TANK COATINGS

BY
CAPT. JAL T CONTRACTOR 1

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 TANK COATINGS

• GENERAL
• The advantages of tank coatings can be
summarised as follows:
• 1 Prevention of cargo contamination by the
absence of corrosion.
• 2. Preservation of cargo purity.
• 3. Ease of cleaning and gas freeing.
• 4. Ease of inspection.
• 5. Improved safety.
• 6. Protection of steel structure from cargo.

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 TANK COATINGS

• It must be remembered that no one coating is

suitable for the full range of cargoes. The
instructions in the coating's manufacturers
resistance list must be adhered to and unlisted
cargoes must be thoroughly investigated before
committing them to a particular type of coating.

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 EPOXY COATINGS

• Possess good resistance to alkalies, sea water, wine,

vegetable oils, lube oil but have a very limited resistance
against aromatics such as benzene and toluene;
alcohols such as ethanol and methanol; and various
esters and ketones.
• Organic epoxy coatings generally have a tendency to
pick up slight traces of the product carried especially
with those chemicals having a limited suitability
(alcohols, ketones, esters). Thorough ventilation is
recommended after these cargoes before tank washing
and ballasting.
• Epoxy coatings are sensitive to temperatures greater
then 60©.

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 PHENOLIC RESINS

• Epoxy phenolic resins possess better resistance than

epoxy to a wide variety of cargoes. They are
suitable for the carriage of strong solvents
(aromatics, alcohols and ketones) as well as to
the majority of products acceptable to zinc silicate
coatings.
• Widely used though more expensive than Epoxy.
• It can carry majority of products suitable for Zinc
Silicate Coatings,

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• Limitations of Phenolic Epoxy Coatings
• Absorbs cargoes to high levels
• (depending on cargo)
• Releases absorbed cargo very slowly
• Small traces may be retained
• Subsequent cargo contamination

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 ZINC SILICATE COATINGS

• They have an extremely high resistance tolerance

to aromatic hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene
and toluene, alcohols, ketones etc; they are not
resistant to acids or alkalis, including sea water.
• Zincs are generally resistant to halogenated
compounds such as carbon tetrachloride &
ethylene dichloride. It is also resistant to esters
providing the tank surfaces are free from moisture.

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• Limitations of Zinc Silicate Coatings
• Absorbs cargo quickly
• Retains oil like cargoes
• Subsequent cargo contamination
• Not resistant to acids, caustics, and acid-containing
oils and urea

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 POLYURETHANE

• Comparatively a recent development as an

alternative to Epoxy coatings.
• Suitable for all cargoes suitable for Epoxy and some
solvents compatible with Zinc Silicate coatings.
• It gives a gloss finish unlike epoxy, so it is able to
shed some of the cargo residues.
• Polyurethane is porous like epoxies.
• They may get softened to some extent by alcohol,
ether, ketones etc.

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 RUBBER LINING

• Suitable for highly corrosive cargoes like phosphoric

acids or cargoes which are not suitable for both
mild steel and stainless steel, eg HCL
• Not suited for certain acids such as Nitric acid &
sulphuric acid.
• Thickness of about 6mm is fixed in the form of sheets
by suitable adhesive.

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 STAINLESS STEEL

•
• Stainless steel offers excellent resistance to
the majority of cargoes and is the preffered
option for aggressive cargoes such as
Methanol. The steel specification used in
vessels is normally 316L, the tanks are
“cladded” with stainless steel and it should
be realised that the thickness of this
cladding may only be 2-4mm. Close
inspection of the stainless steel is required at
frequent intervals for any signs of cracking or
pitting. Any repairs are only to be carried
out after authorisation from the office. The
repairs will also require “pickling” and
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“passivating”
 DESCALING

• The terms descaling, pickling and passivation are

often confused but are distinct processes.
• Descaling is the removal of thick visible oxide scale
from the surface the oxide is usually dark grey. This
process is done routinely in the manufacturing steel
mill before the steel is deleiverd.
• Mill descaling is usually a two stage process, one to
mechanically loosed mill scale, the second to lift
the loosened scale clear from the metal surface.
The exposed metal surface is then pickled to
remove the metal layer that was immediately
beneath the scale.

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 PICKLING

• PICKLING is the removal of a thin layer of metal from

the surface of the stainless steel. Mixture of nitric
and hydroflouoric acids are usually used for
pickling stainless steels. Pickling is the process to
remove weld heat tainted layers from the surface
of stainless steel, where the stainless steel surface
chromium level has been reduced. This process is
done by hand brush application of acid solution on
the effected areas of the tank, mainly the corner &
weld seams during new building or after repairs

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 PASSIVATION

• PASSIVATION The corrosion resistance of stainless steel is

due to a passive, chromium rich complex, oxide film that
forms naturally on the surface of the steel. This is the
normal condition for stainless steel surfaces and is known
as the passive state or passive condition. Stainless steel
will naturally self passivate whenever a clean surface is
exposed to an environment that can provide enough
oxygen to form the chromium rich oxide surface layer.
This occurs automatically and instantaneously in
presence of oxygen. In this way stainless steel can keep
their corrosion resistance, even when mechanical
damage occurs and so have an in built self -repairing
corrosion protection system.

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 PASSIVATION

• Passivation Usually occurs naturally on the surface

of the stainless steels, but it may some times be
necessary to assist the process with oxidizing acid
treatments. Unlike picking no metal is removed from
the surface during acid assisted passivation. The
quality and thickness of passive layer is however
quickly developed during passivation treatment.
This process is usually done by giving a tank wash
with the fixed machines using the nitric acid
solution. Normally only passivation is done aboard
chemical tankers.

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 PASSIVATION

• Properly cleaned stainless steel is naturally

protected from corrosion by a very thin “passive”
(non-reactive with its environment) film. This passive
chrome oxide layer is generated naturally upon
contact with oxygen from the air. But the passive
layer can be removed or scratched. Abrasives,
corrosive chemicals and free iron (tiny iron particles
deposited on the surface from tools) can damage
the passive layer. Scratched surfaces will
automatically heal by recovering the passive layer
over several hours.

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 PASSIVATION

• After the bath and a rinsing phase, the passive layer

will begin to form. It may take a couple of hours or
as much as 24 hours, for the passive layer to
completely regenerate. After this 24-hour rest time,
testing the passivity of the stainless steel is
imperative and can be performed simply with a
passivation tester meter. Proper testing of finished
parts will not only satisfy quality control engineers
and end users, but will also serve as validation of
the entire passivation bath procedure.

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 PASSIVATION TEST

• passivation test can be done by a digital passivation

meter or by conducting a Palladium Test.
• Palladium Test :- palladium chloride reagent is applied
on clean tank surface. Wait for 3 minutes. If there is no or
slight colour change on well passivated stainless steel.
The tank is passive. If after rinsing, a gray spot appears,
the metal is partially passivated.
• A black spot will arise when the surface has not been
passivated correctly and needs futher treatment.
• The palladium chloride reagent is corrosive for stainless
steel, therefore it is very important to rinse carefully after
the passive test.

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 PASSIVATION TEST METHOD

• First clean the surface from oil, grease and make it

dry.
• 2 to 3 drops of palladium chloride is dropped on the
clean surface to be tested.
• Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and see the colour change.
If the colour changes to grey it means the chorium
oxide layer has been reduced and the steel is
becoming active. If the colour changes to black
the steel surface is active and needs passivation.

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 MARINELINE® 784 IS ABS TYPE
APPROVED
• MarineLine® 784 from Advanced
• Polymer Coatings, is the premier cargo tank coating
system available for chemical and product carriers,
and the only high performance lining that
withstands all IMO approved chemical cargoes.

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• MarineLine® is generally recognized as safe (GRAS)
for food grade cargoes.
• MarineLine® 784 coating complies with
• the FDA and all applicable food additive
regulations.
• • More chemical resistance than stainless steel,
phenolic epoxies and zinc silicate coatings
• • Superior resistance to acids, alkalis and solvents;
maximum versatility to carry PFADs, Biofuels, and
Methanol

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• Virtually non-permeable for assurance of product
purity
• • Superior bond strength and adhesion
• • Very low VOC
• • Excellent flex stressing
• • Resistance to wear, abrasion and impact
• • Thermal shock resistance -40°C to +150°C (-40°F to
+302°F )

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• Shipowners generate strong Return on Investment (ROI)
• • Faster, easier, more efficient cleaning due to non-
absorption, low surface energy and smooth surface
• • Inspection of tank coating application and curing by
MarineLine professionals
• • Easy tank cleaning with less slops, and fast drying
• • Minor tank touch-up repairs done easily
• • Support offices in Korea, China, Turkey, Singapore, UK,
Japan, and the USA
• • ABS ISO 9001:2008 Certification
• • MarineLine® 784 is ABS Type Approved

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