ATEX & hazardous areas T
Cathodic protection (CP) is critical for combatting corrosion in oil and gas infrastructure. But how do you know if your impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system is performing when you don’t have oversight of your bulk storage tanks? Here, Ian Loudon, international sales and marketing manager at remote monitoring specialist Omniflex, explores how to manage CP systems in hazardous and hard-to-reach areas.
he fuel tank storage market is set to reach over $28 billion by 2032, driven by an increased need for storing fuel reserves locally in a volatile global oil and gas market. As world conflicts continue to
put pressure on fuel supply chains, threats of corrosion to critical bulk tank storage facilities must be mitigated to improve efficiency, maintain environmental compliance and prioritise safety. Traditionally, CP engineers have relied on physical inspections to assess tank corrosion — an inefficient, costly and unsafe practice. Where modern tank farms often span several kilometres and require frequent checks to satisfy reporting regulations, engineers face significant limitations to the oversight they can achieve.
INTRINSICALLY SAFE CP IS A MUST Bulk tank infrastructure benefits from ICCP because it prevents the tank base from corrosion, which cannot be seen or inspected easily. Often, tanks will be stored underground or submerged in water, and engineers only find out a system is not working when they have a leak.
For tanks storing explosive fuels, the importance of having intrinsically safe CP systems cannot be overstated. A small leak is enough to create an ignition source for a catastrophic explosion, with huge safety and environmental ramifications. In the best-case scenario, bulk tanks might deteriorate due to corrosion, causing a loss of critical assets in an already volatile oil and gas market. With the right technology in place for managing the CP system
remotely, these risks can be mitigated, and productivity restored to your tank farm.
ULTIMATE SOLUTION FOR LARGE SCALE PROJECTS
ICCP systems are used to manage corrosion in bulk tanks, which is better for large scale projects. Unlike galvanic CP, which uses sacrificial anodes and is better for small, low-resistive environments, an ICCP system is a forced current used to maintain a bulk tank at -0.85V. Being able to remotely control
ICCP has huge benefits for tank farms. Firstly, ICCP systems can be dynamically adjusted to account for changes in the conditions around the tank — things like soil dampness, acidity and resistivity. Secondly, remote monitoring using Omniflex’s PowerView CP range reduces ongoing maintenance costs since you don’t need to physically inspect difficult-to-access systems.
PROVIDING ENERGY SECURITY This solution was implemented in one of Africa’s largest open-access Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) import terminals. The facility, which allows vast amounts of LPG to be stored locally, boosting the region’s energy security, benefits from automatic testing and results logging, and long- term cloud-based data storage.
Omniflex’s PowerView CP also offers integrated regular status reports, remote testing like instant off, depolarization etc ideal for tank farm
SMART ICCP MONITORING FOR SAFER TANK STORAGE
34 June 2026 Instrumentation Monthly
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
