Patent ID: 8361285

Claim:
An electrochemical antifouling system for preventing fouling organisms from adhering to seawater-wetted structures, the system comprising: a direct current circuit for creating an electrolytic environment in seawater, the direct current circuit having an adjustable direct current source; a lattice electrode having a single metallic component so as to provide a dimensionally stable lattice structure, the lattice electrode being electrically insulated from a surface of a seawater-wetted structure: at least one corrosion-resistant counter electrode having a polarity opposite to the lattice electrode and disposed at a distance from the lattice electrode; and a switching device configured to alternatively switch the lattice electrode to: (a) a continuous operating mode with the lattice electrode functioning as a cathode, wherein the direct current source is adjusted so as to generate a current density so as to provide an accretion of soft brucite at the lattice electrode and a value higher than a pH value tolerance limit of fouling organisms that are to be combated in the seawater; and (b) a temporary depletion mode with the lattice electrode functioning as an anode, wherein the direct current source is adjusted so as to generate a direct current density so as to provide a reduction in oxidation at the lattice electrode and complete dissolution of the lattice electrode; wherein the lattice electrode is disposed in a distance range from the surface of the seawater-wetted structure so that the surface lies within an area of influence of an increase in the pH value of the seawater caused by electrolysis.