New research suggests Jotun’s Baltoflake coating can protect offshore structures from corrosion for more than 30 years.
A new report from classification society DNV suggests glass flake polyester (GFP) coatings can provide maintenance-free corrosion protection at the splash zone of offshore assets for more than three decades.
DNV’s research shows that Baltoflake, a GFP solution developed by Jotun, can offer long lasting protection for offshore substructures and reduce lifecycle costs by up to 50%.
In particular, Jotun says the solution is “ideal” for use in the offshore wind sector, where strong corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties are required.
The coating has glass flake materials incorporated into polyester to create a structure that is 5–20 times more impermeable than resin alone.
DNV inspected a section of jacket from a North Sea oil platform which was installed in 1972 and decommissioned in 2020. Jotun’s Baltoflake coating was applied to the platform in the late 1980s and, despite over 30 years’ exposure to the North Sea’s harsh environment, analysis revealed that the coating at the splash zone was intact, still smooth and showing no signs of delamination.
Introduced during the 1970s, the solution was one of the first performance coating products targeted for offshore environment deployment.
Jotun global category manager for new construction primers Ismail Tan said: “Although glass flake coatings have been used in the energy industry for over 40 years, there has traditionally been very little research into the material’s long-term benefits. However, by partnering with DNV on this report, we now have the relevant in-field data required to demonstrate Baltoflake’s full asset lifecycle protection performance.
“Baltoflake removes the requirement for offshore wind developers to undertake expensive repairs or replacement due to corrosion. By reducing overall maintenance costs and downtime, we can empower operators to focus their efforts on clean energy generation.”
With global steel stocks and production declining following the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine locking out around 10% of the global trade, the cost of steel is skyrocketing while availability drops, putting pressure on offshore wind projects.
Developers are at an increased risk of rising prices due to larger turbine sizes, longer foundation structures and substation requirements.
However, with offshore turbines designed to last for 20-25 years, Jotun believes solutions like Baltoflake can help extend the life of new and existing turbines by more than 10 years, reducing lifecycle costs by 50%.
Headquartered in Sandefjord, Norway, the company a world leader in coatings for offshore structures and has developed solutions for the offshore industry for more than 50 years.
The report will be launched at this year’s ONS exhibition in Stavanger where Jotun can be found at booth 7540.