Sacrificial anode method is the earliest electrochemical protection method. It is easy to do and does not interfere with nearby facilities. Therefore, it has been widely used at home and abroad. The sacrificial anode is also a means of resisting corrosion. Can be used for drainage, lightning protection and antistatic grounding. Compared with the forced current protection, it has unique advantages and functions. Therefore, sacrificial anode method and forced current method are also paid attention to by people, and the development of this technology is becoming more and more perfect. So far, sacrificial anode method has become a mature commodity technology, some developed countries have this professional corrosion protection companies, provide various specifications, models, types of sacrificial anode materials, contract for the design and construction of sacrificial anode.

In recent years, sacrificial anode technology in China has also been promoted and developed, and the research of various sacrificial anode materials has made gratified achievements. Magnesium alloy anode, aluminum alloy anode and zinc alloy anode have all passed the national identification, and their production is also like standardization and serialization. It has been successfully applied to the protection of oil and steam pipelines, ships and steel structures at sea.

According to the electrochemical principle, the metal to be protected is connected with a metal or alloy with a more negative potential. The metal to be protected is used as the cathode, and the metal or alloy with a negative potential is used as the anode. The current generated makes the cathodic polarization of the protected body protected. And negative (or more negative) metal as a "fall guy" consumption corrosion away

For example: the protection of steel gate, some of the application of this method. It is a more active metal, such as zinc, attached to the steel gate. Thus, when electrochemical corrosion occurs, it is the metal that is more active than iron that is corroded, and the iron is protected. This method is usually applied by loading a certain number of zinc blocks on the stern and below the waterline of the hull to prevent corrosion of the hull and so on. At present, in addition to the protection of steel equipment in seawater or river channels, electrochemical protection is also applied to prevent corrosion of cables, oil pipelines, underground equipment and chemical equipment.