Iodine-infused aeration for hull fouling prevention: a vessel-scale study |
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| Authors: | Natasha C Dickenson Jason S Krumholz Kelli Z Hunsucker Michael Radicone |
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| Institution: | 1. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport, Newport, RI, USA;2. McLaughlin Research Corporation, Middletown, RI, USA;3. Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA;4. I2 Air Fluid Innovation, Inc., Huntington Station, NY, USA |
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| Abstract: | Biofouling is a significant economic and ecological problem, causing reduced vessel performance and increases in fuel consumption and emissions. Previous research has shown iodine vapor (I2)-infused aeration to be an environmentally friendly method for deterring the settlement of fouling organisms. An aeration system was deployed on a vessel with hull sections coated with two types of antifoulant coatings, Intersleek® 1100 (fouling-release) and Interspeed® BRA-640 (ablative copper biocide), as well as an inert epoxy barrier coating, to assess the effectiveness of aeration in conjunction with common marine coatings. I2-infused aeration resulted in consistent reductions of 80–90% in hard fouling across all three coatings. Additionally, aeration reduced the soft fouling rate by 45–70% when used in conjunction with both Intersleek® and Interspeed® BRA versus those coatings alone. The results of this study highlight the contribution of I2-infused aeration as a standalone mechanism for fouling prevention or as a complement to traditional antifouling coatings. |
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| Keywords: | Marine biofouling iodine infusion antifouling coatings aeration bubbles |
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