Zinc silicate pre construction primer removal in fuel oil tanks 1

[ShipProtect]

Is it necessary to remove the inorganic zinc preconstruction primer in fuel oil tanks?

It is not common practice to do so. Most commercial ship owners choose not to paint the fuel oil tanks at all, some paint bottom and top only.

Is there a good reason for having this removed?

Any input will be appreciated.

 

[CDC]

Marine paints and their application is a dynamic topic, new environmental laws and solutions by paint manufacturers are constantly changing things. It has been a few years since I was involved in newbuilding of supply vessels and VLCC's but the best way it to consult people like Hempel, Jotun, International etc and ask them what the latest developments are. Do not forget that these people guarantee their paints for a number of years if applied in accordance with their instruction. There were various guidebooks on marine paints published by these people. Being in your field also requires you to subscribe to the various shipping magazines, they will point out and discuss these topics if and when necessary.

 

[ShipProtect]

Thanks for your response CDC.
I realize that the trends in the coatings technology are quite dynamic, the issue of blasting and painting of fuel oil tanks tends to be one of the "moving targets" at the moment.

I can certainly appreciate the coating manufacturers position after many years experience in the coatings and corrosion control field, however, I have yet to be convinced that it would be necessary to treat fuel oil tanks similar to lube oil tanks and to some degree chemical and fresh water tanks.

After all we are talking about heavy fuel oil.

Regards

 

[jmw]

"after all, we are talking about heavy fuel oil" begs a response. One of the main concerns with heavy fuel oils is contamination. That and quality. What was once acceptable nis increasingly less so.
The working assumption with engine fuel processing is that, between the refinery and the engine, contamination will occur. There are three types of problem here, one is with contamination as a natural result of the handling e.g. water, sea water etc. Another is unusual contaminants of unknown origin (reequiring expert analysis to track down the cause and source, such as polythenes) and then there are the acts of criminal adulteration such as using the fuel as a handy dumping ground for waste chemicals such as dry cleaning fluids.
Most fuel circuits are designed to handle the routinely expected contaminants but the unusual will cause problems.
I would suggest that since oil quality and its affect on engines is a hot topic in the industry that associations such as the IBIA (

http://www.ibia.net)can

offer advice. There are also the increasingly stringent problems of pollution control. Plus engines are changing all the time.
However, if the zinc coating is a commonly encountered situation then i would expect the engine manufacturers (via CIMAC working groups

http://www.)

may also have an informed opinion. Also laboratories such as Viswa

http://www.viswalab.com

 

[GreenRichie]

I am a proponent of the paint top and bottom to protect the tank theory but see no reason for removing the primer. This primer is very resilient and can do no harm as far as I can see. If you have found something to the contrary please let me know as I am always willing to change my stance (and our building spec) should there be a technical argument.