Direct assessment (DA) has been effectively used to evaluate the integrity of external aboveground storage tank (AST) bottoms. When cathodic protection (CP) is applied to the external surfaces of the AST bottoms, the corrosion rate can essentially be set to zero, per American Petroleum Institute (API) 653, extending the tank internal inspection intervals up to 20 years (1). AST bottoms have a practical limited time when they can be assessed. DA of AST bottoms will greatly improve the chances of detecting and preventing corrosion failures prior to the next scheduled internal inspection.

Subject
Corrosion prevention, External corrosion direct assessment, Corrosion failures, Materials, Corrosion rate, Inspection, Internal inspection, Direct assessment, Aboveground storage tanks, External corrosion, Tank bottoms, Anodes, Samples
Keywords:
Aboveground Storage Tank, Cathodic Protection, External Corrosion Direct Assessment ECDA, Inspection
© 2007 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2007
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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