

After ten years of effort, finally the new NACE cathodic test standard was published in 20152. Here we
highlight special features which are not covered by other CD standards. (1) to use the high temperature
and environmental friendly reference electrode - Ag/AgCl, (2) to define the test temperature
measurement procedure, (3) to check the accuracy of the reference electrode, (4) to develop an
inexpensive anode isolation method to eliminate the hypochlorite formation

Ag/AgCl REFERENCE ELECTRODE

There are three types of reference electrodes being used in the CD test.
(1) Cu/CuSO4 Reference Electrode
It has been specified in ASTM G83 standard to use the Cu/CuSO4 reference electrode with -1.50 ± 0.01
volt cathodic potential. For laboratory tests, the Cu/CuSO4 reference electrode is not commonly used
due to chloride contamination issues with the electrolyte being composed of chloride ions. It is much
more suitable for use in the field.
(2) Calomel Reference Electrode
Saturated calomel electrode (SCE) is a reference electrode based on the reaction between elemental
mercury and mercury chloride. The calomel electrode contains mercury, which poses health hazards
with an environmental disposal problem. Its maximum service temperature is only 60 ºC.
(3) Ag/AgCl Reference Electrode
Saturated Ag/AgCl reference electrode with double junction, filled with saturated KCl solution, is the
one to be used in the new standard. It is environmentally friendly with high service temperature (up to
110 ºC). Its cathodic potential is set to be – 1.38 ± 0.02 volt. The -1.38 volt cathodic potential is
equivalent to -1.50 volt for Cu/CuSO4 reference electrode, which is the first and most popular cathodic
disbondment test potential to be used in the industry.

ACCURACY OF REFERENCE ELECTRODE

The reference electrode is used to set the cathodic potential between the anode and cathode (test panel).
Its accuracy is essential and shall be checked. The Ag/AgCl reference electrode in use shall be
immersed in a 3% NaCl aqueous solution with the Calomel electrode to be used only for this accuracy
check only, not for any other application. Their potential difference shall be measured by a voltmeter
and their potential difference shall be 45 ± 5 mV, as shown in Figure 1. If the potential difference is
beyond this range, the Ag/AgCl shall be refurbished or discarded.

©2018 by NACE International.

Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084.
The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
2
 Figure 1 Reference Accuracy Check

TEST TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE

The cathodic disbondment test at a temperature more than room temperature, it can be done in an oven
or on a sand bath. If the sand bath is used, a hot plate is normally used to heat up the metal plate. The
electrolyte temperature is lower than the metal temperature. If test in an oven, the metal plate and
electrolyte will have a similar temperature. In order to make a fair comparison on test results, the
electrolyte in the attached cell shall be heated to the same temperature as the metal plate. Therefore, the
test results from these above two test methods will be comparable.

ANODE ISOLATION
In a cathodic disbondment test, the chlorine gas is generated at the anode,
Anodic Reaction:
Cl-  ½ Cl2 + e-
Chlorine gas will react with hydroxyl ion (OH-) at the cathode to form hypochlorite (ClO-).
Cathodic Reaction:
Cl2 (anode) + 2 OH- (cathode)  H2O + Cl- + ClO-
Hypochlorite is an aggressive species and attacks the coatings’ binder and thin the coating. The resulting
rate of coating thickness reduction is directly proportional to hypochlorite concentrations in the
electrolyte. Therefore, anode isolation is necessary to avoid coating thickness loss.

There is normally large separation between the anode and cathode in the field. The generation of
hypochlorite is an artificial effect and will only appear in laboratory testing. The effect can be avoided
by placing the anode electrode in a glass tube plugged with polyester or glass fiber as shown in Figure 2.
The chlorine gas will escape through the glass tube into the air. The glass tube is useable and the fiber
can be dumped after use. The glass tube anode isolation is a very inexpensive lab practice to isolate the
anode to prevent the hypochlorite generation. The fritted glass tube specified in the ASTM G954

©2018 by NACE International.

Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084.
The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
3
 standard will be used only once because the pores of the fritted glass tube will be plugged by the
reaction product.

Since, it is a good lab practice to isolate the anode from the cathode in a lab CD test to generate
consistent results. The electrolyte solution shall be refreshed, at least, every 28 days of test time. For
smaller cell size, weekly changing electrolyte solution is necessary.

Anode Isolation Glass Tube with a Fiber Plug

Figure 2 Anode Isolation

To ensure the effectiveness of the anode isolation, the pH of the electrolyte shall be monitored
periodically. If the anode isolation is working well, the pH of the electrolyte shall increase and to be
alkaline.
CONCLUSION
A significant progress has been achieved on the development of a reliable test method for the cathodic
disbondment test. All test parameters have been considered in the new test standard. The end users
can use this test standard test results to rank the candidate coating systems to make their coating
selection.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thanks to members of NACE Technical Group TG#470 for their valuable discussion to the development
of the new NACE Standard NACE TM 0115-2015, “Cathodic Disbondment Test for Coated Steel
Structures under Cathodic Protection”. Particularly, special appreciation to Ole Knudsen, Amal Al-
Borno, and Alan Kehr for their valuable contribution.

©2018 by NACE International.

Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084.
The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
4
 REFERENCES

1. Benjamin T. A. Chang, Ole Knudsen, Dennis Wong, Amal Al-Borno, and J Alan Kehr, “Critical
Evaluation of International Cathodic Disbondment Test Methods”, 17th International Corrosion
Congress, Oct. 6-10, 2008, Las Vegas.
2. NACE TM0115-2015, standard test method “Cathodic Disbondment Test for Coated Steel
Structures Under Cathodic Protection”, (Houston, Texas, NACE)
3. ASTM G8, “Standard Test Methods for Cathodic Disbonding of Pipeline Coatings”, (West
Conshohocken, PA, ASTM)
4. ASTM G95, “Standard Test Method for Cathodic Disbondment Test of Pipeline Coatings (Attached
Cell Method)”, (West Conshohocken, PA, ASTM)

©2018 by NACE International.

Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084.
The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
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