Last Updated 2 hours ago by Kenya Engineer
The ICCP specialist has delivered systems for commercial, retail and heritage structures, highlighting the role of remote monitoring in extending the service life of reinforced-concrete assets.
Reinforced-concrete structures across London are receiving additional protection against corrosion through impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems supplied by Omniflex.
The Finnish technology company has supplied ICCP systems for a range of buildings in the UK capital, including Selfridges London, Euston House, North Colonnade and Canada Square in Canary Wharf, as well as the Grade II-listed 140 Leadenhall Street, originally constructed as The Midland Bank.
The projects highlight how corrosion protection is being incorporated into the long-term maintenance of commercial, retail and heritage buildings.
Protecting reinforced concrete
Corrosion of reinforcement is one of the major causes of deterioration in reinforced-concrete structures. When steel reinforcement begins to corrode, the resulting expansion can cause cracking and spalling of the surrounding concrete.
Left unchecked, the deterioration can compromise the durability of the structure and lead to costly repairs.
ICCP systems are designed to reduce the corrosion activity of embedded steel by applying a controlled electrical current through the concrete. The system works alongside monitoring equipment and reference electrodes to help operators assess protection performance and adjust the system when required.
For building owners, the objective is to manage corrosion before it develops into more extensive structural deterioration.
From manual inspections to remote monitoring
Omniflex’s systems combine transformer rectifiers, monitoring technology and remote communications capabilities.
The company’s PowerView platform allows asset owners to oversee and manage corrosion protection systems through a secure web-enabled interface. This can provide visibility of system performance without requiring every inspection or adjustment to be carried out manually at the site.
According to Omniflex, the approach can reduce the need for routine site visits while improving access to information about the condition and performance of corrosion protection systems.
The company also says its PowerView Smart Transformer/Rectifiers use switch-mode technology to improve energy efficiency and reduce standing power loads.
A distributed architecture is intended to minimise field cabling requirements, while modular equipment is designed to support long operational life.
These features are particularly relevant to existing buildings, where installing new infrastructure can be more difficult and disruptive than incorporating protection into a new development.
Upgrading existing office developments
Among the projects were upgrades to existing systems at North Colonnade and Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
The systems are designed to integrate with existing infrastructure and provide monitoring across multiple protection zones and reference electrodes.
The ability to monitor different protection zones is important because corrosion conditions and protection requirements can vary across a structure. A system that can identify and manage these differences provides building owners with more detailed information for maintenance decisions.
The projects demonstrate how corrosion protection can be integrated into the ongoing management of large commercial developments rather than treated as a one-off repair activity.
Adapting protection to different buildings
Omniflex also supplied ICCP systems for Euston House and Selfridges London.
The Selfridges installation features a 16-zone system capable of monitoring up to 72 reference electrodes, according to the company.
The scale of the installation illustrates the need to tailor corrosion protection systems to the size, configuration and operational requirements of individual buildings.
While the underlying engineering principle remains the same, the design of the monitoring and control system must account for the number of protection zones, the location of reinforcement and the practical requirements of operating within an occupied building.
Preserving a heritage asset
The technology has also been applied to the Grade II-listed 140 Leadenhall Street, originally constructed in 1931 as The Midland Bank.
Heritage buildings present additional challenges for infrastructure upgrades. Protection systems must address the technical requirements of the structure while respecting its historic character and minimising disruption to the building.
The project illustrates how corrosion protection can form part of a broader strategy to preserve existing assets and extend their useful life.
Supporting long-term asset management
“One of the advantages of modern ICCP systems is that they allow operators to move away from a largely manual approach to corrosion management,” said Stuart McIntosh, Business Manager at Omniflex.
“By providing remote visibility of system performance, building owners can make more informed maintenance decisions while significantly reducing the need for routine site inspections.”
The company said its systems are intended to help reduce lifecycle costs while improving the visibility of corrosion protection performance.
For building owners, the wider significance of ICCP technology is its potential to support a more proactive approach to structural maintenance. Rather than waiting for corrosion-related damage to become visible, monitoring and controlled protection can help manage the underlying deterioration process.
As cities continue to maintain ageing commercial and heritage building stock, technologies that extend asset life while reducing disruption are likely to remain an important part of the infrastructure maintenance landscape.
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