APC Re-Appoints HÜNI + CO as Sole ChemLINE Coatings Applicator in Europe for Tank Containers

Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has re-appointed industry leader HÜNI + CO, from Friedrichshafen, Germany as its sole ChemLINE coatings applicator in Europe for tank containers. The signing of this new contract solidifies a more than 10-year working relationship between the two companies, which began in 2004. Present at the signing were Mr. Donald J. Keehan, Chairman of Advanced Polymer Coatings and Mr. Peter Hüni, President of HÜNI + CO, along with other members of the management and sales teams.

HÜNI + CO’s history dates back to its founding in 1859. The company added high performance coating application for corrosion protection to its services in 1959 and has been involved in coating tanks, containers, and various apparatus since then. In January 2016, the next generation in the Hüni family will continue the legacy of the company when Ms. Alexa Hüni, the daughter of Mr. Hüni, will join the company full time, marking this as the sixth generation family member.

Today HÜNI + CO has become Europe’s leading tank container applicator working with major chemical manufacturers, other chemical and agri-chem companies, tank operators, lessors and tank manufacturers.

Mr. Hüni notes that the market is now growing for lined product tanks. “There is a need for specialized tank containers with protective linings that can carry high value corrosives and other liquids, thus generating higher revenue.”

He points out there are some coatings that may be able to handle carriage of a specific cargo, but only the ChemLINE coating system can carry the entire range of approved chemicals. “ChemLINE offers tremendous versatility,” Mr. Hüni explains, “by providing the capability to easily carry different cargos when needed. ChemLINE handles more than 5,000 thousand different chemical cargoes including acids, alkalis, solvents, CPPs, edible oils, agricultural chemicals and many others.

Mr. Keehan, from Advanced Polymer Coatings, states “The APC/HÜNI + CO relationship has been solid since day one. We have great trust in the technical ability and the attention to quality that HÜNI + CO repeatedly delivers. They have an excellent system that produces outstanding tank container lining results and they understand how to apply ChemLINE coatings and the attention needed for proper heat curing and inspection to bring about the desired performance.”

Proper heat curing of ChemLINE® creates a highly cross-linked and tightly knit coating structure that provides unprecedented chemical resistance, even at elevated temperatures. The coating has a smooth gloss finish that is easily cleaned.
HÜNI + CO has had many successful ChemLINE® applications on a range of transport and processing equipment, including IBC’s, product tank containers, bulk chemical storage tanks, process reactors, and scrubber columns. Mr. Hüni says ChemLINE offers ideal protection for these applications.

Before any tank container is accepted for ChemLINE coating, HÜNI + CO first inspects the tank condition to ensure the surface is well prepared and the equipment in the tank is in good working order. Once confirmed, a multi-step process starts that includes proper surface preparation and blasting, coating application, inspection, and heat curing. HÜNI + CO coats newbuild tank containers as well as replacing failed or damaged competitive linings in existing tank containers with ChemLINE®.

Step one, surface preparation, ensures a successful coating application by properly cleaning and preparing the quality of the surface. Various type abrasives are selected as needed to achieve the necessary profile. A substrate may be made of stainless steel, hasteloy, titanium, aluminium, or carbon steel.

Step two, application, is typically first done as a red base coat of ChemLINE. Next, a grey ChemLINE top coat is applied as the finish coat. Additional finishes can be provided as anti-static or anti-slip. Tanks are then inspected and spark tested to ensure proper coatings coverage.

Step three, covers heat curing. HÜNI + CO utilises indirect firing of insulated and un-insulated tanks in order to heat cure effectively. Bifurcated fans, connected to the tanks via flexi-ducting, work in conjunction with the diffusers to ensure overall uniformity of the substrate temperature. Diffusers are fitted to burner inlet jets for effective heat distribution. For temperature measurement, thermocouples are strategically placed in the tank, transmitting temperature readings to a central recording desk. Sophisticated chart recorders plot the temperature data being returned from each thermocouple. A graphical representation of the recorded data is produced to prove the time – temperature correlation in line with quoted specifications.

Throughout the process, quality is closely monitored and data dossiers are provided for customers requiring evidence of compliance. These include recording of heat curing temperatures and times, visual inspection of the tank container, layer thickness measurements of approximately 400 measuring points per tank container in the final test, certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2008, spark testing with high voltage in accordance with DIN 55670–A, testing and recording of the electrical conductivity, and work certificates.

Mr. Hüni states if a tank container lined with ChemLINE is well maintained, then “Our customers can expect nothing less than 10 years service.”