What to do with tank bottom corrosion?

Tank storage specialist John Cornell explains why tank bottom corrosion occurs and how to prevent it. A corrosion professional or expert is defined by the products they have worked with, the climates they have worked in and the locations they have worked at. ‘There is a great difference in corrosion scenarios around the world and corrosion is such an important topic. The question often comes down to what to do with the corrosion? Can you live with it or must something be done,’ says John Cornell, storage tank specialist. To determine this, you must know whether the corrosion is existing or actively occurring, and whether it is underneath or inside the tank. From there, depending on where it is, there are different approaches to mitigate it. Soil side corrosion Corrosion underneath a tank is very common for variety of reasons. ‘If you have a large tank and underneath, it somewhere there’s a patch of water and a dry spot, you have a difference. This difference is going to set up a scenario for possible corrosion. You’re going to have a cathode, you’re going to have an anode, and it’s going to begin to corrode at the anode to protect the cathode,’ explains...