Tank linings fail in service for a simple reason more often than any other: the lining chemistry was chosen for the tank, not for the cargo. The stored product, its temperature and its water content decide the lining, and the decision tree is shorter than most buyers expect.
Diesel, gas oil and jet fuel
Standard solvent free amine cured epoxies handle middle distillates comfortably. Jet fuel adds a cleanliness requirement: linings for aviation fuel must not shed or discolour, so specifications lean on proven, certified products applied to an immaculate blast.
Crude oil
Crude service adds heat, water bottoms and sludge. High build solvent free epoxies remain the norm, with the critical zones being the floor and the first metre of shell where water and chlorides concentrate. This is where tank lining epoxy build and holiday testing discipline pay for themselves.
Chemicals, methanol and hot service
Aggressive cargoes move the answer to phenolic epoxy: tighter crosslinked chemistry that resists solvents and elevated temperatures that would soften a standard epoxy. If the cargo list includes methanol rich products, aromatics or sustained temperatures above roughly 60 C, quote phenolic from the start.
The preparation constant
Whatever the chemistry: abrasive blast to ISO 8501-1 Sa 2.5 minimum, soluble salt limits verified, humidity controlled, dry film thickness measured, holiday test before return to service. Linings inspected on the API 653 cycle routinely deliver 10 to 20 years when this is respected.
Send us the cargo, temperature and tank size. MENA Industrial Supplies quotes lining systems from Dubai the same working day. More on our refinery and tank farm coatings page.