The European Defense Agency (Brussels, Belgium) (EDA) says it has completed a multi-year testing project on potential corrosion control solutions for naval vessels.
The project, formally titled Corrosion Control for Navy Ships (CCNS), includes input from research and academic institutions, European industry contractors, and more, with a goal of extending the operational life of naval vessels.
“Increasing military requirements combined with environmental regulations, such as REACH, lead to critical situations in the sense that they put at risk the operational availability and running costs of Navy ships in terms of corrosion and surface protection,” EDA says.
“In addition, there is a requirement to extend repair intervals to six-to-10 years in order to reduce maintenance levels and related costs, to maintain ship security, and to comply with environmental regulations,” the agency adds. “The consequences of these requirements and regulations are various and have types a serious impact on potential risks, unsuitability, and/or suppression of existing technical solutions.”
The study was undertaken between the years of 2013 and 2016, seeking to investigate critical areas within corrosion control technology.
“Through its extensive tests, the project produced very positive results in the field of sensors and fouling treatment,” EDA says. “One sensor, which is now commercialized, offers a promising solution for on-board applications. Interesting results for new faster accelerated aging tests have also been obtained, showing the relevance to real in-service degradation of coatings and corrosion.”
The study also revealed that the process of data collection is quite challenging, the EDA says—particularly for the process of measuring on-board currents. As such, a database with relevant data for the modeling of cathodic protection (CP) was created.
“The collection and integration of such data into an improved numerical model will help optimize the systems used by navies of all participating countries,” the EDA says.
The CCNS project was funded by the governments of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and carried out by numerous academic institutions in those countries. For more information on the study, visit the EDA’s web site.