Computational Prediction of Electric Fields in Shallow Water Testing Environment

There has been an increased need for understanding of how ship’s cathodic protection systems work in shallow water environment. This is a result of the evolving role of the US Navy. The existing cathodic protection system design process relies on experimental processes. This paper investigates a proposed modification to a deep water experimental facility to allow for measurements of electrical fields, a pertinent design measurement, in shallow water conditions. The modifications involve the insertion of a false bottom in the existing deep water tank. The work presented here are a series of computational studies that establish that the insertion of a false bottom would provide an electric field environment that is equivalent to shallow water for the depths considered.