Exploration • Drilling • Field Services
Overcoming the winter challenge
Joao Azevedo reveals how new preparation technology is paving the way for enhanced coating operations – even in challenging environments.
narrow in northern Europe. Here, the downtime associated with maintenance can be costly, with the process of coating during typical offshore projects being a relatively small component but often a disproportionate cost of the overall project.
T
he time and quality challenges facing those managing offshore projects in harsh environments have never been higher – with the painting and coatings window particularly
covering its use in immersion as well as atmospheric service conditions in offshore, marine, industrial and construction sectors. Te technology offered by Dura-Plate 301W brings cold curing down to 0°C and provides an extended recoatability of up to six months – two important extensions.
Change of image One of the most impressive impacts of the
Fig.1. Cold curing an offshore platform.
Te combination of weather delays, the disturbing effects of abrasive blasting during surface preparation stages and the need for re-blasting or re-painting when the agreed coating standard has not been achieved all add up over the course of the project. Terefore, enabling year-round coating work where required has become increasingly important, particularly in Europe where plunging temperatures in harsh environments often prohibit or delay vital work on these projects. Working with its key customers, the technical
team at Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings EMEA, based at Bolton, Greater Manchester, has researched and developed a cold curing expansion of its surface and humidity tolerant epoxy technology. Te new technology has the same broad field of application as previous generations,
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technology is the way it has transformed the perception about the use of ultra-high pressure (UHP) water jetting as the preferred surface preparation method. Tis method has a number of advantages, namely reduced environmental impact and better surface cleanliness. However, it also poses three challenges: the steel surface gets damp; flash rust quickly develops before coating application; and no surface profile is generated. Conventional coatings struggle to cope with such challenges.
Fig.2. FPSO units benefit from new coatings technology.
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