Procedure for Surface preparation & Painting (Storage

Tank)

1.0 PURPOSE

1.1 The purpose of this procedure is to define minimum requirements for the surface
preparation  and protective coatings to be applied in storage tank  for the Project

2.0 SCOPE

2.1 The Scope of this Procedure covers the Surface Preparation and Painting activities
of storage tank for the Project 
3.0 REFERENCES

3.9 APCS 1B - Epoxy Coating System for Atmospheric Service (with

Epoxy Primer)

3.10 APCS 2A - Phenolic Epoxy Coating System for General Immersion

Service (Self-Priming)

3.11 APCS 26T - Mastic Epoxy with Polyurethane Top-Coat Coating

System

3.12 The paint manufacturer’s technical data and instruction for paint applications

4.0 DEFINITIONS

4.1 Company - CLIENT

4.2 Contractor -

5.0 ABBREVIATIONS

- Al-Khafji Joint Operations 

 5.2 ITP - Inspection and Test plan.

5.3 QSP - Quality System Procedure

5.4 QR - Quality Representative(QA/QC Manager-Project)

5.5 QAM             - QA/QC Manager (Division)/ QA/QC Manager (Corporate)

5.6 PM - Project Manager

5.7 DO - Director of Operations

5.8 PD - Project Director

5.9 HSE - Health, Safety & Environment

5.10 RH - Relative Humidity

5.11 DFT - Dry Film Thickness

5.12 WFT - Wet Film Thickness of Paint

6 PROCEDURE

6.1 General Requirements

6.1.1 All site protective coating applicators shall be qualified and certified as per SAEP 316
requirements.
6.1.2 Coating inspector shall be NACE Level II or equivalent.

6.1.3 Blasters shall have a medical examination including chest X-ray and a pulmonary
function study. These examinations shall be repeated at least every two (2) years as
per G.I. # 6.021 (Para 3.0) requirements.
6.1.4 Breathing air quality test shall be done as per G.I #1780.001 (Para 6.0 and table 2)
requirements.

6.1.5 The material and equipments used for surface preparation, painting application,
inspection shall confirm to the requirements grit or garnet and as per SAES-H-100.

6.1.6 Trained and experienced operators shall be used for surface preparation and
painting application.

6.1.7 Extreme care shall be taken to avoid the damage to the painted materials during
handling.

6.1.8 Paint data sheet from CLIENT approved Manufacturer shall be submitted for
approval prior to application.

6.1.9 Coating application shall be in accordance with SAES-H-100.

6.1.10 In multi-coat applications, primer, intermediate coat and topcoats shall be of

contrasting colors.

6.1.11 All weld lines, edges, bolts, nuts and rivets shall be given a brush applied stripe coat
prior to all paint applications.

6.1.12 Dry film thickness shall be checked in accordance with SSPC PA2.

6.1.13 All coated tanks in immersion services shall be holiday checked using a wet sponge
at 67.5 volts if coating thickness does not exceed 500 micron.

6.1.14 Daily job log shall be maintained.

6.2 Surface preparation procedure

6.2.1 Surface profile shall be 40-65 micron.

6.2.2 In preparing any surface to be coated, all loose paint, dirt, grease, rust, scale, weld
slag or any other extraneous material shall be removed and defects repaired, so as
to obtain a clean, dry even surface.

6.2.3 Sharp or rough welds shall be rounded and contoured. Sharp edges shall be
rounded or chamfered.

6.2.4 Abrasive shall be kept dry and clean.

6.2.5 Compressed air supply quality check shall be done by blotter test at the start and
midpoint of each 8 hour shift.

6.2.6 Bare steel surfaces are prepared in accordance with the Swedish or SSPC standard
mentioned below:

a) White metal blast cleaning (SA 3 or SSPC-SP5)

SA 3 very thorough blast cleaning. Mill scale, rust and foreign matter shall be
removed to the extent that the white metal appears. Subsequently, the
surface is cleaned with clean dry compressed air. It must then be checked to
correspond in appearance to the prints designated SA 3 for tank internal and
to be coated as per APCS 2A.

b) Commercial blast cleaning (SA 2 or SSPC-SP6) for tank external and to be

coated as per APCS 26T.

c) Power tool cleaning (St3 or SSPC –SP3) for touch-up less than 0.1 sq.
meters.

6.2.7 Minimum air pressure measured at blasting nozzle side of the blasting hose shall be
90 Psig.

6.2.8 All blasting pots and compressor shall be fitted with efficient water / moisture
separator and water traps etc. to maintain dry oil free air supply. Traps and filters
shall be cleaned regularly.

6.2.9 External blasting using tungsten carbide ventury type blasting nozzles with maximum
 orifice size 9 mm shall be used maintaining correct air pressure.

6.2.10 Blasting shall not be carried out when the wind speed reaches 56 Km /hr and during
dusty weather condition.

6.2.11 ‘Dead man handles’ shall be fixed to the blast line as close as practicable to the blast
nozzle and shall be held by the blast operator alone.

6.2.12 The surface shall be visually inspected and approved by CLIENT prior to primer
application. Surface cleanliness and surfaces profile shall be inspected with “press-
O-film” and to fix to the inspection report. (Attachment No. 1)

6.3 Equipment and Instruments

6.3.1 Air Compressor with accessories.

6.3.2 Crane with lifting tackles (If necessary)

6.3.3 Fire Extinguishers

6.3.4 Coating Thickness Gauge

6.3.5 Surface Profile Gauge

6.4 Storage, handling of paint and abrasives

6.4.1 Paint and thinner shall be stored in well-ventilated area or shelter according
with  recommended storage temperatures given in Saudi Aramco Paint data sheet,
SAES-H-101V. Shelter storage temperature shall not exceed 35 degree centigrade
unless stated otherwise in the paint manufacturer data sheet.

6.4.2 Paints which have exceed the shelf life given in the Saudi Aramco data sheet shall
be set aside and removed. Expired shelf life paint shall not be used.

6.4.3 Temporary storage of paint materials covered with canvas, tarpaulins shall not
exceed 14 days period as per SAES-H-100, Para 6.2.
6.4.4 Paint container showing signs of leakage shall be discarded and not to be used for
coating.

6.4.5 Abrasives shall be stored in dry and clean areas and shall be covered with tarpaulin
during storage.

6.5 Painting Materials

6.5.1 All painting materials shall be chemically pure and free from inclusions and foreign
contaminants. The age of material components shall not exceed the recommended
pot-life given by the manufactures.

6.5.2 Batch No. / code no. and date of manufacture shall be clearly given on all painting
materials.

6.5.3 All the painting materials shall be from one manufacturer.

6.5.4 External painting underneath of bottom plate (soil side) as per Aramco standard
APCS-3.

Each coat : Two or more coats of coal tar epoxy coating

Total system : minimum two coats of coal tar epoxy coating, 400-600  micron
min/max, 300 micron max DFT per coat.

6.5.5 External painting as per Aramco Standard APCS 26T.

Primer : Two or more coats of one coat of mastic epoxy primer 200-300
micron min/max DFT.

Top coat : One coat of polyurethane 40-60 microns min/max DFT

Total system 240-360 microns min/max DFT

 Top coat colour shall be specified in the paint manufacturer’s data sheet and got it
approved.

6.5.5 Internal Painting  as per Aramco standard APCS-2A

Each coat:- Three or more coats of phenolic epoxy, 125 Microns/Coat Max. DFT

Total System:- Minimum three coats of 275-375 microns min/max DFT.

6.6 Preparation of Coating Materials

6.6.1 Primer or paint shall be mixed in accordance with the paint manufacturer’s
datasheet. Mixing of the paint ingredients shall be done in open containers in a well
ventilated area. All ingredients in any container shall be thoroughly mixed and shall
be agitated by mechanically (manual agitation not allowed) frequently during
application to keep the solids in suspension.

6.7 Application of Paint Materials

6.7.1 Apply paint within 4 hrs (or as specified) after blasting. Prior to painting, check that
relative humidity shall not go under 40% and not above 80%. Steel surface
temperature shall be 30C above the dew point.

6.7.2 The substrate surface temperature shall not be less than 100C or more than the
temperature limit given in applicable manufacturer data sheet or client specification.
Do not leave the blasted materials unpainted overnight.

6.7.3 The compressed air supply shall be free of oil, moisture and contamination.

6.7.4 Used abrasive shall be removed from cleaned surface by dry brushing and blowing
down with clean, dry compressed air. Avoid handling the blasted steel surface with
bare hands.

6.7.5 Spraying of the paint shall be done by means of airless spray to obtain uniform and
correct film thickness as specified in the contract. Wet film thickness shall be
 monitored to control the required minimum dry film thickness.

6.7.6 Between applied coats the minimum and maximum drying time and temperature has
to be observed strictly in accordance with paint manufacturer’s recommendations.

6.7.7 Large surfaces shall be painted with passes in two directions at right angles and
spray overlap of previous pass shall be by 50 percentage.

6.7.8 Damaged area of painting during the transportation and erection shall be repaired
with the original material.

6.8 Dry Film Thickness (DFT)

6.8.1 To the maximum extent practical, the coats shall be applied as continuous film of
uniform thickness. Over spray, skips, runs, sags and dips shall be removed.

6.8.2 The minimum and maximum total dry film thickness of the paint shall be as per the
client’s requirements or manufactuer’s recommendations.

6.9 Repair procedure for damaged coatings

6.9.1 Clean defective area by solvent detergent wash.

6.9.2 For area less than 0.1 m2, grind to a rough metal surface using at least 80 grit disc
sander. Alternatively spot blast to bare steel. Feather edge the coating at least 50mm
beyond bare metal. If the area is very less manual application of abrasive papers
may be performed to prepare the surface.

6.9.3 For areas greater than 0.1 m 2, blast clean to obtain the metal surface pretreatment
originally specified. Feather edge the coating at least 50mm beyond bare metal.

6.9.4 Remove dust and debris by brush or vacuum.

6.9.5 Apply coating by brush for area less than 0.1 m2 and by spray for areas greater than
0.1m2 to the original specification except that the first coat of a multi-coat system
 shall be thinned by 15%.

6.10 Inspection procedure

6.10.1 QC Inspector shall check the surface of the blasted materials as per required surface
preparation and ensure that clean surface must be free from mill scale, oil, grease,
soil, cement, salt, acid or other corrosive material, which are harmful for painting.

6.10.2 Surface profile shall be inspected by using Testex Tape (Press-O-Film).

6.10.3 Degree of surface cleaning shall be inspected visually by comparing the blasted
surface with photographic standards as per SSPC or ISO 8501.

6.10.4 Relative humidity, dew point and substrate temperature shall be recorded at least
thrice per day by the supervisor in daily log book and shall be transfer to inspection
report. Blasting shall not be performed if the substrate temperature is less than 10 0C
or less than 30C above  the dew point.

6.10.5 Before painting, paint mix ratio shall be as per paint manufacturer  recommendations

6.10.6 After completion of painting, dry film shall be visually examined to establish
application defects such as over spray, dirt inclusion, blister, sag runs adhesion,
pinholes, voids, spatter and thin spots.

6.10.7 Paint coating dry film thickness (DFT) shall be measured by using an paint thickness
gauge (DFT Gauge) observation data shall be recorded in blasting & painting
inspection Report. (Attachment No. 1)

6.10.8 Paint thickness gauge, surface profile gauge, Digital thermo meter shall be calibrated
prior to use.

6.10.9 If the results of DFT is varying from the specified value or if any defect is observed
on the paint surface, it shall be rectified, before proceeding further application.

6.10.10 Rectified surface shall be re-inspected for its completeness.

 6.10.11 In addition to the above, QC Inspector shall visually inspect the quality of welds after
blasting to ensure that it is free from welding defects.

6.11 Testing Equipment

6.11.1 Measuring and testing equipments shall be properly calibrated as per schedule Q
requirements.

6.11.2 Equipment calibration shall be performed at established periods as specified of

Saudi Aramco standards, other applicable standards, or manufacturer recommend-
ations; if no standards apply, the calibration shall not exceed six months.

7.0 HSE REQUIREMENTS

7.1 The Supervisor shall ensure all necessary health & safety procedures to protect
personnel and surrounding environment during surface preparation & painting.

7.2 Manufacture's health & safety procedures for handling, storage and application of all
painting materials shall be strictly followed.

7.3 All requirements of CLIENT Fire & Safety regulations shall be followed.

8.0 ATTACHMENTS.

8.1 Attachment No. 1 - .

8.2 Attachment No. 2 -

8.3 Attachment No. 3 -

8.4 Attachment No. 4 -