Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea
Specialist Coatings GB Ltd. Offshore wind farm cold water tank lining inspection and repair service. North Sea 60 miles off the coast of Denmark.
The Client
Semco Maritime for Dong Energy, Esbjerg, Denmark Offshore Wind Farm, North Sea
Required the inspection and patch repairs being made to the lining of two bulk drinking storage tanks on the Dong Energy Horn 2 offshore wind farm accommodation block, located in the North Sea several miles off the coast of Esbjerg.
Blisters had been forming on some of the tank surfaces. When opened, each and every blister had water trapped behind it. Left unchecked, this would have resulted in a serious corrosion issue which would eventually perforate the tank.
Challenges
The work had to be carried out on-site at the offshore wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark during March.
There would only be a very short window of opportunity to carry out the work because on this particular project the water could not be bypassed the tanks had to be inspected and repaired whilst the block was vacant.
All equipment, materials, and personal items had to transport by the supply ship from mainland Demark to the Horns 2 wind farm approximately 90 minutes off from Esbjerg, Denmark. The supply ship was weather dependent.
All of the materials used had to be approved for use in potable water applications. They also had to be surface and damp tolerant and to be able to cure at low temperatures.
The Dong Energy Horn offshore wind farm accommodation block SCGB to inspect & repair the water tanks (Photograph of accommodation block courtesy of Semco Maritime).
Solution
Working closely with Semco Maritime and Dong Energy to coordinate the shipping, and two-day sea survival training courses, and to carry out the inspection and repairs required to complete the task efficiently.
Each individual blister was scrapped clear of the loose ling material and then thoroughly cleaned by localised mini abrasive grit blasting, to produce a bright clean metal surface with all traces of rust removed and a strong mechanical key for the new patch repairs.
Once all the patches had been cleaned and all spent abrasive and debris removed from the tank by brush and vacuumed.
A coat of solvent-free surface and damp tolerant, anti-corrosion primer was applied to each individual patch.
The potable water top coat resin coats were applied over the next couple of days.
To avoid delays we stayed overnight aboard the platform most days during the works.
The Results
The affected areas were prepared, treated and restored. The tanks were returned to the client and filled with water 24 hours after the final application of resin. Whilst the work was being carried out the inspection was undertaken to establish the possible cause of the problem (at the request of the client) and both verbal and written reports were submitted.
Because of client confidentiality, we will not be disclosing our findings on the probable cause of the problem in a public document.
Personal travelling out to the offshore wind farm accommodation platform to carry out tank inspections & localised repairs.
SCGB personnel to make inspections & localized repairs Horn Wind Farm North Sea, Denmark.
The Pacific Orca is used to help build the wind turbine towers and accommodation blocks in the wind farms in the North Sea.
We frequently saw the Pacific Orca whilst we were working in Esbjerg.
