Case Study: Commissioning Results and Monitoring System of Cathodic Protection of Above Ground Storage Tanks in a Large Tank Farm Project in Africa

Abstract This cathodic protection system commissioning and central monitoring system (CMS) case study is in continuation to the design and installation case study presented in 2022 for newly constructed above ground storage tanks in a large tank farm project in Africa. Design, installation, commissioning, and monitoring reliability were identified as key factors by the project owner and will be the focus of this paper. The cathodic protection system for 16 ea. tanks project is successfully commissioned in early 2024. In this paper we will discuss the systematic commissioning process and results ensuring cathodic protection to tank bottom plates from soil side corrosion. Installation and the Commissioning challenges associated with a large EPC project being designed in Asia, installed in Africa with components being supplied from the United States and India. Transformer Rectifier Units with remote monitoring facility, Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and programmable current interruption facility for ON/OFF interruption are used on this project. A customized CMS was developed to monitor the tanks located in different areas around the site. This paper will discuss the lessons learned during the execution of this large project and focus on the commissioning process and CMS results verses the design of the tank CP system.