FEATURE SPONSOR
SPECIALIST COATINGS MACRO PROJECTS FAIL BY
MICRO PROBLEMS Best defence against premature corrosion: paint inspection
European countries commit themselves to a low CO2
emission energy, which
leads to a release of large projects in the wave & tidal energy industry. The engineering part of all projects is under full control with highly experienced engineers and project managers in charge. However, there is not enough attention paid to special coatings and paint inspection itself, which can cause problems and money in the future.
INVISIBLE MISTAKE WILL CAUSE A PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE Some mistakes during the coating process are not visible to the naked eye. These mistakes will develop problems over time. It may take two or more years before it becomes visible, but by that time the projects are already up and running and the price for repair is more
than five times higher than the initial job and fixing projects offshore leads to further complications. The quality of an offshore coating application is much lower than the original job.
PINHOLE CAUSES CORROSION For instance, on many occasions, the problem starts with a pinhole of fewer than 100 microns (µ) in diameter. If these are not observed during the initial application of the coating they will develop in a pin corrosion at a later stage. Even though the hole is so small, the sea water will find its way to the surface and the corrosion will spread from there.
SURFACE PREPARATION IS KEY Another mistake often made is the wrong surface cleaning. Dust particles
on the surface will have a high influence on the flexibility of the coating and will contribute to osmosis effect and micro cracking which will in the end cause blistering. Again, on numerous occasions, it cannot be observed by the naked eye. Professionals will detect this problem at an early stage.
MINIMISING THE COST The revenue of a project highly depends on the cost that needs to be made during operating. Selecting highly skilled and experienced Paint Inspector for the initial coating application is crucial to decrease the maintenance cost in the future.
Paint Inspector
www.wavetidalenergynetwork.co.uk
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