Innumerable above ground storage tanks in hydrocarbon process plants, which are located in
aggressive soil at coastal areas, are at a risk from bottom plate corrosion, due to formation of a
galvanic corrosion cell between the tank bottom plate and the soil. This galvanic corrosion cell
formation effect is more predominant if the content of the tank is stored at a high temperature. At such
situations traditional methods of passive barrier protection systems such as Sand-bitumen tank
foundation pad or soil side Paint/coating of the bottom plates cannot prevent corrosion. Tank leakage
due to corrosion poses significant threat for the safety of the plant equipments and personnel due to
possibility of occurrence of the fire hazards, if the tank content is hazardous material. The replacement
of bottom plate due to corrosion damage is also found to be costly. Suitably designed Cathodic
Protection system using either close or remote anode ground bed supplemented with soil side
Paint/coating of bottom plate is the appropriate protective measure to ensure the integrity of the tank
bottom plates against soil side corrosion for a longer period.