FEATURE SPONSOR
CORROSION CONTROL
THE X FACTOR OF OFFSHORE MAINTENANCE?
With asset maintenance and cost reduction the current buzz words for offshore operators in the marine, oil & gas and renewables sector, Matthew Doyle, Managing Director of NE England-based Wescott Coatings explains how investment in coatings repair is a vital yet often overlooked element of preserving offshore and onshore structures
Offshore structures are exposed to a variety of harsh environments that are seriously damaging to their protective coatings as well as general operational damage – constant humidity with high salinity, intensive UV light and wave action in splash areas are the perfect conditions for enhanced corrosion. Couple this to limited access and logistical challenges of repair offshore and the ‘perfect storm’ can arise where operators may attempt to postpone coatings repair and renewal, yet they do so at their peril!
originally designed for a limited lifespan, are now working beyond their planned duration creating severe operational and maintenance challenges, none more so than in their exterior coatings, the first line of defence against critical corrosion. Modern structures, particularly in the offshore wind sector, are now designed and manufactured with far more effective coatings systems.
Whilst corrosion is inevitable in an offshore environment, it can be controlled by professionally applied engineered coatings systems backed up by maintenance and whilst the cost is considerably greater than similar work carried out in a paint shop at initial manufacture, the cost of no repair or recoating is far greater including catastrophic failure of the structure.
Wescott personnel involved in rope access coatings projects on offshore platforms.
CHALLENGES In addition, we are now in a situation where several offshore structures,
FIRTH OF FORTH RAIL BRIDGE The story of the painters on the 1.5 mile long Firth of Forth Rail Bridge was factual – the coatings repair work had been on-going since its construction in 1890 leading to the expression ‘like painting the Forth Bridge’. In December 2011, however, the final touches were put to an innovative triple layer of glass flake epoxy paint, developed for the offshore oil industry, on the iconic structure which now won’t need repainting again for 25 years.
The actual coating system or paint
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk 9
used on a typical offshore project is, of course, only a fraction of the total project cost which must include personnel and materials logistics, access systems and safety, lengthy preparation work and increasingly important, environmental considerations. Typical tenders for contracts are now very rarely based purely on cost but take a contractor’s training and safety records and their environmental process for controlling all potential pollution into account.
CHALLENGES
The challenge for the industry is now to address the challenge of structures that are well past their projected life and how to repair and repaint these to extend their working life. Whilst the decommissioning of platforms such as Brent Delta is rightly seen as a huge technical achievement, the challenges of ensuring the integrity of coatings systems on other, equally old, structures will be just as demanding.
Matthew Doyle Managing Director Wescott Coatings & Training Services Ltd
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