containment

SPRAY, COAT, AND CONTAIN

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Traditional coatings have been too inflexible and not sufficiently elastic to accommodate ground, concrete, or metal substrate movement for primary or secondary containment. This deficiency can lead to cracks or holes forming in both the substrate and the coatings, which can compromise containment. However, the formulation of tough, monolithic, flexible coatings such as polyurea is now resolving this issue for contractors, engineers, and facility managers. When applied directly to concrete or metal surfaces, polyurea not only strengthens and protects lite underlying substrate but can also bridge gaps or cracks of 1/8″ or larger.

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Furthermore, polyurea is now being applied to geotextile liners that can be swiftly rolled out in sheets to protect more heavily diminished surfaces or for use in field applications such as dirt or gravel pads at drilling sites. Once installed, applicators need only coat the liners’ seams to create a monolithic surface suitable for containment. Whether at refineries, industrial plants, or other manufacturing plants, regulations demand the use of primary and secondary containment systems to keep toxic or hazardous substances from escaping into the ground and potentially entering the water supply.

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This implies primary containment is not foolproof. Though durable, metals corrode, concrete cracks, and is permeable, it will drain liquids if uncoated.
Therefore, secondary containment, in the form of concrete pits with barriers installed around the perimeter of a tank or other storage container, is often needed. To protect these structures, coatings such as epoxies, tars, and polyurethanes are often applied as an added protection wall. However, these traditional coatings are often inflexible when cured and can crack along with the concrete. Typical coatings do not hold up well to substrate movement or daily, seasonal, or process-related thermal expansion and contraction, which can lead to cracks and leaks.


After considerable research and testing, Collins says he turned to an advanced polyurea system from ArmorThane, a spray-applied polyurea manufacturer for primary and secondary containment. When applied to substrates such as concrete or steel, the spray-applied waterproof coating creates a durable, seamless, flexible, protective barrier that stops leaks and strengthens primary and secondary containment systems’ integrity. The coating exhibits superior physical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, and crack bridging and elongation up to 400% to create a robust, industrial-grade protective lining.

Polyurea can bridge cracks as well as flex at a rate similar to concrete and steel. This not only helps it last but also seals the concrete, so does Secondary containment, in the form of concrete pits tamers instated around the perimeter of a tank or other storage container, is often required as a back-up to primary containment does not absorb contaminants if there is a spill inside the contained area. While traditional coatings such as cementitious, epoxies, tars, and polyurethanes will prematurely fail if not installed under a relatively narrow range of temperatures, polyurea is designed for installation and use from ~4O°F to *35OCF. It sets and cures quickly and will withstand decades of freeze-thaw cycling and wide
After spraying the polyurea, return to service is almost instantaneous variations of temperature and humidity. After spraying the polyurea, return to service is almost instantaneous, making a big difference in minimizing production downtime.


They coated about 8,000 sq. ft. of concrete in 12 truck-offloading areas that required drive-in containment with ArmorThane polyurea. Within minutes of spray application, trucks were safely driving across it in some instances. Instead of spraying polyurea directly to the substrate, pre-sprayed composite panels can offer advantages for containment over the soil, gravel, or even concrete that is too damaged to be effectively rehabilitated.

Repairing plastic liners also presents a problem at the seams, when damaged areas are cut out and new sections. Polyurea products are so much more durable than plastics for containment systems. When needed, they can custom apply more polyurea millage to geotextile panels and berms to accommodate even the heaviest truck use and vehicle abuse. To verify the strength of the polyurea coating on containment mats and berms, in fact, Collins conducted several tests.

They also ran 6,044 fully loaded water trucks across a containment system, and it withstood it with zero holes and no compromise to the liner. Collins credits both the durability of the ArmorThane polyurea and its extended recoating window for the ability of his company to reuse its containment systems extensively. To reuse a containment system, they cut it up into rolls, roll it up and move it. Then, take it back out, respond to certain areas, and reinstall the original containment system at another location. They’ve found the extended open window for recoat and repair of the polyurea allows them to easily cut out any damaged section of geotextile, put a new piece in, and spray the seams to make it virtually seamless again. They get better repair and more reuse out of our containment systems.

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A Look At The Everchanging Industrial Protective Coating Market

Amine-cured epoxy is one of the most successful chemically resistant coatings on the market. They tend to come as epoxy with filler and other additives on the A-side and amine curative on the B side. When mixed, they give a sprayable coating with a very workable pot life and good adhesion to a wide variety of substrates. The cured epoxy coating’s ultimate chemical resistance will depend on several key factors, including the chemical composition of both the epoxy and the amine curative, the types of fillers and additives used, and the cure temperature and time. 

Crosslink density of traditional epoxy coating compared to polymer-modified epoxy coating.

With a low crosslink density, a coating is susceptible to penetration from corrosive chemicals, which can eventually reach the substrate, creating corrosion and leading to its ultimate failure. However, with a very high crosslink density, the product provides a virtually impenetrable barrier between the chemical and the substrate. Also, chemicals do not penetrate the coating, which can occur in common epoxies, leading to blistering, splitting, and coating degradation. 

Chemical penetration of coatings with different crosslink densities.

In a low-crosslink-density coating, the chemicals will penetrate through the coating to the substrate, causing substrate corrosion. Because the solvent has penetrated the coating, both the epoxy and amine curing agent bonds will be broken by chemical attack. As for the coating with high crosslink density, the chemicals will be unable to penetrate the coating. This will not only protect the substrate from corrosion but also protect the coating itself from any damage.

With the emerging needs for both industrial and marine applications, coatings have a wide range of technical requirements in addition to chemical resistance. We will cover the technical and market needs for each of these requirements along with recent developments to meet these demands.

SEM of coatings with different crosslink densities.

Coatings for Sulfuric Acid

Sulfuric acid is a very important industrial chemical used for such things as the manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers, purification of petroleum, acids, along with being used as a pickling medium for metals, and in storage batteries. 

Two-component epoxy coatings show excellent resistance to sulfuric acid of most concentrations and transportation and storage temperatures. They have been used successfully for years, but unfortunately can darken upon exposure to sulfuric acid.

Sulfuric acid immersion testing of improved catalyst for 2K epoxy coating.

Coating Inspection Facilitation

Ensuring the integrity of the coating is critical for the protection of the substrate. Failure of the coating cannot only cause destruction to the vessel, costing the owner both time and money, but it can also pose a danger to workers and the surrounding environment. Proper inspection of the coating itself can be time-consuming and expensive, and based on the vessel’s geometry being examined, some areas can be very hard to probe. Coatings must regularly be examined for damage to make sure that there are no cracks, holes, or chips. The entire vessel must be examined after draining and cleaning, which can be difficult again because of the complex geometries along with the hazards associated with sending workers into the vessels for review.

Fluorescent basecoat and standard gray topcoat with defects purposely introduced.

Coatings should expedite the inspection process, reducing chances of coating failure and overall simplifying the inspection process. 

Immersion testing of chemically resistant 2K epoxy fluorescent basecoat/standard topcoat.

Antistatic Coatings

Static electricity presents a very significant risk for not only the safety of people and property but also of products that are susceptible to static electricity, such as electronics components. 

Barton solvents naphtha storage tank.
Surface and volume resistivity ranges.

Chemical resistance of static dissipate 2K polymer-modified epoxy coating.

Improved Abrasion Resistance

Coatings used to stock chemicals and other substances can sustain damage from abrasion, such as the loading and unloading of supplies in the form of slurries or from cleaning procedures. Applications that could benefit from an improvement in abrasion resistance could include hopper cars, slurry pipes, legs of oil platforms, pumps, coal chutes, baghouses, and ion exchange vessels. Epoxy coatings can provide great chemical resistance through a high degree of crosslinking and the correct chemical structure, however this can lead to a coating that can be brittle and subject to damage from abrasion. 

Abrasion resistance of chemical-resistant coatings.

Field-Repairable Coatings

Recent changes to regulations from the American Association of Railroads (AAR) require that for a tank car facility to be certified, it must be able to demonstrate the procedure to repair coatings on a periodic basis. 9 High-bake phenolic coatings are widely used in the rail industry due to their excellent chemical resistance to a wide variety of products. Repair of high-bake phenolic coatings requires that the tank car first be returned to the facility, where the coating repair would then be demonstrated. The coating repair of high-bake phenolics requires that the entire tank car be taken up to high temperatures (350 °F to 400 °F), which can damage the exterior paint and stencils. This adds an extreme amount of cost for the tank car facility, along with a great deal of time for the tank cars to be out of service. Having a coating that can have its repair demonstrated in the field is therefore very important to tank car facilities. Two-part epoxy coatings can meet these needs. 

Abrasion resistance of coatings containing SiC whiskers or carbon nanotubes (mg/1,000 cycles).

Future Industry Needs

Vessel owners continue to look for ways to reduce operating expenses, and therefore chemical-resistant coatings must deliver opportunities to achieve these goals. One such opportunity is for coatings that release cargo from the walls faster than current technologies. This would allow for quicker unloading of vessels, along with easier cleaning, allowing for less time between unloading and loading. Ability to carry different chemicals would also save vessel owners time and money. The same asset could be used to transport or store a wide variety of chemicals, eliminating the need to either re-coat current vessels or to possess different storage options for each chemical. The coating should therefore be resistant to the widest variety of chemicals possible and should not absorb chemicals that can later be released and contaminate the next chemical loaded into the vessel. 

Conclusion

Developments in chemically resistant, 2K polymer-modified epoxy coatings have met several market needs, including carry of sulfuric acid, coating inspection facilitation, improved abrasion resistance, anti-static coatings, and field-repairable coatings. These coating systems continue to be rulers in chemical-resistant applications in both marine and industrial applications, and will meet anticipated market needs through continued innovation.

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A Look At The Canadian Polyurea Industry

Canada remains an integral part of the global Coatings Industry, and there are several Canadian Polyurea manufacturers, such as ArmorThane. The market is rather stable at the moment and slowly growing more towards innovation.

Canadian grant for PU foam recycling

If you look at the total numbers in the Canadian Polyurea Industry, the market size in 2017 was around CAD 12.3 billion. These numbers have ballooned since that release. More than 80.000 people now work directly or indirectly in the coating industry. Over 230 coating and paint manufacturers are based across Canada, owning and operating more than 3.000 retail stores and supply another 4.000 retail stores with their products.

Polyurea Coatings | Rubber Source Inc.

As in every coating industry, the Canadian coating market is also complex and has many local expert companies across the country such as in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary & Ottawa. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine which company and coating product best suit your project. With our extensive databases, experience, and knowledge, we are ready to help you with these choices with our 100% free quotation service. You can connect with us through the “Contact” and “Request a Quote” buttons on our website.

Be sure to look out for our Canadian company review article, which will be coming within a matter of days. We are in the final stages of our testing and will be updating you with all those results as soon as we are able.