Introduction.
Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the deterioration of a substance (usually a metal) or its properties because of a reaction with its environment. Like other natural hazards corrosion can cause dangerous and expensive damage to everything from offshore structures and pipelines to ship hulls and superstructures, inner-hull tanks in fuel tankers, underwater pipes, etc. According to the current NACE ‘Cost of Corrosion’ study, the direct cost of metallic corrosion is $276 billion on an annual basis in the US (1). Breaking down this number, however, displays the magnitude of the role coatings plays in preventing corrosion. There are a wide variety of technologies designed to minimise corrosion, from coatings to cathodic protection, advanced materials design, chemical inhibition, etc. The Cost of Corrosion study found that the cost of these technologies’ totals over $121 billion per year. Of that, however, $108 billion dollars is spent is in the coatings service sector. This means that there is constant pressure on the coatings industry to stay at the forefront of corrosion prevention technologies, providing cost effective solutions in the harshest of conditions. Advances in coating technology can offer significant cost saving and performance advantages if developed, specified, applied and maintained correctly.
The full article can be found here: https://epcmholdings.com/importance-of-coatings-for-corrosion-protection-of-offshore-facilities/
Engineering Type 