Glass flake polyester (GFP) coatings offer more than 30 years’ maintenance-free corrosion protection at the splash zone for offshore assets, according to a new independent report from classification society DNV
The study shows that Baltoflake, a GFP solution developed by coatings manufacturer Jotun, provides decades of protection for offshore wind substructures and reduces lifecycle costs associated with coatings by up to 50%.
DNV inspected a section of jacket from a North Sea oil platform 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.
Jotun global category manager new construction primers Ismail Tan said, “Although glass flake coatings have been used in the energy industry for over 40 years, there has been 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.”
Introduced during the 1970s, Baltoflake was one of the first performance coating products targeted for offshore environment deployment. The coating has glass flake materials incorporated into polyester to create structure that is 5–20 times more impermeable than resin alone.
Glass flake coatings have an outstanding corrosion resistance to a wide range of acids, alkalis, solvents and salt solutions, while displaying excellent thermal stability.
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