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Chemical Processing Piping & Structures
Trenchless Lining and Epoxy Coating for Chemical Processing Piping SystemsChemical processing plants run piping and structures exposed to some of the most aggressive process chemistry in industry. Acid and caustic transfer lines take continuous chemical attack that varies by process line, not by plant. Cooling and process water systems corrode from continuous exposure. Wastewater and interceptor systems carry process byproducts that shift from batch to batch. Concrete structures, manholes, box structures, and containment, take chemical exposure directly on the surface, not only inside a pipe. Treating all of these with one generic coating or lining system is where premature failures start. A resin or epoxy that holds up in one process line can fail within months in another, because the pH, temperature, and specific chemical makeup of the exposure changes what the coating actually has to survive. Getting the formulation wrong is one of the more common causes of early coating failure in chemical processing, and it often isn’t visible until the structure underneath is already compromised. Ed Ward, our technical lead, has personally installed more than 500,000 linear feet of CIPP liner, and Hill Services’ epoxy systems are formulated to the specific pH and temperature range of the line they protect. Not a single universal product applied everywhere.
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Trenchless Rehabilitation for Chemical Processing Piping and Structures
The right lining or coating system depends on what is actually flowing through the line, acid, caustic, solvent, or heat, and at what concentration. Full technical detail on each method is further down the page.
CIPP Trenchless LiningGravity line rehabilitation for process drainage and wastewater collection systems, installed without disturbing production above ground. |
Primus Pressure Pipe LiningPressure pipe lining for chemical transfer lines that carry product under pressure. Hill Services is the only certified Primus installer for industrial oil and gas in the U.S. |
Plural Hot-Heated Epoxy CoatingCustom-formulated spray epoxy for acid, caustic, and solvent exposure, applied without sandblasting and on wet surfaces where needed. |
Video Inspection and AssessmentEvery project starts with an inspection of the line’s real condition, so the fix matches the chemistry it has to survive. |
Built for the Process Floor
These are the systems inside a chemical plant where a coating or lining failure is expensive, visible, and often regulated.
Caustic & Acid Process LinesPipe and structure rehabilitation for lines carrying the most aggressive chemistry in the plant. The right lining or coating depends on the exact acid or base concentration the line sees, not a general chemical-resistance rating. |
Chemical Storage TanksInterior coating and structural rehabilitation for tanks holding corrosive product, where a coating failure often shows up as a slow leak long before the tank wall itself is compromised. |
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Cooling & Process WaterGravity and pressure lines supporting production, rehabilitated without a shutdown. These systems run continuously and are rarely inspected from the inside until something forces the issue. |
Wastewater Treatment SystemsGravity sewer and interceptor rehabilitation for plant wastewater under regulatory scrutiny, carrying process byproducts that shift with whatever is running through the plant that week. |
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Concrete Structure RehabilitationManholes, box structures, and wet wells coated to resist ongoing chemical exposure, using formulations matched to the specific acid, caustic, or solvent present. |
Specialty Resin ApplicationsFormulations matched to unusual process conditions where a standard CIPP resin or coating will not hold, developed for the chemistry rather than adapted from a catalog product. |
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Across the Ship Channel and Beyond
Hill Services works chemical processing facilities throughout the greater Houston industrial corridor.
Plants Running Aggressive Chemistry
Choose Hill Services
You Know How We Work.
Let’s Talk About Your Process Line.
If this is enough to know Hill Services understands chemical processing piping and structures, the next step is a conversation. Contact an expert or request a project estimate below. Prefer more detail first? The technical breakdown of CIPP, Primus, and epoxy, along with the standards and equipment behind each one, continues below.
How We Match the Method to the Chemistry
What follows covers the three trenchless methods Hill Services installs in chemical processing plants, in more depth than most visitors need. Every project starts with a video inspection to document the line’s actual condition: gravity or pressure, the specific chemical exposure, material already lost. That inspection, and the process chemistry itself, is what determines which method below is the right one. Keep scrolling for the technical detail, or reach out now if you already have what you need.
Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) Lining for Chemical Plant Gravity Systems
Cured-in-place pipe rehabilitates gravity-fed lines, process drainage, and wastewater collection systems from the inside. A resin-saturated liner is inserted into the existing pipe using air inversion, then cured in place with heat applied through burners, forming a new structural pipe inside the old one without excavating near active production.
The Masterliner CIPP products used on Hill Services projects meet ASTM F1216 and F1743, the governing standards for cured-in-place pipe design and installation. Ed Ward, our lead technician, is Masterliner-certified across the full four-inch to ninety-six-inch diameter range and has personally installed more than 500,000 linear feet.
CIPP is not manufactured for pressure service, and it is not chemistry-agnostic either. The resin system has to match what the line actually carries, not just whether the line is gravity or pressure.
4″–96″ Diameter range installed |
500,000+ ft Installed by our lead technician |
ASTM F1216 / F1743 Governing standards met |
Primus Pressure Pipe Lining for Chemical Transfer Lines
Primus is a flexible pressure pipe system built around a fabric of aramid fibers, the same fiber family as Kevlar, layered between an inner and outer wall of polyethylene or thermoplastic polyurethane. That fabric layer lets the liner carry the full operating pressure on its own once installed, rather than depending on adhesion to the host pipe. Manufacturer testing rates the system for a minimum fifty-year service life.
Installation needs only two access pits, one at each end of the section being rehabilitated, not a continuous trench through a process area. The old pipe is inspected by camera and mechanically cleaned, then the liner, delivered folded flat, is winched through using a pulling head rated to more than 22,000 pounds of force. Once in place, it is pressurized with air to round out into its final shape, connectors are pressed on at each end, and the section is pressure tested before it goes back into service.
Individual sections can run up to 8,200 feet in a single continuous pull. Primus is certified for drinking water and gas service and is used across water, wastewater, oil, and gas pipelines, rated for operating pressure above 1,000 PSI depending on pipe size. Hill Services is the only contractor certified to install it for industrial oil and gas applications in the United States.
8,200 ft Max. single continuous pull |
50-year Rated minimum service life |
1,000+ PSI Rated operating pressure |
Plural Hot-Heated Epoxy Coating Matched to Your Process Chemistry
Plural hot-heated epoxy is a 100 percent solids coating system, spray-applied from a heated trailer that can reach up to 300 feet of hose run. It applies directly to concrete without sandblasting, and it can go on wet surfaces, which matters in a chemical plant where a structure cannot always be taken fully dry before a maintenance window closes.
The formulation is matched to the exposure rather than sold as one universal product. Current systems handle a pH range of roughly 2 to 13, and Hill Services’ applications have tested to a 2,500 psi pull test. A resin built for a caustic environment is not the same resin used for a strong acid line, and treating them the same is where a lot of coating failures start.
Spray-applied epoxy accounts for an estimated 15 to 25 percent of manhole and structure rehabilitation work nationally by volume, and that share climbs toward half of all specifications in severe corrosion environments, exactly the condition common in chemical process areas.
Ed Ward, who leads this work at Hill Services, calls it the Cadillac of the industry. It costs more to install than a cementitious coating. It also holds up longer against the specific chemistry a process plant actually produces.
pH 2–13 Chemical resistance range |
2,500 psi Pull test rating |
300 ft Spray reach from trailer |
Hill Services also provides plumbing, HVACR, and industrial and environmental services for facilities like this one.
Planning Work at a Houston Chemical Plant?
Start With the Right Conversation.
Talk to a NACE-certified inspector or a trenchless specialist about your process line before you commit to a formal estimate. We will tell you straight whether the chemistry and the schedule are the right fit.