What this section covers
This section covers materials for the internal protection of steel tanks, vessels and pipelines — lining coatings. They work in permanent or intermittent immersion in the product, and the requirements for them are stricter than for atmospheric systems: they need resistance to the specific medium at the operating temperature, a holiday-free film and correct commissioning.
The external surfaces of above-ground tanks are protected with atmospheric systems according to the corrosivity category — see the general corrosion protection section. Factory-applied external coatings for trunk and field pipelines (fusion-bonded epoxy, multilayer polyolefin) are a separate class of materials with their own standards, for example the ISO 21809 series; they are not covered in this section.
Types of lining
- Epoxies with amine and polyamide curing agents — water, crude oil, a number of petroleum products; versatile solutions for many tanks.
- Phenolic and novolac epoxies — denser cross-linking, wider chemical resistance (acids, alcohols, solvents, fuels) and a higher permissible product temperature.
- Solvent-free coatings — a thick coat in a single pass, good filling of pits and coverage of edges, minimal solvent inside an enclosed space; they require suitable equipment, and their pot life is short.
- Glass-flake reinforced — greater resistance to abrasion, permeation and hot water.
- Conductive — for tanks holding flammable products, where the design requires it; several manufacturers offer such versions.
How to choose a tank lining
Product and temperature
Resistance is selected not by the name of the class (“epoxy”, “novolac”) or from a general table, but for the specific product, its concentration, temperature and regime: permanent immersion, intermittent filling, vapour space above the product. We collect these data with a questionnaire. If the tank is used for different products, the lining must resist all of them, including cleaning solutions.
Drinking water and food
Contact with drinking water and food requires hygiene documents. Foreign approvals — for example UBA and KIWA in Europe, NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 in North America — confirm the properties of the material but do not replace the documents required in the country of use; check that they are available before ordering.
Aviation fuel
Aviation fuel tanks usually require coatings with specific tests or approvals; manufacturers refer, for example, to the British Def Stan 80-97 or the Energy Institute standard EI 1541. In CIS countries such coatings are subject to their own requirements, which should be clarified before the material is chosen.
Downtime
When an operating tank is repaired, the time needed for preparation, the number of coats and the curing time before filling are decisive. Single-coat, thick, solvent-free coatings and fast return-to-service materials reduce downtime but require a strict procedure.
Application conditions
Inside a tank, ventilation is needed, and often dehumidification and heating of the air. The minimum application temperature of linings is usually higher than that of atmospheric paints: for a number of the materials in this section, from +5 to +15 °C. In winter, such work is not carried out without heating.
Preparation and inspection
- Abrasive blast cleaning, usually to Sa 2½, with the profile specified in the technical data sheet; hand and power tool cleaning is generally not permitted for linings.
- Preparation of welds, edges and surface imperfections to ISO 8501-3 (grades P1–P3); sharp edges are rounded.
- Checking residual dust (ISO 8502-3) and soluble salts: salts under a lining are a common cause of blistering.
- Stripe coating of welds, edges and corners by brush before each full coat.
- Checking the dry film thickness and the continuity of the coating with a holiday detector, and repairing any holidays.
- Curing before entry into service according to the technical data sheet: depending on the material and the product, from two days to several weeks, and even longer for some products.
Common mistakes
- Choosing by the general name “epoxy lining” without checking resistance to the specific product and temperature.
- Skipping the continuity test: in immersion, a single pore becomes a site of pitting corrosion.
- Application in a cold, unventilated tank: solvent remains in the film and the coating is under-cured.
- Filling the tank before the end of the curing period.
- A coating for drinking water without documents recognised in the country of use.
- Materials from different manufacturers in one lining system.
- Exceeding the maximum interval between coats without preparation — intercoat delamination.
See also: corrosion protection — overview, epoxy coatings and mastics, heat-resistant coatings.
Materials from leading manufacturers
- Interline 925 — International (AkzoNobel) — single-coat solvent-free epoxy: crude oil, light petroleum products, drinking water.
- Interline 850 — International (AkzoNobel) — epoxy phenolic lining for tanks and pipes: crude oil, petrol, aviation fuel, alkalis, drinking water.
- Interline 984 — International (AkzoNobel) — solvent-free epoxy phenolic lining: crude oil up to 90 °C, petroleum products, biofuels.
- Tankguard Storage — Jotun — phenolic novolac epoxy for crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals and process water.
- Dura-Plate 146 DW — Sherwin-Williams — solvent-free epoxy for drinking water and food production.
- Phenoline 1205 — Carboline — glass-flake epoxy novolac: crude oil up to 121 °C, fuels, hot water.
- PPG PHENGUARD 985 — PPG — novolac phenolic epoxy with broad chemical resistance.
- EPOTECT PC100 — Kansai Paint — epoxy coating for crude oil, heavy petroleum products, solvents and water.
- Tankguard 412 — Jotun — solvent-free epoxy lining for potable water and crude oil.
- Tankguard Plus — Jotun — phenolic novolac epoxy lining for crude oil, chemicals and solvents.
- PPG NOVAGUARD 650 — PPG — solvent-free epoxy coating for crude oil and petroleum product tanks.
- INERTA 160 — Teknos — virtually solvent-free epoxy, 500 µm in a single pass by hot spray: water pipelines, hydraulic structures, piles.
- INERTA 270 — Teknos — epoxy tank lining: aqueous chemical solutions, crude oil, diesel and jet fuel, petrol.
- INERTA 300 — Teknos — epoxy phenolic lining for chemical plant tanks and protection against corrosion under insulation (CUI); dry heat up to 200 °C.
- Tankguard CV Pro — Jotun — conductive epoxy lining for above-ground and underground tanks, 125–250 µm per coat.
- Fast Clad ER — Sherwin-Williams — solvent-free epoxy tank lining, 500–1500 µm in one coat, service in 24 hours.
- Sher-Glass FF — Sherwin-Williams — glass flake epoxy for immersion and chemical splash, up to 500 µm per coat.
- Interline 399 — International (AkzoNobel) — epoxy novolac tank and pipe lining up to 130 °C, approved for aviation fuel.
- Tankguard SF — Jotun — solvent-free phenolic novolac epoxy lining for chemical tanks and pipes.
- Dura-Plate UHS — Sherwin-Williams — ultra-high-solids epoxy tank lining to API 652, 98% volume solids.
- Interline 704 — International (AkzoNobel) — chemically resistant epoxy lining for storage tanks, two coats of 125 µm.
- Nova-Plate UHS — Sherwin-Williams — solvent-free epoxy novolac lining for crude oil, fuel and solvent storage tanks.
- Phenicon HS — Sherwin-Williams — thin-film epoxy phenolic novolac tank lining for fuels, solvents and aviation fuel.
- Nova-Plate 325 — Sherwin-Williams — ceramic and glass filled novolac lining for hot aggressive service to 149 °C.
- PPG SIGMAGUARD CSF 585 — PPG — solvent-free epoxy lining for drinking water tanks, NSF/ANSI/CAN 61.
- PPG NOVAGUARD 840 — PPG — solvent-free novolac lining for crude oil to 120 °C, gasoline, jet fuel and water.
- Interline 994 — International (AkzoNobel) — epoxy phenolic lining for crude oil to 160 °C, biofuels, oils and molten sulphur.
- Tankguard DW — Jotun — solvent-free epoxy coating for potable water tanks and pipes.
- INERTA 700 / INERTA 700 TIX — Teknos — solvent-free crack-bridging polyurethane for concrete bunds, rail wagons and pipelines.
- Tankguard HB Classic — Jotun — epoxy lining for tanks and pipes: crude oil to 90 °C, brine, drilling mud.
- PPG PHENGUARD 940 — PPG — novolac phenolic epoxy topcoat of a tank system for acids, alcohols, oils, solvents.
- PPG SIGMAGUARD CSF 650 — PPG — solvent-free epoxy tank lining for crude, fuels and drinking water, one coat 300 µm.
- PPG NOVAGUARD 890 — PPG — solvent-free novolac epoxy lining: crude to 120 °C, ethanol gasoline, biodiesel, jet fuel.
- PPG SIGMAGUARD 720 — PPG — reinforced epoxy tank coating, EI 1541 for jet fuel, good low-temperature cure.
- Macropoxy C251 — Sherwin-Williams — epoxy phenolic for tank interiors and insulated pipework, dry heat to 180 °C.
- INERTA 205 — Teknos — solvent-free epoxy for immersed steel and concrete, excellent abrasion resistance.
- TEKNOPUR 300-800 — Teknos — hot-spray pure polyurea for concrete waterproofing and abrasion protection, CE to EN 1504-2.
- EPOTECT JW — Kansai Paint — high-build epoxy enamel for tanks and pipes in water treatment facilities.
- Chemtech GM — Jotun — solvent-free epoxy with glass fibre mat for lining lower parts of storage tanks.
- Belzona 5813 — Belzona — static-dissipative epoxy coating for tanks, pipework and chemical containment, immersion to 50 °C.
- Belzona 5811 (Immersion Grade) — Belzona — epoxy immersion coating for tanks, pipework and pumps up to 50 °C, two coats.
- Belzona 5821 — Belzona — ceramic-filled epoxy coating for tanks and pipework in immersion up to 50 °C.
- Belzona 5892 — Belzona — epoxy coating for tanks and vessels: immersion to 95 °C, steam-out to 210 °C.
- Belzona 1392 (Ceramic HT2) — Belzona — high-temperature epoxy lining for vessels and tanks in aggressive service up to 120 °C.
- Belzona 1593 — Belzona — hand-applied epoxy lining for vessels and tanks in immersion up to 160 °C.
Versatile epoxy mastics, such as Carboguard 890 (Carboline) or Jotamastic 90 (Jotun), are also suitable for some duties, provided the manufacturer confirms such use. This list is not exhaustive; the final choice is made on the basis of the manufacturer’s documents and the project requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Can one lining be used for both water and petroleum products?
Sometimes, yes — some materials list both water and petroleum products in their resistance tables. But drinking water also requires hygiene documents, and a change of product in the tank requires cleaning and a compatibility check.
How many coats are applied?
From a single thick coat for solvent-free materials to two or three coats for conventional linings. The scheme is set by the technical data sheet and the specification for the specific product.
Is cathodic protection needed together with the coating?
For tank bottoms and buried structures, the design often provides for it. The coating must then be compatible with cathodic protection — technical data sheets state this separately.
When can the tank be filled?
According to the time and temperature in the technical data sheet and, on critical facilities, on the basis of the inspection the manufacturer prescribes. Speeding up the return to service “by eye” is not acceptable.
Zone-by-zone tank protection — internal coatings, external corrosion protection, bottom, annular plate and roof, survey and repair — is designed as part of our tank and vessel protection service.
We will select a lining for your product and tank — call us or message us on WhatsApp/Telegram: +998 94 094 52 27.