Tackling Corrosion Offshore

Corrosion costs the Oil and Gas Industry billions each and every year and any component which operates in an offshore environment must withstand several different sources of deterioration. These include the salt water environment, numerous sources of wear as well as potential chemical and gases the part may encounter depending on its use. Inhibiting this damage is key and so there are a wide range of different plating and coating options used to combat this.

Hard Chrome

Hard Chrome is still a very popular coating for Offshore applications, especially when combined with a layer of Nickel. Hard chrome can be built up to many over 200um thick and as its name suggests is hard and dense in nature with excellent abrasion resistance properties. It’s often used on valve and shaft components associated with offshore drilling.

Electroless Nickel

Electroless Nickel will form an even protective barrier despite an uneven surface and this makes it ideal for smaller components with complicated geometries. By changing the amount of phosphorus, Electroless Nickel is able to combat different forms of chemical corrosion. A Low Phosphorus Electroless Nickel will be better at dealing with Alkaline Chemicals where a High Phosphorus Electroless nickel will be better at combating an acidic solution. 

Xylan

Xylan is a brand name for a group of Fluropolymer coatings which typically blend high performance resins with a fluoropolmer lubricant such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Xylan coatings are smooth and slick in nature providing a uniform finish in a range of colours including black, blue, red and green. Xylan Coatings will increase corrosion resistance and in particular are great at combatting damage caused through chemicals. Xylan coatings are popular for use offshore on components such as fasteners and Well Head Equipment, and as they are a ‘family’ of coatings, different makes will suit different applications. The two most popular that Silchrome provide are Xylan 1400, which offers enhanced abrasion resistance to components and Xylan 1052 which is designed for to combat mechanical wear.

Epoxy Paint Systems

Often used as a finishing layer on any component which is likely to have contact with sea water, Epoxy Paint Systems offer greater levels of corrosion protection than standard powder coatings. An Epoxy Primer seals out the oxygen from the metal leaving no chance of rust or corrosion forming on the surface and its chemical resistance makes it popular on pipelines and chemical tanks.

Silchrome Plating have supported a wide range of Oil and Gas companies with a wide range of processes for offshore, downhole and in surface operations. We are ISO 9001 and 14001 certified and carry out a wide number of processes all in house.