OCEANIC project team has informed the second set of samples has been deployed for real sea study of fouling and corrosion at the Bimep platform, off the Spanish north coast.
The second round of trials began last month with the deployment of two frames containing eight and seven panels each, to test the coating materials in order to identify the ones most suitable for use with marine renewable energy (MRE) components and devices.
The total of 15 samples are made of 12 metallic and three plastic panels, the OCEANIC project team said.
After 6-9 months of immersion, the structures and panels will be extracted and fouling and corrosion in the metallic panels will be analyzed.
The results are expected to help on what type of materials should be used to decrease marine growth and corrosion associated with long-term submersion of the devices.
OCEANIC project received financial support through the Oceanera-Net international collaborative initiative, and its aim is to develop systems for surfaces protection to provide the ocean energy sector with the solutions to improve its reliability and project’s life time.