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This article is a whole-plant solution for chemical plants, not an in-depth article on the mechanism of acid resistance. The mechanism of acid resistance, why the same acid can give different results under different conditions, and how to zone by level of acid exposure are covered in detail in: Acid-Resistant Epoxy Coating for Chemical Plants. This article continues from there: a real chemical plant has not only acids, not only one production area, but both acids and alkalis, with warehouses, loading areas, filling areas, drainage channels, transport routes and auxiliary areas, and the floors of all of these areas must be considered as one system, not as separate cells.
Seeing the whole plant: a different exposure scenario for each area
The production area is where chemicals are mixed, reacted and transferred through pipelines, with risk of splashes and spills during operation. The warehouse is where raw materials and finished products are stored, and the main risk is leakage from packaging, drums and tanks. Loading and filling areas are where spills happen most often, because these are the points where chemicals are transferred from one tank to another. Transport routes and receiving areas carry lower risk but cover a large area, and a leak on a transport route can spread along the whole route if the floor is not seamless and has no collection channels. So the first question when flooring a chemical plant is not which coating to choose, but describing correctly the exposure scenario of each area: which chemicals, whether contact is short-term spillage, splashing or continuous immersion, for how long, and at what temperature.
Both acids and alkalis, and one cannot be inferred from the other
Chemical plants use both acids and alkalis: acids in production and cleaning, alkalis in industrial cleaning, neutralisation and some production processes. A common mistake is to assume that a coating system that resists acids automatically resists alkalis, or vice versa. In practice, acid resistance and alkali resistance of a coating system must be checked separately, for each chemical and each specific exposure condition. The table below is only indicative by area; it is not the chemical resistance table of any product, and every specific resistance capability must be checked against the official technical documentation of the chosen coating system.
| Area | Common type of contact (qualitative) | Requirement and reference |
|---|---|---|
| Production area | Splashes and spills during operation | Resistance of the coating system to the chemicals in this area: check against the TDS of the specific product |
| Raw material and finished product warehouse | Leakage from packaging, drums and tanks | Resistance of the coating system to the chemicals stored here: check against the TDS of the specific product |
| Loading and filling area | Frequent spills at transfer points | Resistance of the coating system to the chemicals loaded and filled here: check against the TDS of the specific product |
| Drainage channels and collection pits | Prolonged contact with collected chemicals | Resistance of the coating system to the chemicals collected here: check against the TDS of the specific product |
| Transport and receiving routes | Leaks spreading along the route | Resistance of the coating system to the chemicals transported through here: check against the TDS of the specific product |
| Industrial cleaning area using alkalis | Contact with alkaline cleaning solutions | Alkali resistance of the coating system in this area: check against the TDS of the specific product |
Drainage channels, wall bases and joints: where chemicals find their way down to the substrate
In a chemical plant, floor failure often starts not in the middle of the floor surface but at details: wall bases, drainage channels, expansion joints and pipe penetrations through the floor. Spilled chemicals flow to wall bases and channels, pool there and attack the coating from the edge. A chemical plant floor system therefore needs to be designed seamlessly up to the wall base, with drainage channels collecting into a containment pit, and joints treated so that chemicals cannot seep down to the substrate through the joints. This is also why the in-depth article on acid resistance stresses seamless wall bases and collection channels; at whole-plant level, this principle must be applied evenly to every area, not only to the main production area.
Cleaning, safety and periodic inspection
After a spill, cleaning speed decides most of the damage: a spill collected and washed away immediately is very different from chemicals left pooling overnight or over a weekend. Spill response procedures, protective equipment and zone warning signs are the operating responsibility of the plant and need to be agreed before the floor is installed, not improvised after the floor has already been damaged. Periodically, drainage channels, wall bases and loading areas should be checked for signs of discolouration, surface softening or edge lifting, as these are early signs that the coating system in that area is no longer suited to the chemicals in use. When such signs appear, the technical documentation of the coating system and the chemical resistance table of the manufacturer need to be checked again, rather than continuing to use the floor as before. The general chemical resistance reference framework is presented in: Chemical Resistance of Epoxy Floors: A Reference Table by Acid Concentration
When deeper questions are needed before choosing a system
Before choosing a coating system for a specific chemical plant, the actual list of chemicals in use, the exposure scenario of each area, the working temperature and the cleaning requirements of the plant are needed. This information must be included in the technical requirements sent to the supplier, so the supplier can check it against the technical documentation and the chemical resistance table of the specific coating system. The coating systems of Kadier include the RollCoat coating system and the LevelFlow coating system; this article does not claim that either of them resists any specific acid or alkali, because such a claim is only valid when checked against the official technical documentation (TDS) of that system. For the general installation process and occupational safety, see also: Standard Epoxy Flooring Installation Process, from Survey to Handover and Workplace Safety When Applying Epoxy Floor Coatings.
Scope note: the content above describes the general characteristics of epoxy materials and flooring systems, with TCVN 9014:2011 and TCVN 12574-2018 as reference framework where relevant. The table in this article is only qualitative by area, records no concentration, records no numeric value, and is not the chemical resistance table of any product. This article does not publish technical parameters or test results specific to any particular Kadier coating system; those parameters apply only where the official technical documentation (TDS) and the chemical resistance table of the specific product exist.
Featured image: Michael Pointner on Pexels.
