The functional principle of these systems is the establishment of an artificially triggered voltage difference between copper anodes and the integrated steel plate cathodes. This causes a minor electrical current to flow from the copper
anodes, so that they are dissolved to a certain degree. A control unit makes sure that the anodes add the required minimum amount of copper particles to the sea water, thus ensuring the formation of copper oxide that creates ambient conditions precluding local fouling. A control unit can be connected to the management system of the vessel. Using information from
the management system the impressed current anti-fouling system can determine the amount of copper that needs to be dissolved to give optimum performance with minimum wastage of the anodes.