What type of cathodic protection is "Impressed Current Cathodic Protection"?

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) is a type of cathodic protection that uses an external power source to drive a current through an anode to the structure being protected, making it the cathode. Cathodic protection is a technique used to control the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. Unlike sacrificial anode cathodic protection, which relies on the natural potential difference between two metals, ICCP uses a rectifier to convert AC power to DC power. The DC power is then used to force a current from an anode, typically made of a durable material like mixed metal oxide or graphite, through the electrolyte (soil or water) to the structure being protected. The structure being protected is connected to the negative terminal of the power source, making it the cathode. ICCP is used when the required current is too high for sacrificial anodes to provide economically or when the electrolyte resistivity is too high. For example, ICCP is commonly used to protect long pipelines or large offshore platforms, where the current demand is high and a large number of sacrificial anodes would be required.