Corrosion is one of the biggest issues offshore industries face, which means that WEG’s breakthrough with their coating technology is a development that will benefit multiple industries, even offshore oil and gas platforms.

Whilst there is work being done to make oil and gas platform’s products more environmentally friendly, the platform structures themselves also need maintaining. This issue is what WEG’s coating will provide a solution to.

WEG has found a way to manufacture a coating that is designed to be used in highly corrosive environments. The purpose of the coating is to provide the structure with greater durability and a better lifespan, which reaches four times what the current technology without the coating can survive for. This has been proven through the multiple tests which have been performed on the coating, both in a lab environment and in the real-world on offshore platforms. The benefits of this coating is, once it replaces traditional coatings, it has the ability to simplify the maintenance required by the structure and equipment, as it provides better resistance compared to the current protective plans.

The technology that WEG has used to make this possible is called WrapX and it functions through the use of high-performance elastomeric coatings, which effectively extend the integrity of the asset. This means the maintenance normally required is reduced and the platform is able to become a much more sustainable structure, which does not require constant work, in order to remain functional. There are some cases, such as valve and flange maintenance that have to be done more regularly and that still applies even with the coating, however WEG have thought of this and have adapted their product to suit the needs of the platform. The coating can be easily removed from the parts which require more regular maintenance and can then also be easily reapplied.

So far, WEG has begun their first offshore maintenance project and have applied the new technology to the platforms in order to start performing tests straight away. This stage has come around after two years of research and investments have taken place. These investments have totalled more than R$1.5 million and on top of this the project has been provided with equipment, performance tests and technical training. One company that greatly helped the project was Petrobras’ Research and Innovation Centre (Cenpes), specifically their Material and Corrosion Technologies area. This section of the company focuses on and encourages the development of technology within the country and they actively do this through fostering and providing help to projects which have a strong focus on innovation and sustainability.

WEG Tintas managing director, Rafael Guerreiro Torezan, commented on WrapX, which, "allows the release of large areas where it will be applied in a few hours, unlike current processes where asset maintenance extends over several days. It is a sustainable technology with a 100% solid content, and in addition to the oil and gas sector, it can be applied in other environments with severe corrosion, such as mining, steel, and pulp and paper."