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Aug 1, 2001 12:00 PM

PROTECTING storage tank bottoms from corrosion by using volatile corrosion inhibitors was the topic discussed by Ashish Gandhi during the Independent Liquid Terminals Association meeting June 11-14 in Houston, Texas.

Corrosive agents attack metals at every opportunity, said Gandhi, sales manager of Cortec Corporation, St Paul, Minnesota. Cortec has developed volatile corrosion inhibitors that form a protective film on tank bottoms, stopping the corrosion process electrochemically. The product is used to protect the underside of steel tank bottoms and voids in double-bottom tanks.

The product, similar to table salt, can be spread evenly on tank bottoms to displace oxygen and water, which are significant contributors to corrosion.

Double-bottom tanks often are constructed so that leakage monitoring can be performed in new tanks. In this instance, use of the volatile corrosion inhibitors can prevent corrosion that may occur from the wet environment and voids, he pointed out.

The product can be spread or blown, depending on the intended surface.