Test method for studying cathodic disbonding at high temperature

Cathodic disbonding at elevated temperatures has not been thoroughly studied. As offshore oil and gas production moves towards higher temperatures there is a need for a better understanding of coating degradation at these conditions, products with higher temperature limits and probably also new guidelines for design of cathodic protection. A standard test method for high temperature cathodic disbonding has not been agreed upon. The objective with this work has been to design a test method that simulates the exposure conditions for coatings on submerged high temperature constructions. Cathodic disbonding is normally considered to be the main degradation mechanism for submerged coatings, but as temperature increases other degradation mechanisms may actually become more important. Hence, how the high temperature affects e.g. film and barrier properties was also an important part of this work.