How to Extend Coatings Service Lives on Offshore Assets

Bruce Toews and Johnny Pourciau from Sherwin-Williams explain how using non-traditional systems can help enhance corrosion protection.

Amidst the countless challenges offshore drilling and production operations face, corrosion is a major one. It's an ongoing issure that acts continuously on structures, forcing mainentance workers to frequently intervene to blast and recoat steel assets to restore protection.

Coatings on offshore structures more often last only 18 to 24 months before requiring major repairs, leaving producers with higher operating costs and more frequent logistical challenges. Because stakeholders are realizing the same diminished longevity results from traditionally specified coating systems, the industry could benefit from finding new solutions that deliver longer asset service lives and reduced maintenance costs. To help, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine initiated a three-year accelerated testing protocol for offshore coatings in 2017. The study is examining the performance of different coating systems over various surface preparations to find the optimal combinations for long-term corrosion protection.