Offshore wind turbines –

Challenges
„ High corrosivity (marine „ Variation in weather conditions
environment) „ Wind
„ Erosion impacts due to salt „ Waves

Corrosion protection of offshore particles and water droplets „ Reduced accessibility

„ Mechanical loads due to floating „ Long and irregular inspection
wind turbines ice intervals
„ Mechanical loads due to biofouling „ High maintenance and repair costs
in submerged zone
Astrid Bjørgum and Ole Øystein Knudsen

Wind Power R&D seminar – deep sea offshore wind,

Trondheim, 21-22 January 2010

Hywind – www.statoil.com

Materials and Chemistry 1 Materials and Chemistry 2

Corrosion protection – How can the turbine be protected?

necessary from the very beginning
„ Safety reasons Application of protective coating systems
„ Regularity in energy production
„ Steel tower
Rotor blades
„ Sub-structure
Environmental conditions

Design of the structure

Nacelle „ Cathodic protection

Atmospheric zone „ Inside the tower
„ Keeping the internal environment dry
Tower
Splash zone
„ Blades
„ Corrosion resistant composite materials
Sub-merged zone
Sub-structure „ Nacelle
Inside the tower „ Corrosion resistant materials
„ Keeping the internal environment dry

Mooring
www.statoil.com
www.statoil.com
Materials and Chemistry 3 Materials and Chemistry 4

Protective coatings –
Rules and regulations offshore oil & gas experience
„ International standards „ NORSOK M-501 specifies
„ Pre-treatment quality
„ IEC 61400 developed Standards/Guidelines Year
IEC 61400-1 Wind Turbines, Part 1 Design 1999/
to ensure safety for „ Generic type of coatings
requirements:
systems and IEC 61400-3 Wind Turbines, Part 3: Design 1999/ „ Film thickness and number of coats
requirements for offshore wind 2005
components turbines „ Inspection during construction and service
Germanische Lloyd - GL Rules and Part 1 Metallic Materials 1998
„ DNV DNV-OS-J101 is Regulations, II Materials and „ Experience indicates shorter lifetime of coatings recommended for the
based on existing oil & Welding. atmospheric zone than the 20 years designed life for offshore wind turbines
Germanische Lloyd - GL Rules for Guideline for Certification of 2003/
gas standards/ Classification and Construction, III Offshore Wind Turbines 2005
Offshore Technology Exposure conditions Typical coating system Lifetime expectancy
experience; The Danish Energy Agency’s Recommendations for Technical 2001
Zinc epoxy 60 µm Time to first major
synchronised with IEC Approval Scheme for Wind Turbine Approval of Offshore Wind Turbines
DNV-OS-J101 Design of Offshore Wind Turbine 2004/ Atmospheric zone Epoxy barrier coat 150 µm maintenance is normally
„ National standards (Det Norske Veritas) Structure
EU-Project RECOFF. Contract No. Recommendations for Design of
2007 UV resistant topcoat 70 µm about 10 years
According to design life.
„ Denmark ENK-CT-2000-00322 Offshore Wind Turbines 2-coats epoxy
Degradation of the coating
„ Germany Submerged zone Mean dry film thickness 350
is compensated by
µm
sacrificial anodes.
2-coats polyester
Lifetime of 20 years or
Splash zone Mean dry film thickness >
more is usually achieved
1000 µm
Materials and Chemistry 5 Materials and Chemistry 6

1
 Are extended coating lifetimes possible? Challenges for offshore wind turbines
„ To ensure a lifetime corresponding to design life with a minimum
maintenance requirement, DNV recommends „ Keep costs low
„ Use coating systems with documented performance „ Higher energy output
„ Operational experience „ Improved foundation
„ Prequalification (NORSOK M-501) technology
„ Control that specified surface preparation and application conditions are „ Enlarged wind turbines
followed
Exposure Dry film thickness
„ Steel foundations seem to be
Typical coating system
conditions (DFT) competitive to concrete
A coating system according to ISO 12944-5, Minimum 320 µm
category C5-M (very high corrosivity): „ 50 years design lifetime is
Atmospheric - zinc rich epoxy primer
zone - intermediate epoxy
possible for steel structures
- epoxy or polyurethane topcoat, polyurethane
if a colour or gloss retention is required
- Glass flake reinforced epoxy or Minimum 1.5 mm
„ What about the corrosion
Splash zone
polyurethane or protection?
- Thermally sprayed aluminium with a silicon Minimum 200 µm
sealer
- Multilayer two component epoxy and Minimum 450 µm
Submerged
cathodic protection
www.energy.siemens.com
zone
- Alternatively cathodic protection only No coating
Materials and Chemistry 7 Materials and Chemistry 8

Coating Operation Protection system outside Protection system inside

Windpark
year Coating 1 DFT (µm) Coating DFT (µm) Corrosion protection on new projects
systems in use Tunø Knob 1995 Metallization
Epoxy
80 µm Zinc epoxy
100 µm Epoxy
40 µm
2x 140 µm
Epoxy 100 µm
Polyurethane 50 µm
Offshore wind parks 1
Vindeby 1991
topcoat
Metallization 120 µm Epoxy 75 µm
Hywind Sharingham Shoal wind park
„ Outside 11 turbines Epoxy 100 µm Epoxy 150 µm „ Coating systems on „ Substructure
installed Epoxy 100 µm
„ Zinc duplex systems Polyurethane 50 µm substructure based on „ Paints according to NORSOK
topcoat
„ Thermally sprayed zinc- „ NORSOK M-501 M-501 in/above splash zone
TSZ 2 Utgrunden 2000 Zinc epoxy 75 µm Zinc epoxy 70 µm
7 turbines installed Epoxy 2 x 110 µm Epoxy 150 µm „ Statoils experiences from „ Cathodic protection (sacrificial
„ Paint system Polyurethane 50 µm
topcoat offshore oil & gas anodes) only in submerged
„ Inside Middelgrunden 2001 Metallization 100 µm Metallization 80 µm zone
„ Mainly paint alone 20 turbines
installed
Epoxy
Epoxy
120 µm Epoxy
100 µm Epoxy
100 µm
100 µm „ Standard tower/turbine „ Tower
„ TZS specified in splash Polyurethane 50 µm
„ Not known, but probably „ ISO 12944, class C5-M
topcoat
zone on some towers according to ISO 12944, class
Horns Rev 2002 Metallization 100 µm Metallization 80 µm
80 turbines Epoxy 100 µm Epoxy 100 µm C5-M
„ Generally limited
installed Epoxy 120 µm Epoxy 100 µm „ Below the air-tight deck
Polyurethane 50 µm „ Tower and nacelle
information on coatings and topcoat „ No coating applied inside
Samsø 2003 Metallization 80 µm First 10 m: „ Climate inside controlled by
coating performance „ 6 mm corrosion allowance
Epoxy 120 µm Metallization 60 µm dehumidifiers
Epoxy 100 µm Epoxy 200 µm added
1:
Polyurethane 50 µm Above 10 m:
Reported by Hempel topcoat Zinc epoxy 50 µm
2: Mainly Zinc/Al - TSZA (85/15) Epoxy 100 µm

Materials and Chemistry 9 Materials and Chemistry 10

Corrosion protecting coating systems for Alternative protection systems today

offshore wind turbines
Conventional coating system
Demands „ Experiences from offshore oil and
gas installations
„ Rapid production „ First maintenance after 8-0 years
„ According to Hempel
„ Low investments costs „ Existing NORSOK M-501 qualified
coating systems has 20-25 years
„ Low costs in service lifetime
„ A minor increase in the dry film
„ Long lifetime compared to lifetime experienced for thickness may increase the lifetime
to 25 - 30 years
offshore oil & gas installations
Including metallization
„ Already used on offshore wind
turbines
„ Used by the Norwegian Public
Roads Administration since 1965
„ Rombak bridge showed no
corrosion after 40 years
„ Coating system
„ Thermally sprayed zinc (TSZ)
„ Corrosion protecting paint

„ Maintenance-free coating systems

Rombak Bridge, www.Wikipedia.com

Materials and Chemistry 11 Materials and Chemistry 12

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Our recommendations – existing coatings New coating technology
„ Recently, a life cycle cost analysis has been performed for
„ Self repairing coatings may
„ Conventional three-coats system
„ TSZ duplex systems
improve corrosion performance of
„ Metallization a coating system
„ 30-50% cost increase in construction „ Healing agents release from
„ 30% LCC saved by avoiding maintenance
microcapsules
„ Chemical inhibiting species release
We recommend in connection to coating damages
„ TSZ duplex system Picture from publication of W. Schott

„ Atmospheric and splash zone „ Before such coatings can be

„ Combined cathodic protection and epoxy coating in submerged zone used on offshore wind turbines
we need further
„ Reduced application costs „ Evaluation
„ Automation of coating application „ Optimization
„ Reduce the number of paint coats

Materials and Chemistry 13 Materials and Chemistry 14

Thank you for your attention!

Materials and Chemistry 15