Corrosion is a leading concern affecting metal storage tanks that corrosion engineers are constantly battling.
These massive tanks are susceptible to corrosion due to many factors including reactions with stored contents, environmental conditions, and the tank engineering itself.
Based on these and many other factors, metal storage tanks should be prepared for use by a corrosion engineering service that can implement the right techniques to protect them and slow the formation and progression of damaging metal corrosion.
Appropriate Choice of Tank Metal
The first method of preventing costly corrosion on storage tanks is choosing the right material for the tank.
Depending on what the contents of the tank will be, corrosion engineers stress the need to investigate potential reactions over time and choose the right material for the job.
Corrosion-Resistant Protective Coatings
Corrosion-resistant coatings engineered with specific qualities to seal tanks and prevent slow composition are one of the more popular methods used to prevent tank deterioration.
Applied to the outside, inside, or both depending on conditions, the right coating will seal joints, reduce chemical reactions, and prevent moisture as well as air from allowing corrosion to take hold
Cathodic or Anodic Coating Protection
Cathodic and anodic coatings are those made of another metal which, when applied to the inside or outside of a storage tank, prevent the decomposition of the tank metal.
These sacrificial coatings as they are called by tank engineering services react electrically with tank contents and the environment while preventing the tank metal itself from reacting.
Galvanization and tin are two coatings commonly used to achieve this protective effect by applying a specific electrical current to the tank metal to create the right chemical reaction in the coating and not the tank.
Corrosion Inhibitors
Similar in nature to cathodic and anodic coatings but without the need for an electrical current, corrosion inhibitors are substances that react and protect in a different way.
Used by corrosion engineers to protect metal tanks in various industries, these coatings have a chemical reaction with the tank metal as well as the air and external atmosphere to form a protective barrier that prevents decomposition.
Environmental Protection
In circumstances where tanks are exposed to extreme weather, salty ocean air, and other gases, another option that tank engineering services recommend is to simply reduce that exposure.
Reduced exposure to the rain, seawater, and chemical gases including sulfur that chemically react with the tank metal can greatly reduce the amount of corrosion sustained while allowing protective coatings to last longer.
Consult With Corrosion Engineers
Companies that use storage tanks of any kind must make corrosion prevention a priority to slow the gradual decomposition that all metal experiences.
Corrosion engineers continue to develop newer and better ways to accomplish that.
Using many different methods based on details like tank materials, tank design, as well as external and internal conditions, corrosion engineering firms are a valuable asset for providing necessary maintenance to these tanks and identifying the best methods to prevent metal corrosion!
