Storage Tank Polyurea Lining Retrofit in China

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A leading coastal petrochemical storage terminal operator deployed Haifeng’s high-pressure hydraulic polyurea spraying equipment to execute a major lining retrofit for a 50,000 m³ vertical crude oil storage vessel. The project required replacing a degraded epoxy glass-flake coating with an impervious 2.0 mm pure polyurea elastomeric barrier across 18,000 m² of internal sidewall and bottom steel surfaces.

The client had encountered premature cracking and interfacial blisters in the legacy lining after just 36 months of service, caused by corrosive sulfur compounds and acidic brine bottoms settling in the tank sump. The key challenge was achieving continuous atomization across an 18-meter wall elevation without pressure drops, which cause fatal stoichiometry imbalances and microscopic pinholes.

Haifeng engineered a complete field spraying package centered on the HF-PU200-HYD hydraulic proportioner. Paired with 90-meter insulated heated hoses and high-elevation pneumatic drum transfer pumps, the system enabled uninterrupted high-velocity impingement spraying, meeting the client’s fast-track turnaround schedule.

Haifeng configured a heavy-duty field deployment capable of handling the large vertical scale of the petrochemical storage tank. Two mobile hydraulic proportioning skids were stationed at ground level adjacent to the tank manway. High-volume transfer pumps drew amine curatives and isocyanates directly from 200 L drums through sealed desiccant breathers.

To combat coastal temperature drops during nighttime shifts, the chemical streams were heated to 68°C within the machine’s primary heaters and pumped through 90-meter copper-mesh jacketed hoses routed up internal scaffolding. Constant hydraulic fluid displacement ensured that fluid pressures remained at 18.0 MPa without pulsing during hydraulic valve reversals.

Spray technicians operated mechanical-purge impingement spray guns, laying down successive multi-pass coats to build a seamless 2.0 mm membrane. The mechanical purge rod kept spray orifices clear during brief repositioning pauses without venting solvents inside the confined storage tank.