Fast recoating from Jotun

GET BACK TO WORK

COATINGS • JOTUN IS AIMING TO SAVE TERMINAL OPERATORS MONEY WHEN THEY NEED TO RE-COAT TANKS, BY HAVING THEM UP AND RUNNING MORE QUICKLY THAN EVER

JOTUN, ONE OF the global leaders in paints and coatings, has launched TankFast, a range of tank linings formulated to allow bulk liquids storage tanks to return back to service quicker than ever before, with excellent chemical resistance capabilities.

“To optimise earnings our customers need to ensure tanks are fully operational,” comments Miles Buckhurst, global concept director – hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) at Jotun. “Even with spare tanks, storage and transportation flexibility and profit potential are diminished when one or more has to be taken out of service. At Jotun we have recognised that the industry needs to keep tanks in service, and our answer is TankFast, allowing tanks to return to service faster than ever before while retaining the optimal level of protection. We see this a clear win-win for our global customer base within these highly competitive segments – segments where peak efficiency and productivity are absolutely critical to success.”

The TankFast range consists of a number of specially tailored products, such as Tankguard SF, allowing for wet-on-wet application, and Tankguard Plus, allowing for up to 50 per cent faster paint application and curing, which together give significantly shorter shutdowns, getting tanks in the refinery, petrochemical and chemical sectors back into service quicker than ever before. BOTTOM LINE BOOST “The business case for these products is crystal clear,” adds Michelle C Ystad Eriksen, global marketing manager – HPI. “If we consider, for example, a large refinery with a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day – if that has the possibility to return tanks to operation after two days instead of a week then it can refine an additional 324 million litres of crude oil. This is the power of TankFast.

“It demonstrates that the choice of tank linings isn’t simply a maintenance issue, it’s a core business decision, with real impact on bottom lines. We’re looking forward to helping our customers realise this potential.”

Not only does the Tankguard range provide the basis for the TankFast concept, it also offers different formulations to handle different materials. For instance, zinc silicate coatings are appropriate for use with alcohols, ketones and other solvents; vinyl ester coatings are best for biofuels, acids and aggressive chemicals; and epoxy coatings are suitable for use with alkaline solutions, vegetable and mineral oils (depending on acidity) and some biofuels. Phenolic epoxy coatings are used in high temperature applications.

This range of capabilities is part of Jotun’s overall thinking on HPI coatings. “Our mission is to identify and focus on the needs of our customers by offering practical, easy to use products, proven to provide solutions wherever protection is in demand,” the company states. “The longer the lifetime of a coating the greater potential for savings. Correct choice of coating system can ensure time saving benefits and a correct lifetime of the system, reduce maintenance and shutdown time and less chance of system failure.”

Jotun is an acknowledged leader in providing protective coatings to the chemical and oil and gas industries. The firm, which is headquartered in Sandefjord, Norway, has supplied innovative, high performance solutions to customers in these specialised markets for more than three decades. HCB www.jotun.com

JOTUN AIMS TO PROVIDE THE BEST COATING AND