Massimo Cornago is senior corrosion engineer for ENI Exploration & Production S.p.A., where he is responsible for the company’s paint and coatings activities worldwide. He has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Cornago is a NACE-certified coatings inspector and is also the NACE Italia Section secretary and a NACE–AIM-UNI member. He can be reached at 011.39.02.520.63405 or massimo.cornago@eni.it.
The application environment typically is the most important factor in how well a coating can shield an offshore oil platform from corrosion above the splash zone. However, it is not always possible to apply the coating in the “optimal” environment or to set aside enough time for the application. Advances in organic zinc primers are reducing the application time of coatings on offshore oil platforms compared to conventional inorganic zinc systems, without compromising performance.