Project RepaKorr: Development of a novel single coat, direct to metal repair coating with outstanding protection and colour retention performance for offshore structures

The growing global demand for renewable electric power sources is driving forward the errection of ever more offshore structures, such as wind energy plants (WEP) and switchgear platforms. Worldwide there are now over 200 000 wind turbines operating, with a total capacity of 432 000 Megawatt (MW) as of the end of 2015.1 Offshore wind power capacity alone is expected to reach a total of 75 Gigawatt (GW) worldwide by 2020.2 This increase in the number of installations goes hand in hand with the increased demand for maintenance and repair operations of the applied corrosion protection coatings. The corrosion protection coatings applied during the construction of these structures, is regulated by international standards, such as ISO 12944 and others. There is, however, no internationally recognised standardisation regarding off‐shore repair systems and their specifications, or application methods. Offshore work demands radically different materials and methods of application, compared to the original coatings and their application procedures. The research project RepaKorr,3 funded by the German Education and Research Ministry (BMBF), includes the development of a novel, single layer repair coating, especially suited for the offshore repair application. Within the research project RepaKorr, a novel single layer repair coating system for offshore conditions (ISO 20340) has been developed. The repair coating is easy to apply and stands out with its rapid curing and light stable chemistry formulation. The article gives an insight into the development strategy.