Influence of dissolved oxygen on the protectiveness and morphological characteristics of calcareous deposits with galvanostatic polarization

The influence of dissolved oxygen on calcareous deposits formed under galvanostatic polarization mode was studied. When the dissolved oxygen concentration was less than 7 mg L-1, the cathodic protection potential showed a plateau at the initial polarization, and then quickly shifted negatively. While the dissolved oxygen was more than 9 mg L-1, the potential shifted negatively in a linear form. After 168 h of polarization, the final protection potential shifted negatively with the decreasing dissolved oxygen concentration. The deposition progress was monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and only one single loop was found in Nyquist diagram, indicating deposits of ineffective protectiveness precipitation under the experimental conditions. The protection factor of deposits increased with the decreasing dissolved oxygen concentration which was detected by linear polarization resistance technique. The cathodic electrochemical reaction could change very shortly from oxygen reduction to hydrogen evolution after cathodic protection under very low dissolved oxygen concentration, such as 1 mg L-1, resulting in the hydrogen bubbling from the metallic surface and the decrease of deposits protection factor. Observation by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the deposits were mainly of calcite under the experimental conditions, and that dissolved oxygen had no effect on the crystalline types of calcium carbonate.