Our client needed us to come up with a solution to get the pictured storage tank back up and running. The tank was suffering some serious perforations which can only be described as a cheese grater! Application of an un-reinforced lining system such as polyurea’s or epoxies was not the answer. This tank would need a reinforced lining installed to firstly bridge the holes, and secondly give the tank some much needed structural integrity. Grit Blasting was chosen in order to have the new lining adhere to metal. The old failed epoxy Coating was removed, and the steel was prepared to SA 2.5 standards. The blasting of course found new holes that were currently covered up and it now resembled the milky way galaxy! The tank was cleaned out in preparation of the Lining System.
The lining was a complex glass reinforced plastic lining with a thickness of between 3mm & 5mm. The lining consisted of 2 x layers of woven roving which would firstly bridge the gaps in the steel, and secondly offer some much-needed structural integrity! A layer of 600Grm chopped strand matting was applied to bridge any pinholes left in the woven roving. This was followed by a chemical resistant surface veil to again prevent any pinholes over the perforations. Once the laminate was completed a further two coats of vinyl ester resin were applied over the laminate to protect it and ensure no pinholes were present. The tank was then post cured for a period of 12 hours before a full spark test was carried out by SLS. The customer performed a successful hydra test immediately following our work.