Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Coating Inspector (Epoxy) Level 2 – Online

Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Coating Inspector (Epoxy) Level 2 – Online

Coating and Inspection Training, Fire Proofing Inspector

Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Coating Inspector (Epoxy) Level 2 – Online

Why attend this course?

The changing market dynamics and a number of PFP failures on major new construction projects will dictate the need for a more rigorous fire protection coatings Inspector course in order to further improve competency in this safety critical area of our market. The Institute of Corrosion and PFPNet have collaborated to develop the first detailed training programme for inspectors and technicians, written and produced by experts in this field who have extensive, practical ‘real world’ experience.

The purpose of this course

The purpose of this NEW course is to train and examine Inspectors of epoxy intumescent Passive Fire Protection (PFP) on the inspection of common types of epoxy coatings used to protect against hydrocarbon fires on installations for both on and offshore facilities.

The main theme of this course

This course is completed remotely using our online learning system. The examination is held remotely on two dates each month.

Special Note

It has been agreed by PDTC (ICorr) to add an experience assessment to all ICorr certifications for personnel engaged in painting and coating inspection. If certification is required, candidates must as a minimum have held ICorr Painting Inspector Level 1 or Coating Inspector Level 1 for a period of two years. It is possible to transition across from other certification schemes here. If a suitable qualification is not held, then dispensation to gain certification may be given if an individual has 5 years’ experience relating to painting or coating inspection.

Why Online? & Benefits of Online

The online course has been developed so candidates can complete the training material at their own pace and in their own time. The examination is also completed remotely on two dates each month.

Online Learning brings the following key benefits:

  • Stress-free learning environment
  • Learn in your own time and at your own pace
  • Course content can be viewed as many times as you like prior to examination
  • Ability to continually study for your examination
  • Less time out of work
  • Save on accommodation costs
  • Save on transport costs
Overview

This course assumes all candidates hold ICorr Painting or Coating Inspector approval (any level) and therefore have a knowledge of inspection philosophy, surface preparation, anti-corrosion coatings and how to use common inspection instruments. The course will cover the inspection of modern types of Passive Fire Protection as found on hydrocarbon installations for both on and offshore facilities. This will include structural members, decks and bulkheads and storage or process tanks and associated pipework. Mechanically fixed methods are not covered.

Course Content
  • Overview of passive fire protection
  • Development process of an epoxy PFP system
  • Factors affecting durability
  • Common defects
  • Typical equipment used by an Inspector
  • Health & Safety requirements for site working
  • Documentation to be reviewed
  • Role of the Inspector on site
  • What an Inspector monitors during PFP application
  • Inspection & Reporting
Course Details and Price

Course: £525
Examination:  £435
Total: £960 (Excl. VAT)

PLEASE NOTE: Online courses now have a multi-booking discount

This course is completed fully online, including remote examination.

To find out more information and book your training please contact our customer services team using the information below.

Email Us
ArgyllRuane@imeche.org

Call Us
+44 114 399 5720

Charting Your Career with the Cathodic Protection Certification Scheme

Charting Your Career with the Cathodic Protection Certification Scheme

Blogs, Cathodic Protection Blog, Cathodic Protection Training, Coating and Inspection Training

Certification to Support and Enhance Your CP Career

A career in cathodic protection can be developed with an employer or as a self-employed contractor. The work is interesting, often challenging, and well paid. As industry around the world seeks to combat the environmental, safety, and financial impact of corrosion, a career in this specialisation is supported by high demand for skilled operatives at all levels.

Specialising in cathodic protection offers a career path that could take you around the world, working for diverse companies in locations that stretch from pole to pole. As you climb the career ladder – possibly to establish your own company or, perhaps, as a senior lecturer in university – your career growth must be supported by additional qualifications and certification.

In fact, the structure of ICorr’s Certification Scheme for Cathodic Protection Personnel is designed to be an enabler of career progression in this specialisation. Effectively, your career advancement can be charted by each level of certification.

Starting out – Cathodic Protection Data Collector/Tester (Level 1)

As a starter in the industry, you don’t yet have any experience in cathodic protection.

The role of data collector or cathodic protection tester is likely to be combined with other duties. For example, as an electrical .

To be classed as competent for cathodic protection data collection and testing, you will need to be certified as a Level 1 Tester/Data Collector. This is the course intended for very new entrants to the CP industry. It’s also appropriate for staff who, on a part-time basis, collect and test as part of a wider job description.

Next step – Cathodic Protection Technician (Level 2)

As you gain experience, your role will expand. To take the next step, you will need to be certified as a Level 2 Technician. You will be responsible for testing and evaluation of cathodic protection systems and data. Your technical knowledge will include different CP systems, anode types, corrosion theory, reference electrodes, corrosion prevention, and an understanding of how CP works at a scientific level.

You might undertake work with specific instruction from senior staff with higher certification levels. You may also help prepare reports and make corrections to systems as approved by supervising staff.

This is a big step up from the duties of a data collector/tester, though you don’t need any specific experience in cathodic protection to take the course that certifies your competency to perform this role. However, before being certified as a Level 2 Technician [i.e. after the course and successful examination] you will require to have a minimum of one year of approved experience.

Supervisory roles – Senior Cathodic Protection Technician (Level 3)

At this stage of your career, you will now be expected to supervise lower-level staff in their cathodic protection work. Your knowledge bank will be substantial, and your duties may include:

  • Instructing work crews on the installation of cathodic protection systems, and maintenance.
  • Inspecting technician surveys and written documentation
  • Inspecting contractor procedures for corrosion compliance
  • Identifying problems and determining corrective action
  • Testing existing CP systems
  • Overseeing and instructing corrosion team members and CP technicians in corrosion-related requirements

You may also be required to provide feedback and training to other employees, and help to maintain safety standards. You could be responsible for reviewing, maintaining, and updating records, ensuring data integrity and adherence to controls, practices, and policies.

There are several ways in which you may be qualified to take the Level 3 Senior Technician Course and examination:

  • You should have at least six years’ experience (less, if suitably academically qualified)
  • You must hold Level 2 Cathodic Protection Technician Certification for the applicable sector in which you will be working

Or:

  • You should have at least one year’s experience and have attended the Level 2 training course to satisfy the educational and experience requirements to qualify for the Level 3 training course and examination.

Experienced senior roles – Cathodic Protection Specialist (Level 4)

Your career has led you to senior and management roles. At this level, you will be designing CP systems and providing technical expertise and guidance to others – such as those working in operations and engineering – to enable efficient and effective implementation, monitoring, and troubleshooting of cathodic protection assets.

Your experience is likely to include subjects and tasks such as:

  • Corrosion control regulations
  • Assessment and repair of pipeline defects
  • Technical support, training, and evaluation of corrosion technicians
  • Working knowledge of corrosion control databases and field data collection devices
  • Ability to consistently analyse and resolve corrosion control issues involving multiple components, personnel, and operations

Currently there is no course for this level of certification. You will, however, need to demonstrate your experience and expertise when applying for certification as a Level 4 Cathodic Protection Specialist as follows:

  • If progressing from Level 3, you will need three to eight years’ experience
  • If applying directly, you will need five to 12 years’ experience
  • Examination is required
  • You will need to supply evidence of work (including detailed complex design)
  • Validation by two referees is also required

The pinnacle of your career – Level 5 Cathodic Protection Expert

To achieve this level of certification, you must already be certified at level 4 in the same sector. You will have advanced the state of CP by scientific work, and have a broad understanding (at least) of all other sectors of CP.

It is likely that you will have published peer-reviewed papers, and have an established reputation in at least one sector within the industry.

This is not presently recognised/offered in the UK and many believe it to be an honorary title.  However, BS EN ISO 15257 states that there are activities that a Level 5 is competent to undertake that a Level 4 is not.

ICorr – Leading the way in CP career development through certification

A career in cathodic protection has much to offer. You’ll work on diverse projects, with the opportunity to work in all four corners of the globe. With a high demand for your skills and experience, you should never be short of rewarding opportunities to advance your career.

To maximise the benefits of a career in CP, you should gain certification as you progress. We have developed CP certification to an internationally recognised standard (ISO 1527:2017). Your certification validates that you have the minimum skills, knowledge, and experience to be certified as competent across all the disciplines within the CP field, including survey, design, installation, testing, maintenance, and the science of cathodic protection, at each successive rung of the career ladder.

At each level as detailed above, you must apply to the Institute of Corrosion for certification. Successfully completing the course and passing the exam is not enough on its own.

In our next article discussing cathodic protection courses, examination, and certification, we examine how the CP courses are delivered.

In the meantime, to learn more about our ground-breaking CP Certification Scheme and our comprehensive Cathodic Protection Certification Courses – and discuss which is right for you – email the Institute of Corrosion at admin@icorr.org.

 

 

ISO 15257:2017 – Establishing Competence in Cathodic Protection

ISO 15257:2017 – Establishing Competence in Cathodic Protection

Blogs, Cathodic Protection Blog, Cathodic Protection Training, Coating and Inspection Training

5 Levels of CP Certification

If you work in cathodic protection, you must be certified as competent to do so. This applies around the world, and the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) has upgraded its courses to fully meet the requirements of the rewritten cathodic protection competence standard – BS EN ISO 15257:2017.

In this article, we introduce the standard and discuss who it applies to.

The aim of BS EN ISO 15257:2017

The standard defines five levels of competence for those working in cathodic protection (CP), and specifies a framework within which competence is established at each of these levels.

It specifies the minimum skills, knowledge, and experience a person must have to be certified as competent across each of the disciplines within the CP field, including survey, design, installation, testing, maintenance, and monitoring of CP.

The standard started as a British Standard and European Normative (BS EN) in 2006. “The rewritten ISO standard gives objective criteria and credentials that allow clients to know who is legitimate and who is selling snake oil,”, says Chris Wozencroft, Principal Engineer at Corrosion Engineering Solutions Ltd. and member of ICorr’s CP Governing Board (CPGB).

Do you need to be certified?

If you are a ‘cathodic protection person’, you should be certified as competent. The standard defines a cathodic protection person as someone ‘who devotes a regular and significant percentage of professional activity to the practical application of cathodic protection within one or more of the application sectors’.

Levels of competence

The standard sets out the five levels of competence with each step up in level including competence in the levels below. The competence levels are set out as follows:

Level 1: Cathodic Protection Data Collector (or Tester)

This certification allows you to collect CP performance data and perform other basic CP tasks requested of you by someone of Level 3 or higher. At this level, you won’t be responsible for analysing data, but you should have a good understanding of the measurements and causes of errors in them.

Level 2: Cathodic Protection Technician

When certified at Level 2, you shall be deemed competent to undertake a range of CP measurement, inspection, and supervisory activities that are delegated to you by persons at Level 3 or higher. However, you will not be responsible for determining the test method or technique to be used, or for the preparation of technical instructions and interpretation of results.

Level 3: Cathodic Protection Senior Technician

At Level 3, you will demonstrate that you have knowledge of the:

  • General principles of corrosion and CP
  • Principles of electricity
  • Significance of coatings and their influence on CP

You will also possess a detailed knowledge of CP test procedures and safety issues, and be able to prepare technical instructions for all lower-level CP persons, as well as assess all data collected from these tasks.

Level 4: Cathodic Protection Specialist

With a detailed knowledge of corrosion theory, principles of electricity, CP design, installation, commissioning, testing, and performance evaluation (including systems affected by interfering conditions), you could be certified at Level 4.

You can now design CP systems, define guidelines for monitoring them, and prepare technical instructions for all CP persons of lower levels.

Level 5: Cathodic Protection Expert

This is an honorary title for PhD qualified CP professionals, who have demonstrated all the competencies required in at lest one sector, together with a range of competencies in other sectors at the highest level, such as

  • Undertaking a range of high-level activities such as management of R&D projects
  • Publications in technical or scientific journals or books, lectures at congresses or training courses
  • Participation in standardisation or technical committees
  • Leading in the development of new technology or new applications
  • Editing scientific journals

Are you certified as competent in CP?

As you can see, ISO 12527:2017 provides a linear path of certification at specified levels of competence. This means that clients are better able to identify the person they need for specific projects and tasks, and you can prove your competency with your certification.

Under the previous standard, there were only three levels, which equate to Levels 2, 3, and 4 in the new standard.

The new scheme that has been developed based on ISO 15257:2017 has three elements:

  • Training
  • Examination
  • Certification

Certification is important because you need to prove you have experience before being certified as competent. With a discipline like CP, and a science that still holds so many uncertainties, it is unacceptable that someone should be able to leave college, take an exam, and be immediately deemed as competent.

“You really do need a few years on the ground before you know what you’re doing in this game,” says Chris Wozencroft.

In our next article, we discuss the double-edged approach of certification in CP, and examine the application sectors to which the competence levels apply.

In the meantime, to learn more about the Certification Scheme for Cathodic Protection Personnel, email the Institute of Corrosion at admin@icorr.org.

Corrosion Engineering and Low-Carbon Energy Technology with the CED

Corrosion Engineering and Low-Carbon Energy Technology with the CED

Blogs, Coating and Inspection Training

Working Day and Symposium: Managing Corrosion in Low-Carbon Energy Technologies

On April 28th, 2021, you’re invited to the latest in a series of working days hosted by the Institute of Corrosion’s Corrosion Engineering Division.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, you can participate from anywhere in the world. All you need to do is register and join us on Zoom. This symposium is also a designated meeting of the European Federation of Corrosion, so it is one that corrosion engineers and specialists won’t want to miss.

Why corrosion engineering and low carbon technology?

Over recent years, low carbon technologies have become a strategic priority. The whole of society, from governments to the man on the street, has become focused on green issues. Technology is playing its part, across most industries, as we seek to develop greater sustainability through green, carbon-neutral technologies and innovations.

However, many of the technologies and equipment are deployed in severe corrosive environments – such as off-shore and near-shore wind turbines and pipelines – as well as providing new corrosion challenges (as in the case of biofuels).

This working day and symposium will give all delegates the opportunity to learn and exchange information across many aspects of managing corrosion in low-carbon energy technologies.

A Great Opportunity to Network

Although this working day is being held online, once more it gives you the opportunity to do some serious networking with corrosion specialists from many different industry sectors. Of course, you will also learn about some of the latest developments in managing corrosion in low-carbon energy technologies, including:

  • Wind power
  • Biofuels
  • Nuclear power
  • Hydrogen power
  • Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

After the talks, we will break into the individual CED working groups, or join a general discussion group on corrosion in low carbon energy technologies. The agendas for these will be published here when possible.

The CED Working Day programme

We’ll convene online at 9:15 am. Our Chair, Nick Smart, will present a welcome address at 9:30am, and the technical talks will begin at 9:45am.

During the day, there will be five talks, each lasting 30 minutes, including discussion. Lunch break between 12:40am and 1:30pm will be preceded by presentation of the 2021 Paul McIntyre Award and a short talk by the recipient.

There will be one final talk after lunch, before we break for the CED Working Group meetings.

A closing discussion rounds the day off at 4:45pm.

(All times are BST)

About the talks

As ever, we have gathered some of the leading names in their respective fields to present to you. The five talks, in order of presentation, are:

·       Pipeline Materials in a Hydrogen Environment, presented by Nancy Thompson (SGN) and Dr Julia Race (University of Strathclyde)

Nancy Thomson is experienced in high pressure oil and gas pipelines, onshore and offshore around the world. With an MSc, Nancy’s most recent work includes innovation projects on the Local Transmission Network (LTS) and investigating the repurposing of the LTS for hydrogen and CO2.

Dr Julia Race has a wide range of research expertise in metallurgy, failure analysis, welding and corrosion in the power, petrochemicals, and energy sectors. She worked in industry for more than 20 years, and for seven years as an integrity consultant for GE Oil and Gas. Now in an academic career, she joined Strathclyde University in 2014, where she continues to research CCS and hydrogen transport.

·       Cathodic Protection of Offshore Wind Design Using Upcoming ISO 24656, presented by Birit Buhr Jensen (Ørsted)

Birit Buhr Jensen is a senior lead specialist at Ørsted, specialising in cathodic protection and corrosion protection of steel structures, and corrosion evaluation and monitoring, assessment, repair, and sustainability of reinforced concrete structures.

·       Corrosion Challenges for Reliable Biorefineries, presented by Francois Ropital (IFPEN)

Francois Ropital is qualified as a Materials Engineer, Doctor of Chemical Engineering, and HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in Applied Chemistry and Industrial Process Engineering. He has been Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Oil and Gas Science and Technology – Revue d’IFP Energies Nouvelles’, is co-director of the ‘Study of reaction mechanisms on an adapted scale’ of IFPEN fundamental research, and is the associate university Professor (PAST) at INSA-Lyon, MATEIS Laboratory and Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is also Chairman of the Working Party “Corrosion in refinery and petrochemistry” of the European Federation of Corrosion. Francois has authored two books, several book chapters, more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, and 20 patents.

·       Advanced Testing methods for PWR Environments that Could Support Other Zero Carbon Technologies, presented by Stuart Medway (Jacobs)

Dr. Stuart Medway works for Jacobs, where he is the technical lead for high temperature corrosion within the Material Science and Structural Integrity (MSSI) business. Stuart has been performing and developing laboratory research programmes to understand material performance in representative environments for over 14 years. Many of these have been focussed on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of materials in the primary cooling circuit of pressurised water reactors, where he is a recognised expert in this field. Stuart has been part of the EPRI expert panel for SCC of nickel-based alloys for a number of years and is the current technical chair for the Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems conference.

·       Methodology for Corrosion and Environmental Assisted Cracking Risk Assessment for Industrial Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), presented by Ivan Gutierrez (Pace Flow Assurance), Brad Healey (Oil and Gas Corrosion Ltd), and Matt Healey (Pace Flow Assurance)

Ivan Gutierrez is a national expert member of several national and international corrosion committees and task forces, and helps oil and gas operating companies to manage the risk of corrosion, delivering technical support throughout the life cycle of assets, from concept and Front End Engineering Design (FEED), through Engineering, Procurement, Installation and Commissioning (EPIC) operations, integrity management and evaluating options for asset life extension.

Brad Healey is a process engineer at Oil and Gas Corrosion Ltd. He works on global projects, manages a team of engineers, and has presented at the NACE conference. He has completed an industry-backed dissertation project regarding offshore H2S disposal methods and is now an industrial supervisor for an MEng project investigating the long-term environmental impact of scrubber discharges related to offshore H2S management.

Matt Healey is director at Pace Flow Assurance, with around 20 years of experience in CCUS, oil & gas, and large infrastructure projects.

How do you register for the working day?

You can register for this exciting Working Day and Symposium by downloading the event information and registration form and following the registration instructions. We look forward to seeing you there, from the comfort of your own home or workspace.

For details about membership of the Institute of Corrosion, visit our membership page.

Coating Survey Training – World-Class Course Is a World First

Coating Survey Training – World-Class Course Is a World First

Blogs, Coating and Inspection Training

The What and How of the Ground-Breaking Coating Survey Course

Up to now, there has been no coatung survey training available anywhere in the world specific to improving the provision and competency of coating condition surveys. Here at the Institute of Corrosion, we’re happy to say this has changed, with the arrival of a world first – the Coating Survey Course endorsed by ICorr and accredited by Lloyd’s Register and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Such an important addition to any industry – especially an addition that promises to revolutionise standards and improve health, safety, and cost-effectiveness across multiple industries and their infrastructure – deserves a proper introduction.

Why Is Coating Survey Training Needed?

A coating survey is crucial in the maintenance cycle of structures that benefit from coating systems. When it is properly planned and conducted, a coating condition survey helps to maximise the protection offered by coating systems. This is integral to ensure that safety hazards and operational interruptions are avoided.

Because of the critical nature of a coating survey, it should be conducted only by those who can assess circumstances competently. They will need to draw sound conclusions about the condition of the existing coating and how best to manage coating systems going forward.

Corrodere’s Coating Survey Course satisfies the need to ensure that those conducting coating surveys are suitably qualified and have the knowledge and expertise to carry out costing surveys from basic walk-throughs to the most comprehensive coating condition surveys.

Written by experts with impeccable credentials

The first thing to note about this course is that it is authored by experts in the industry: Brendan Fitzsimmons and Trevor Parry.

Brendan is a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion, a Chartered Scientist, and has a Master’s degree in Materials Engineering. He is also a NACE Corrosion Specialist, Coating Inspector, Protective Coatings Specialist, and Peer Reviewer.

Trevor is a Professional Member of the Institute of Corrosion, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a member of NACE, and an expert on ISO committees.

Between them, Brendan and Trevor have authored many publications and papers within their fields, perhaps most notably Brendan’s authorship of Fitz’s Atlas and Fitz’s Atlas 2.

Development of the Coating Survey Course has also benefitted from the input of major paint manufacturers.

Who should attend this course?

Developed in response to industry needs, if your responsibilities and duties include inspecting or surveying coating systems you will benefit from this formal training and qualification. You’ll benefit from completing this course if you currently perform any of the following roles:

  • Coating Surveyors
  • Coating Inspectors
  • Coating Engineers
  • Material Engineers
  • Mechanical Engineers
  • Insurance Personnel
  • Plant Managers
  • Asset Integrity Personnel
  • Corrosion Engineers
  • Asset Owners
  • Marine Engineers
  • Ship Surveyors

How is the course structured?

The Coatings Course is delivered online by way of 24 hours of training divided into easy-to-manage units. These modules walk you through all the knowledge areas needed, covering:

  • Coating Surveys
  • Estimation of Percentages
  • European Scale of Degree of Rusting of Anticorrosive Paints
  • Common Defects
  • Marine Fouling
  • Dry Film Thickness Surveys
  • Passive Fire Protection
  • Adhesion Testing
  • Holiday Detection
  • Sampling Techniques
  • Standard Test Methods, Field Tests and Laboratory Analysis
  • Photography, Documentation and Reporting
  • Paint Testing, Paint Constituents and Paint Chemistry

The online delivery of course materials and training make it easy to complete the course in your own time and a learning pattern that suits you. The course materials will be available to complete over a 12-month period after registration.

The culmination of the training is an online assessment and final exam. The exam is a multiple-choice-style exam with a pass mark of 70%.

Those who successfully complete the course receive the Certificate of Achievement in Coating Surveys accredited by Lloyds’ Register and the Royal Society of Chemistry, endorsed by the Institute of Corrosion.

Do you qualify for this course?

There are two levels of certification available, and which you can achieve depends on your route onto the course.

Level 1:

You don’t need any formal qualifications within the coatings industry to register for Level 1 of the Coating Survey Training Course. You won’t be required to sit the final examination, but will need to successfully complete the online assessments during the course.

Upon successful completion you will receive a Certificate of Completion.

Level 2:

Those who complete Level 2, including passing the exam and online assessment, will be rewarded with full certification and a wallet card valid for four years. To register for this level of qualification you will need to meet one of the following entry criteria:

  • Qualified Coatings Inspector (ICorr Level 2, NACE Level 2, SSPC Level 2, FROSIO Level 2)
  • Paint Chemist with field experience
  • Coating Engineer with field experience

If you are a coating surveyor without formal qualification in coating inspection, you can still take the Level 2 qualification providing you can demonstrate a minimum of five years’ experience as a coating surveyor and provide two employer references.

Why you should take this course

This course, and the qualification it offers, will demonstrate your proficiency in coating surveys. It provides evidence that you conduct and report in-depth coating surveys and that your expertise will:

  • Help asset owners accurately plan future works
  • Help asset owners accurately target and plan funding for future works
  • Assist with paint guarantees, warranties, and disputes

Many industries require the experience and expertise of qualified coating surveyors. These industries include:

  • Road
  • Rail
  • Marine and Offshore
  • Nuclear
  • Petrochemical
  • Oil and Gas
  • Construction

At a time when all industries are becoming more highly regulated, with a growing need for asset owners to reduce costs and improve their health and safety, the knowledge that this course provides – including across standards NORSOK 501, ISO 12944, and ISO 4628 – is likely to become invaluable to all those who perform coating surveys and the companies that require them.

This training is currently not available anywhere else in the world. To find out more, you should contact Corrodere. Alternatively, email the admin team at the Institute of Corrosion who will be happy to help.

Coating Survey Training – World-Class Course Is a World First

How Is a Coating Condition Survey Conducted?

Blogs, Coating and Inspection Training

The eight-step coating survey methodology

Is a full coating condition survey necessary before applying a coating system? Isn’t understanding the environmental issues and operating in line with ISO 12944 enough?

In a short answer to these questions, imagine that your car is making strange noises from under the bonnet. You take it to two mechanics.

The first opens the bonnet, looks inside, taps the engine in a couple of places with a hammer, and then diagnoses the problem.

The second mechanic opens the bonnet, connects an electronic diagnostic machine, and invites you to have a tea while you’re waiting. Having received a computer printout, the mechanic then raises the car so he can look underneath. He makes a couple of phone calls, before presenting you with a detailed appraisal of the issue you have.

The question is this: which mechanic do you believe will provide the best, safest, longest-lasting, and most cost-effective solution? The one who carried out the most extensive and structured assessment, right?

In this article, we examine how an effective coating survey should be conducted to provide the knowledge needed to ensure the correct coating system is applied most cost-effectively.

When is a coating survey used?

A coating condition survey (or ‘coating survey’) should be used as a proactive measure in the protection of any previously coated structure. For example, this may include surveying coatings in the offshore environment or on bridges that are at risk of corrosion. Such proactive surveying will help to reduce maintenance costs, increase the integrity of infrastructure, and improve safety. A win/win/win.

Steps for successful surveying of coatings

To be effective, a coating survey must be designed, carried out in line with planning, recorded and reported. It’s essential to conduct coating surveys using a methodical and structured approach. This ensures that each survey benefits from the same rigorous standards. The following eight steps form the core of a coating condition survey.

1.     Planning the coating survey – what is needed?

It’s important to define the parameters of the survey before it is started. The information that is needed may depend upon factors such as:

  • Age of the asset
  • Time since the last coating survey
  • The value of the asset
  • When routine maintenance is due
  • If a new coating system will add value to the asset
  • Health and safety issues

2.     Planning the coating survey – what is the expected output of the survey?

The detail required of the survey should also be assessed. It is possible to produce a survey in too much detail. For example, consider an example of surveying the condition of a front door. Should you survey it as a single item, or assess each element separately? If the latter, then a survey will include each hinge, the letter box, the door knocker, each pane of glass, the inside and outside handles, the inserts, the frame, and the lock mechanism. One item becomes a survey of a dozen or more items.

If a survey is too detailed, it risks information overload and crucial details could be overlooked upon review. If not detailed enough, the survey may miss crucial details altogether.

3.     Planning the coating survey – how do you grade conditions?

The survey should carry out its assessment with a recognised and consistent grading system that establishes the severity of degradation of each component under the survey. The standards to which the assessment of coating/corrosion degrading must conform to are ISO 4624 parts 2-7 and the European Scale of Rusting for Anticorrosive Paint (commonly referred to as the Re Scale).

4.     Conducting the coating survey – note physical details

The survey should consider all the corrosive environmental issues that may affect the coating’s current condition. The location of the structure and the environmental factors associated with the location will affect how a coating performs. Factors include climate, moisture, and UV exposure.

5.     Conducting the coating survey – the original application

To better understand how the original coating has been affected by physical details, the survey should include key information about the original coating such as the date of application, the coating manufacturer, the applicator, and so on.

6.     Conducting the coating survey – note extraordinary events and occurrences

Over time, a structure’s coating may be affected by many events. These may include severe weather conditions, accidents, fire, maintenance, repairs, and refurbishment. The more detail that can be compiled within this section of the survey, the more informed the survey’s results will be.

7.     Conducting the coating survey – assessing the coating

The survey should move onto assessing the existing coating, considering adherence to the structure, dry film thickness, the percentage of failure across the system and its component parts, and the presence of aspects such as mill scale, chalking, pitting, etc.

8.     Recording and reporting – planning the next steps

The survey should record all details required of it, as set out in the planning steps. The survey should make recommendations as to:

  • Whether immediate maintenance is required
  • What maintenance should be planned for the next one to three years
  • The locations that are difficult to reach and which may require extra measures
  • Whether coating of an area may lead to the need for adjacent areas to be recoated

Answering these points will form the basis of a full coating maintenance programme that is designed to ensure asset integrity during the expected lifetime of the asset.

In Summary

A coating condition survey should form part of the routine maintenance checks for all structures on which protective coatings are used to combat corrosion. The survey should assess all components of the structure that have been identified as required to be surveyed, and assessment should be conducted in a manner that ensures consistency and completeness.

By following a consistent survey methodology, the survey should establish the current state of the existing coating, and the reasons for any degradation.

By monitoring the performance of a structure’s coating, an asset owner can understand the action needed to reduce the effects and consequences of corrosion. To ensure this, it is imperative that surveys are carried out by those with the training, experience, and qualifications to do so.

In our next article, we examine a world first that will define the coating survey professional and how industry carries out coating condition surveys in the future. In the meantime, to find out more about the Coating Survey Course, email the Institute of Corrosion or contact Corrodere.