Tanks

Problem

Even though this pharmaceutical company’s 8,000 gallon carbon steel wastewater tank was drained and cleaned by a waste removal company twice a year, it still developed massive corrosion to the interior. It was hard for the company to completely empty the tank, and over time the unlined tank could not withstand the corrosiveness of its contents. Without treatment, the tank would have to be completely replaced in only a few years. Not only would that be expensive, it could also negatively impact the company’s manufacturing process.

The company needed a quick, cost effective solution that would remove the corrosion, stop further damage and extend the service life of the tank. The work had to be completed during a holiday weekend to prevent a shutdown of the facility.

Solution

Southern Industrial Linings, a Rhino Linings® applicator, chose Rhino Extreme™ HP 11-50 for the job because of its resistance to chemicals and it can be built up in multiple layers to repair damage. Rhino Extreme HP 11-50 is an elastomeric polyurea lining system that can be sprayed where water, humidity or low temperature conditions exist, which contributes to quick and easy installation.

The interior of the tank was drained and abrasive blasted using black beauty aggregate to remove the corrosion and create a profile for the coating. Next, Bonding Agent 1K, a single component primer system was applied to the surface using a roller. Finally an average of 125 mils (3.175 mm) of Rhino Extreme HP 11-50 was applied using high pressure, plural component spray system and allowed to dry. In some areas, the thickness was higher because the applicator built up multiple layers of the coating to repair damaged areas on the tank’s interior.

Results

The entire repair and coating job was completed during Labor Day weekend with no disruption to the manufacturing operation. The cost to repair and coat the tank was much less than it would have cost to replace it. The waste removal company reported at the next clean out that the coating made cleaning out the tank much easier, which reduced cleaning time and costs for the customer.