See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/267025379

Corrosion Protection of offshore wind turbines – long life protective

coatings

Conference Paper · January 2009

CITATIONS READS

3 1,409

2 authors:

Ole Knudsen Astrid Bjørgum

SINTEF SINTEF
46 PUBLICATIONS   254 CITATIONS    28 PUBLICATIONS   283 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Pipeline coatings View project

NOWITECH, https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/nowitech/ View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Astrid Bjørgum on 07 October 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Corrosion Protection for Offshore Wind, Bremen, 28 – 30 April 2015

New coatings for corrosion protection of

offshore wind structures

Astrid Bjørgum
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry

astrid.bjorgum@sintef.no

Technology for a better society 1

Layout

• Introduction
• Corrosion protection
• Protective coating systems
• Cost-effective, low maintenance
coating systems
• Laboratory and field testing
• Conclusions

http://www.maritimheute.de/offshore-windpark-kaikas-genehmigt/

Technology for a better society 2

 Introduction

Challenges for offshore wind farms

• 20 – 25 years design lifetime
• Harsh environmental conditions
• Corrosion is proven to be a
detrimental treat
– Construction integrity
– Economy of offshore wind
energy production
• To compete with other energy
sources reduced costs are essential
Hywind – Photo:Trude Refsahl, Statoil
• Maintenance costs need to be
taken into consideration

Technology for a better society 3

Offshore wind turbines –
coating maintenance?
Maintenance and repair costs
offshore of coatings are high
• Reduced accessibility
• Weather conditions
– Wind
– Waves
– Seasonal variations
• Long and irregular inspection
intervals

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/images/float-on-floating-offshore-
wind-opens-up-the-deep-52031/47238

Technology for a better society 4

Corrosion protection of
offshore steel constructions
Design for long lifetimes needs to consider
• Environmental conditions on site
• External surfaces are divided in three-3 zones
differing with respect to
– Corrosivity
– Corrosion protection methods
• Corrosivity highest in splash zone
– Alternating immersed in seawater
– Constant wet from wave action
– Good oxygen supply
• Protection methods
– Protective coating systems
– Cathodic protection in submerged areas

• Internal surfaces – not focused here

Technology for a better society 5

Protective coating systems for steel structures
Experience from offshore oil and gas
• Long lifetimes for coating systems applied in splash zone
• Atmospheric zone
– Coating maintenance is almost always demanded
– 8 – 10 years maintenance intervals

Selection/prequalification of coating system according to

• NORSOK M-501/ISO 20340
Exposure conditions Typical coating system Lifetime expectancy
Zinc epoxy: 60 µm
Time to first major maintenance is normally
Atmospheric zone Epoxy barrier coat: 150 µm
about 10 years.
UV resistant topcoat: 70 µm
2-coats polyester Lifetime of 20 years or more is usually
Splash zone
Mean dry film thickness: > 1000 µm achieved
2-coats epoxy According to design life. Degradation of the
Submerged zone
Mean dry film thickness : 350 µm coating is compensated by sacrificial anodes.

Technology for a better society 6

Maintenance of coating systems offshore

Experience has shown

• Quality of repaired coating is
affected by the environmental Maintenance free
conditions coatings
Paint
• Shorter life time than original for long-life
coating TSZ constructions
Steel
Coating systems with long lifetime may
be beneficial in long run despite higher
investment costs, e-g., "duplex" coating
systems
• Metallization
• Paint system

Technology for a better society 7

Protective coating systems –
offshore wind parks Windpark
Operation Protection system outside
year
Protection system inside
Coating DFT (µm) Coating DFT (µm)
Tunø Knob 1995 Metallization 80 µm Zinc epoxy 40 µm
Epoxy 100 µm Epoxy 2x 140 µm
Coating specifications for steel towers on Epoxy 100 µm
50 µm
six offshore wind parks have been Vindeby 1991 Metallization 120 µm Epoxy 75 µm
11 turbines Epoxy 100 µm Epoxy 150 µm
summarized by Hempel installed Epoxy 100 µm
• Metallization combined with a 3-coat Polyurethane
topcoat
50 µm

paint system Utgrunden 2000 Zinc epoxy 75 µm Zinc epoxy 70 µm

7 turbines Epoxy 2 x 110 µm Epoxy 150 µm
• Thermally sprayed zinc-aluminium installed Polyurethane 50 µm
topcoat
85% Zn + 15% Al Middelgrunden 2001 Metallization 100 µm Metallization 80 µm
• Inside usually pure paint systems 20 turbines
installed
Epoxy
Epoxy
120 µm
100 µm
Epoxy
Epoxy
100 µm
100 µm
• Metallization has been specified as Polyurethane
topcoat
50 µm

internal corrosion protection in the Horns Rev 2002 Metallization 100 µm Metallization 80 µm
splash zone 80 turbines
installed
Epoxy
Epoxy
100 µm
120 µm
Epoxy
Epoxy
100 µm
100 µm
Polyurethane 50 µm
Paint systems without metallization have topcoat
Samsø 2003 Metallization 80 µm First 10 m:
been used if less time consuming surface Epoxy 120 µm Metallization 60 µm
treatments and reduced costs are Epoxy
Polyurethane
100 µm
50 µm
Epoxy
Above 10 m:
200 µm

demanded topcoat Zinc epoxy 50 µm

Epoxy 100 µm

Technology for a better society 8

Low maintenance long-life coating systems
• Reinforced polyester or epoxy coatings
• Thermally sprayed aluminium (TSA) with
a sealer on top
• Duplex coating systems consisting of
• Thermally sprayed zinc (TSZ)
• Sealer, EP barrier coat, PU topcoat
• Used on Norwegian bridges since 1965
• No corrosion after 40 years
Rombak Bridge, www.Wikipedia.com
• High investments and life-cycle costs
• How can coating costs be reduced?
• Duplex coating systems
• Reduce paint thickness
• Reduce number of paint coat
• Paint modification
• Reduce TSZ layer thickness
Technology for a better society 9
Test programme – cost effective coating systems

• Steel substrate
– Grit blasted
Coating thickness [µm)
Generic type of paint
• Metallization Paint Paint + TSZ
– TSZ (85% Zn/15 % Al) – 100 µm Polyaspartic 245 345
Polyurethane 70 170
• Simplified paint system Modified 120 220
– Usually 3-coat paint systems polyurethane
Epoxy 187 287
– 1-coat paint system to reduce
Modified epoxy 165 265
• Coating costs
• Production time

• Commercial paints applied by the

paint supplier
– Unmodified
– Modified by addition of
FunzioNano™ derivates (HAPS)

Technology for a better society 10

10
FunzioNano – TM

Partly functionalised particles

R
O

NH O

Particles are R
NH
R
NH
O

• Still reactive with resin components

Si O Si
O O O
OO
Si O
Si NH R
R

• Can be built into the polymeric network

Si O Si
O O
NH O O NH R
O Si O Si

The particles may NH

O
Reactive
• Increase crosslinking density O
R HN R
primary amine
• Improve surface quality O

• Improve coating properties like

• Barrier
H2N

• Abrasion Modification: NH2

R´ = Hexyl H2N

• Erosion
Si O Si
O O
O O
Si O Si NH2
Si O Si

• Friction H2N
O

Si
O
O
O

Si
O NH2

H2N

H2N

Technology for a better society 11

Field testing

3.5 years field exposure at Fraunhofer IWES test station at Helgoland

• Samples were placed in the splash zone
• Marine fouling around fastenings
• Green algae and barnacle species

Samples at rack ready for exposure Samples after 3.5 years exposure

Technology for a better society 12

Results of field testing
Sample
Generic type of paint Coating conditions/Corrosion
no.
1 Polyaspartic A few small/medium sized blisters.
Coating delamination along scribe
2 Modified polyurethane – 1% HAPS Surface blistering (due to low DFT)
3, 4 Epoxy Coating delamination (< 2 mm) along scribe
5, 6, 7 Modified epoxy – 4% HAPS No coating delamination

Technology for a better society 13

1
Laboratory testing

Pre-qualification of protective coating systems for offshore oil and gas

• Ageing resistance testing according to ISO 20340 / NORSOK M-501:
– 25 cycles, each lasting one week

– Coating scribed down to bare steel

– 4200 hours exposure
• The test method is known to predict offshore performance

Technology for a better society 14

Result of ageing resistance testing
Reference

Severe corrosion
creep form scribe!

20

16

Corrosion creep [mm]

 Duplex systems compared to a 12

standard paint system

 : 3 mm test qualification limit 8

Test method not suitable for TSZ 4

coatings based on 85Zn/15Al alloy! Reference

0
Polyaspartic Epoxy Epoxy + 4% HAPS-1 3-coat paint
system

Technology for a better society 15

 Ageing resistance testing – ISO 20340
• Little or no blistering for TSZ consisting of 100% Zn
• High extent of blistering for TSZ containing Al
• Acidification beneath the paint when Al start to corrode
25 µm TSZ - 100% Zn 50 µm TSZ - 100% Zn 50 µm TSZ alloy - 85% Zn/15% Al,
2 x 150 µm epoxy mastic 2 x 150 µm epoxy mastic 2 x 150 µm epoxy mastic

Technology for a better society

 Parallel test program

Comparison field testing and ISO 20340

• Coatings with TSZ:
‒ Performed excellently in the field test
‒ Failed completely in ISO 20340 (pictures next slide)

• Reasonable correlation for the other coating systems

25
ISO 20340
Corrosion creep from scribe (mm)

Field test
20
System Generic type Total film thickness [µm]

15
A TSZ + Epoxy 660
B Epoxy 560
C TSZ + Polysiloxane 350
10 D Polyester 1500
E Epoxy 550
F Epoxy 700
5
G Epoxy 800
0 0
0
A B C D E F G

Technology for a better society 17

Laboratory compared to field

After ISO 20340

Coating A Coating B

Field testing
Coating A Coating B
Delaminated coating has been removed

Technology for a better society 18

Conclusions

• Coating systems with lifetime >20 years are available, but are generally costly
• More cost-effective coating systems are needed
– Long lifetime
– Avoid costly maintenance
– Cost reductions in yard

• Duplex coating with TSZ seem to perform excellent in the field test, even with a very
simple paint system on top
• Unable to predict the performance of coating systems with TSZ containing Al from
the laboratory test used
• Field testing is needed to validate duplex coating systems including ZnAl alloys
• So far no clear effect of our paint modification with FunzioNano particles
TM

Technology for a better society 19

 Thank you for your attention –

Questions?

Technology for a better society 20

View publication stats