An article on “APPLICATION OF ANTI-

CORROSIVE LININGS &

COMPOSITES” : Part 1 of 2
November 5, 2018 No Comment

This article will be published in two parts. Click here to go to part 2.

Corrosion is loss of material due to “REACTION” with the environment.

 Physical : erosion
 Chemical : irreversible loss
 Electro-chemical: electric micro cell
 Biological : bio-fouling

Corrosion manifests in different forms:

 Erosion : commonly observed in lead lined vessels; area of vessel near the impeller
 Pitting: micro holes in relatively unattacked surface
 Selective leaching: dezincification of Cu-Zn alloy
 Intergranular: welding or improper heat treatment
 Stress corrosion: welding, cold work etc
 Crevice corrosion: electro-chemical cell in crevice

Points to remember

 The surface must be as clean as possible

 The surface must not have any scratch
 The coating application must be compatible with “SHE” norms
 The coating itself must be environmental friendly

COATINGS:

 Natural Paints
 Synthetic Resins
 Plastics
 Composites
 Lining:
o Fiber Reinforced Plastics
o Glass lining
o Graphite
o Rubber

Rubber Lining:

Types:
  Natural Rubber
 SBR
 Neoprene(Polychloroprene)
 Butyl (isobutylene)
 Halogenated Butyl – e.g. Chlorobutyl
o Bromobutyl

Applications:

Neoprene

 Resistant to acid, abrasion, oil, sea water.

 High temperature and corrosive service, where natural rubber fails.

Butyl Rubber

 Used for High Temperature Corrosive service e.g. Reaction vessels

 For Hot and abrasive services

Applications:

 Chlor-Alkali Plant
 Phosphoric Acid Plant
 DI water plants

Fluoropolymer Coatings & Linings:

 PFA – PERFLUROALKOXY
 FEP – FLUORINATED ETHYLENE PROPYLENE
 ETFE – ETHYLENE TETRAFLUORO ETHYLENE
 ECTFE – ETHYLENE CHLOROTRIFLUORO ETHYLENE
 PVDF – POLYVINYLIDENE FLUORIDE
 PP – POLYPROPYLENE

Fig. 1: Properties of Fluoropolymers

Advantages of High-Build Coatings:

 Drastically reduces permeation through the coating and possible corrosion of the
metal substrate.
 Lowers the metal content of the fluid being handled due to the reduction of
permeation, substrate corrosion and back migration of corrosion products.
 Extends the life of the coating when exposed to an abrasive media
 Thick coatings can be repaired by welding if mechanically damaged. Thin coatings
(<20mil) must be stripped and recoated if repairs are not possible.
 Thick coatings operate better under pressure-vacuum cycling than thin coatings.
 Cost of thick coating is not directly proportional to its thickness. Longer on-line
performance is achieved at only a small additional cost with high-build coatings. Less
maintenance is an important benefit.

Advantages of High-Build Coatings:

 No welds exist with a high-build coated vessel in comparison to one that is sheet-
lined. Welds in sheet-lined vessels are a known point of failure.
 Used in all chemical processes with hazardous, corrosive, abrasive and-or toxic
media.
 Well established in the chemical,pharmaceutical and petrochemical industry
 Ideal in any plant because of their good chemical and physical resistance and long
lifetime in service.
 Absence of sensibility against:
o -mechanical impact
o -alternating pressure
o -vibration
o -temperature shock
o -ageing

Advantages of Flouropolymer Coatings & Linings:

 Chemical inertness against nearly all substances

 Broad application temperature range (-30oC to 260oC)
 Very smooth material surface and anti-sticking behavior
 Possibility of being electrically conductive
 Impact resistant
 Absorbs pressure variations or impacts
 Vibration decreasing
 Insensitive to UV light
 No softening agents used
 Weather resistant and approved for food and drugs service

Coating Selection:

 Chemical exposure
 Permeability of the coatings to the materials to be processed
 Pressure if handling gaseous materials
 Purity, FDA and USDA requirements
 Maximum operating temperature
  Abrasives, if present
 Cost
 Vessel configuration – dimensions, complexity
 Desired fluoropolymer
 Thickness of lining
 Reparability
 Track record

Application of High-Build Coatings:

 Mixed beds
 Water storage tanks
 Pumps
 Piping
 Chemical storage tanks
 Valves
 Chemical day tanks
 Filter housings
 Wet bench components
 Vacuum degassifiers
 Agitators
 CMP components

Coatings-Linings thickness selection criterion:

 If the corrosion rate of carbon steel is > 10mpy (mills per year)-USE THICK
LININGS
 If the corrosion rate of carbon steel is < 10mpy (mills per year)-USE THIN LININGS
 THICK LININGS – >25MILS OR 0.635MM
 THIN LININGS – < 25MILS OR 0.635MM

Coatings-Linings thickness selection criterion:

USE THIN LININGS FOR

 Product purity
 Non stick
 Localised corrosion

USE THICK LININGS FOR

 Corrosion prevention
 Permeation resistance

Coatings Vs Linings- Difference:

Thickness:

 Coatings – 10 to 1500 microns (0.01 to 1.5mm)

 Linings – 3000 to 5000 microns (3 to 5 mm)
Coatings are better than linings w.r.t. following:

 adhesive forces
 vacuum application
 heat transfer
 thermal shock

An article on “APPLICATION OF ANTI-

CORROSIVE LININGS &
COMPOSITES” : Part 2 of 2
November 23, 2018 No Comment

Continued from part 1 of 2. Click here to go to the part 1.

COMPOSITES:

What are composites?

Composites are the novel materials made by combining two or more materials, the resultants
of which possess the combination of better properties of the ingredients.

Constituents of composites:

 Base material – Matrix – metal,ceramic or polymer

 Reinforcement – e.g. fiber
 Fillers

DUAL LAMINATE COMPOSITE:

 Thermoplastics lined to thermosets e.g. PVC-FRP,CPVC-FRP,PVDF-FRP,ECTFE-

FRP, PP-FRP, FRP-FRP
 FRP – made of fiberglass impregnated with either –
o Unsaturated polyester resin
o Vinyl ester resin
o Furan resin
 Fiberglass – provides structural stability
Fig. 2: Service conditions for dual laminate composites

Various other combinations:

 FRP-Polymer Concrete
 FRP-Steel
 FRP-Concrete
 Thermoplastic reinforced cement concrete
 Thermoplastics on Steel

FRP-Polymer Concrete:

 Unsaturated polyester resin filled with quartz

 Cast like concrete in moulds
 High compressive strength
 High corrosion resistant
 High impact strength

Application: used for electrolytic cells in copper refineries replacing lead lined RCC cells

FIBRE REINFORCED COMPOSITES:

Glass is the chief reinforcement used for composite materials in chemical process industries.

Mostly in the form of GRPs

 S-glass – for high strength

 C-glass – corrosion resistant
 Carbon fibers – superior mechanical properties, low density and corrosion resistant
used for offshore oil field applications
 For same strength: CFRP composite
o 80% lighter than steel
o 60% lighter than aluminum
Applications of GRP composites:

Resistant to most of the chemicals including acids, where metals like SS and Ni-alloys fail to
survive Also handles lethal and corrosive Chlorine gas,halide salts, bleaching solutions
including hypochlorite Unlike metals, can withstand wide fluctuations in pH and temperature.
E.g. effluent treatment process Resistant to corrosion in damp soil conditions, oxidizing and
reducing agents such as H2S

Industries served:

 Water and waste-water treatment

 Pulp & paper
 Food/chemical processing
 Mining-mineral recovery
 Microprocessor manufacturing
 Pharmaceutical
 Power generation

Chemical Industry Applications:

 Storage tanks and Pressure vessels

 Piping
 Chimney and Stacks
 FGD applications
 Offshore applications
 Storage tanks and Pressure vessels
 Composites are attractive for this application due to following parameters:
 Corrosion resistance, strength & ease of fabrication
 Installed cost as compared to SS or CS-lined e.g. CNG tanks

Dimensions:

 Diameter: 1 to 10m
 Wall thickness: 5 to 50mm

Piping:

 GRP piping applications include

 Potable water distribution
 Fire water systems
 Cooling water lines
 Handling De-mineralized water
 Effluent systems
 High-pressure pipelines handling aggressive media such as salt water, oil, or brine
 Unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester resin used for Chimney and Stacks.
 Can withstand high temperature (upto 240oC) and severe corrosive gases
 Carbon fiber reinforcements, epoxy resins are used only in selective cases, wherein
high strength and light weight is more important besides the corrosion resistance.
 Deep well platforms – tension leg platforms(TLPs)
o spars and drilling risers
 o choke and kill lines

Offshore Applications:

 Secondary structures including ladders, handrails and gratings

 Flow and gathering lines
 Firewater lines
 Casings
 Surface injection
 Salt water disposal lines
 CO2 handling
 Tank battery piping

Materials used in Offshore composites: Bisphenol(A) polyster, bisphenol vinylester,

Novalac epoxy and phenolics – Fire retardant

Summary:

Glass fiber reinforced composites are being selectively used in chemical process and oil &
gas industries for the following advantages:

 Exceptional freedom of design and manufacture of many complex shapes.

 Outstanding durability even in extremely harsh environments
 Custom selection of resin and reinforcements
 Superior strength and stiffness to weight ratios
 Highly corrosion resistant in almost every chemical environment
 Lower maintenance and replacement costs

GLASS LINING:

Glass

 Inert, hard and biologically inactive

 Can be formed into very smooth and impervious surface
 Brittle in nature

Types of Pfaudler Glass:

 World Wide Glasteel 9100

 Pharma Glass PPG
 Stainless Steel Glass 4000
 Ultra Glass-6500
 Anti-static Glass

World Wide Glasteel 9100:

 Offers an unmatched combination of

 Corrosion resistance
 Impact Strength
 Thermal shock resistance
  Non-adherence
 Heat transfer efficiency

Stainless Steel Glass 4000:

 Reliable glass lining of stainless steel for pharmaceutical / FDA applications

 Suitable for cryogenic processes & pure products for electronics
 Virtually inert glass that resists corrosion, abrasion and product adherence

Pfaudler Ultra Glass:

 Addresses the requirement of chemical reactions at high temperatures

 Enhanced thermal tolerance upto 343oC – an improvement over WWG 9100
 Extended thermal shock protection for faster heating and cooling

Limitations:

 Operating temperature
 Chemicals
 Cavitation
 Electrostatic discharge
 Abrasion

FRP:

What is FRP? FRP is a resin lining into which layers of Fibers are incorporated to optimize
lining structure capability and performance.

Types:

 Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP)

 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP)
 Polymer (Aramid) Fiber Reinforced Plastics (PFRP)

Why FRP?

 FRP is widely used because of its relatively low cost, good chemical resistance and its
mechanical properties:
 Specific tensile strength (GPacm3/gm) – Tensile strength per unit density
 Specific stiffness (GPacm3/gm) – Tensile modulus per unit density

Scope of Use:

 Bottom lining of AST

 Piping
 Automotive
 Naval
 Aerospace

Why tank lining?

  Effective method for preventing internal corrosion in storage tanks
 Maintaining the stored chemicals purity and quality
 Long life time for storage tanks
 To overcome tank bottom perforations due to external corrosion

Graphite:

Impervious Graphite is a traditional material selected for high conductivity, chemical

resistance and good mechanical properties.It is specially treated with synthetic resins to
ensure that the base structure is fully impervious to liquids under pressure.

Graphite forms no compounds due to corrosion, no surface films as do many metals. Hence
graphite surface remains smooth and more resistant to scale build-up.

Graphite lining can replace most of other types of linings due to:

 Better thermal conductivity

 Superior chemical corrosion resistance. Corrosion loss is < 0.05mm/yr
 Lower initial / lifetime costs
 Has higher temperature applications compared to all the polymeric linings except for
PTFE family
 Trouble free operating life of approx. 5 yrs
 Can be used for lining very large size equipments

Regularly available equipments with graphite:

 Reaction vessels
 Heat exchangers
 Falling film absorbers
 Acid dilution units
 Tail gas scrubbers
 Raschig rings
 Dry HCL gas handling equipments
 Impervious graphite tiles

Patch repairs: Can be repaired easily as compared to other linings, especially glass lining.