Impressed Current Cathodic Protection: Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo

Thalassotherapy centre, Saint-Malo, Brittany

BlueSpine supplies the cathodic protection equipment for the rehabilitation of the reinforced concrete structures of the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo. A system of MMO titanium ribbons and a carbon-based electroconductive coating protects more than 240 m² of concrete exposed to a twofold attack: the Breton marine environment and the saline thermal seawater.

The structure

A leading thalassotherapy centre on the Côte d’Émeraude (Emerald Coast), the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo welcomes thousands of guests each year, facing the English Channel. Its reinforced concrete structures are subjected to a particularly intense chemical attack: the combination of the marine atmosphere and the permanent presence of saline thermal water accelerates chloride penetration and promotes corrosion of the reinforcement. The rehabilitation is being carried out with the site kept in continuous operation.

The brief

Supply of the impressed current cathodic protection equipment.

Project stakeholders

Owner: Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo

Our work

BlueSpine acts as the equipment supplier for the implementation of an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system on the reinforced concrete structures of the centre.

The treated areas

The treated zones represent approximately 242 m² of reinforced concrete, split between the main pool (walls, base slab, singular points and columns), the perimeter channels and the plant room. The plant room ceiling is the most constrained area: inaccessible for ribbon installation, it is treated with a carbon-based electroconductive paint combined with a dedicated reference electrode.

A combined anode system

The complete system combines:

• MMO titanium ribbons installed on the underside of submerged or buried elements (pool, channels, plant room walls), following methods 1 and 4 of standard EN ISO 12696.
• Carbon-based electroconductive coating applied to the plant room ceiling, where the geometry does not allow ribbon installation.

Continuous monitoring

The entire system is connected to a monitoring unit that allows continuous tracking of the protection potentials and verification of compliance with the criteria of standard EN ISO 12696.