Absrract
External corrosion of tank bottoms is a significant problem for tank owners for both economic and environmental reasons. Corrosion Protection of Above Ground Storage Tanks (AST) is typically provided by an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP). Two primary impressed current cathodic protection configurations are used worldwide in tanks. The field-erected mixed metal oxide (MMO) anode welded grid configuration was an early application of MMO anodes for tank bottoms and has a large global installed base. A newer design to protect tank bottoms is a system of parallel or concentric ring MMO linear anodes with factory connected tail cables.
This paper compares “grid” type and “parallel/concentric” linear anode type tank CP systems, provide an economic assessment and discuss the implementation impact. This paper also discusses one case study of linear anode system provided on a large diameter AST.