Petrochemical industry and tank farms

The customers include the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. A weU-explored market is the treatment of gasoHne vapor at tank farms and loading fadHties for ships, railroad tankers and tmcks. A potential market is the emission reduction at petrol stations. 

While epoxy resins are known for excellent chemical resistance properties, the development and commercialization of epoxy vinyl ester resins in the 1970s by Shell and Dow offered enhanced resistance properties for hard-to-hold, corrosive chemicals such as acids, bases, and organic solvents. In conjimction with the development of the structural composites industry, epoxy vinyl ester resin composites found applications in demanding environments snch as tanks, pipes and ancillary equipment for petrochemical plants and oil refineries, automotive valve covers, and oil pans. More recently, epoxy and vinyl esters are used in the construction of windmill blades for wind energy farms. Increasing requirements in the composite industries for aerospace and defense applications in the 1980s led to the development of new, high performance multifunctional epoxy resins based on complex amine and phenolic structures. Examples of those products are the trisphenol epoxy novolacs developed by Dow Chemical and now marketed by Huntsman (formerly Ciba). 

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