Marine Test Centers for Static  Immersion Testing and     Dynamic Testing    
Zebra Mussel Test Platform
Marine Ecotoxicology Testing
Cost of Service for Dynamic,
Static and Biofouling Testing     

Biological Testing Services

Overview
The performance of a variety of new coatings in the marine environment is best evaluated through continuous immersion in seawater over prolonged periods of time. Poseidon maintains floating platforms in the tropics to enable year-round performance tests on the efficacy of coatings against fouling organisms such as algae, oysters and barnacles.

Screening of Antifouling Substances using the Barnacle Larval Settlement Bioassays The ban on toxic biocides in all marine paints by the year 2003 has created a need for companies to identify new compounds that can be added to paints to prevent attachment of fouling organisms. Barnacles and oysters are among the most tenacious marine fouling organisms. Poseidon maintains a continuous mass culture of barnacle larvae that is routinely used for settlement assays to evaluate potential new compounds. Poseidon provides testing services to companies engaged in a discovery program to identify active substances for the marine coatings industry.

Technical Support
Teams of marine biologists, chemists, toxicologists and information technology personnel support all Poseidon field stations. All tests are undertaken according to ASTM standards.

Confidentiality
Poseidon is a US-based corporation that maintains confidentiality agreements with over one hundred companies worldwide. Contract testing is undertaken with special care to protect the proprietary information of our clients.
 
Marine Test Centers for Static Immersion Testing and Dynamic Testing

1. Indian Exposure Platform. The city of Tuticorin is located on the southern tip of India in the Gulf of Mannar. The test platform is situated within a protected harbor in Tuticorin Bay and exposed to a wide range of fouling organisms normally found in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The predominant macrofouling species include barnacles (Balanus amphitrite), mussels/oysters (Crassostrea carvolhoi and Musculista arcuatula), ascidians, polychaetes, sea anemone, hydroids and sponges.
   
2. Philippine Exposure Platform. Hamtic Bay on Panay Island in the Philippines was chosen as a secondary test site. The Hamtic Bay macrofouling environment is composed of barnacles (Balanus amphitrite communis), goose barnacles, clams, oysters and other bivalves not abundant in typical polluted harbors. Tests conducted at this site will enable performance testing of coatings against a wider variety of marine fouling not normally found in harbors.
   
   
3. Singapore Exposure Platform. The warm, tropical seas around Singapore are known to have a wide variety of fouling organisms that affect the surfaces of ships in the harbor. An exposure test center in Singapore enables the evaluation of the performance of marine paints in the world's second busiest international port.
   
   
4. Florida Exposure Platform. This test site is located within a protected inlet at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Link Port, Fort Pierce, in St. Lucie County, central Florida.
   
   
5. Greece Exposure Platform. Located in the port of Piraeus in Athens, heavy fouling in this region closely represent the fouling conditions found throughout the Mediterranean.

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Static immersion testing is done at Poseidon's test centers. Please click on the link below to see a slideshow on how tests are conducted at Poseidon's facility at the Sacred Heart Marine Research Center in southeastern India.

Launch Slideshow
 
Dynamic Testing

 

The Poseidon Dynamic Test System
Simulation of the shear forces that coatings experience as the underwater surface of the ship goes through the sea at different speeds is an important testing methodology to verify the performance of a paint system.

This is typically undertaken using a dynamic testing device consisting of a drum that rotates at specific speeds underwater. A curved test panel with the experimental paint is fitted on the surface of the drum. The rotating drum will then simulate the stress on the coating after prolonged exposure underwater.

Marine engineers at  Athena Bioventures, Inc., which has been contracted by Poseidon to provide support services and research, recently designed novel dynamic test equipment which provides simulation of ship speeds using flat panels. This is known as the Poseidon Dynamic Test System, which has already completed extensive verification and is ready for deployment in the various Poseidon field exposure facilities. The Poseidon Dynamic Test System enables simulation of multiple ship speeds with a larger capacity of panels than the conventional dynamic test equipment.

This dynamic test system has been presented to the industry at the 2003 annual meetings of the Society for Protective Coatings in New Orleans, and the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology in Philadelphia.

To view the paper of  "Marine Biofouling Testing of Experimental Marine Paints: Technical Considerations on Methods, Site Selection and Dynamic Tests.”  click here 

 
Zebra Mussel Test Platform

While the barnacle remains the bane of ships in the ocean, zebra mussels are a major problem in freshwater lakes and rivers in Europe and North America. The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is native to Europe. It invaded U.S. freshwater systems in 1988 when larvae from the ballast water of an ocean freighter coming from the Caspian Sea were discharged into Lake St. Claire in Michigan.

Since then, zebra mussels have proliferated throughout most of the North American freshwater system, creating hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to lake environment and underwater structures, such as water intake pipelines and boats.

Poseidon's testing platform for zebra mussels began operating May 2003 in Buffalo, New York along Lake Erie to enable research and development of experimental coatings against zebra mussels.

 

Marine Eco-Toxicology Testing

A pronounced environmental movement is expanding worldwide and more focus is now directed at the toxic effects of environmental pollutants in the marine environment. Prospective chemicals that go through the registration process now need to be screened for their toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

Poseidon is not an accredited laboratory and its toxicology services provide preliminary screening of the experimental substances prior to conducting more expensive testing via accredited laboratories. The data generated from Poseidon's toxicology test system enables clients to have advance knowledge of the ecological impact of their compounds in a cost-effective manner.

Poseidon is engaged in the biological testing of chemical substances against a panel of various different marine and freshwater larvae. Examples of these organisms are as follows:

• Brachionus plicatilis (rotifer)
• Microcyclops varicans (copepod)
• Epinephelus suillus (grouper fish larvae)
• Chanos chanos (milkfish fry)
• Penaeus monodon (prawn fry)
• Penaeus fabricatus (shrimp fry)
• Tilapia nilotica (tilapia fry)
• Balanus amphitrite (barnacle larvae)
• Artemia salinas (brine shrimp)
• Neomysis integer (saltwater mysis)

Testing Services

 (rates as of February 2004; all rates in US$)

 

A. STATIC IMMERSION / PANEL TESTING SERVICES

TUTICORIN BAY, INDIA     ●     FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA

Initial set-up fee is $ 5.00 per panel and $ 3.00 per rod.  Coated test panels should be supplied to Poseidon in ready form for immersion.  Reports include visual observations along with digital photographic record(s) of the entire panel surface (two sides).  After completion of the tests, the client may request the return of panels. The cost of packaging and transport from test site to specified location is charged to the client.

The report for each panel is supplied to the client via e-mail at a cost of $10.00 per panel or rod.  An additional surcharge of $ 5.00 per panel is assessed for hard copy reports, plus mailing cost.  The minimum test period is three (3) months.  The payment for the first 3 months of maintenance charges, plus set-up cost, is charged to client at the start of the tests.  Thereafter, invoice is mailed to the client on a monthly basis for subsequent maintenance and inspection charges.

B. POSEIDON DYNAMIC TESTING SYSTEM (PDTS)

MARINE EXPOSURE PROCEDURES AND COSTS  ●  TUTICORIN BAY, INDIA

 

Poseidon has developed a new dynamic test system – the Poseidon Dynamic Testing System (PDTS) -- that now makes it possible to simulate the erosion rate of marine coatings in a moving vessel.  This new procedure enables simultaneous evaluation of the erosion rate at various fluid shear forces using flat panels.  This system was presented in 2003 to the Society of Protective Coatings at its conference in New Orleans and at the Federation of Societies of Coatings Technology’s annual meeting in Philadelphia. 

 

In this procedure, flat metal panels  are placed on  a  horizontal    plane  on  a   rotating disc immersed in the open sea,   which causes erosion on the flat  panel at various  ship  speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. The PDTS machine uses a standard flat  metal Q Panel   (Type R Dull Matte Finish R-46, www.q-panel.com) measuring  4 inches by  6  inches (101.6 mm x 152.4 mm), with a thickness of 0.032 inches (0.8128 mm). The  test  panel may be coated on one or  both sides  and    submitted  to Poseidon for installation in the machine.

As shown in the figure (above), the position  of the panel in  the rotating disc will determine the relative velocities of the seawater.  We suggest that the client submit one (1) panel for each of the three (3) positions to obtain the full range of velocities possible.  It is also advisable to do the test in duplicate.

Combination of Dynamic and Static Immersion Testing 

The PDTS machine offers the versatility of removing the panels at any client-specified period of exposure and subjecting the panel to static immersion.  This enables the evaluation of the performance of the antifouling coating after a period of fluid shear stress and erosion rate.  Ideally, multiple panels are subjected to the fluid shear stress of the PDTS machine and certain panels may be removed after various periods of time or at equivalent travel distance for static immersion. Once removed from the PDTS machine, the maintenance charges for the PDTS machine terminates and the standard cost of static immersion at at $10.00 per month will apply.

 

Inspection Schedule

The test panels are inspected by removing the panel at a specified period of time (example: after 1 month) or upon reaching the equivalent distance (example:  10,000 miles).  The testing program will be subject to the specifications of the client. 

 

Testing Period

The minimum testing period is three (3) months.  Thereafter, the client may terminate the study or any particular set of panels at any time by giving ten (10) days advance notice.

 

Cost of Testing 

The charges for the testing services are as follows:

• Set-up charge.  This is a one-time charge of US$10.00 per panel for mounting the panels. It is billed during the first billing cycle.

• Maintenance charges.  The maintenance charge for each panel is $50.00  per panel per month.

• Inspection cost. The inspection cost is $15.00 per panel.  The client receives digital photographs via electronic mail of each panel (front and back side) within 10 days from the inspection date.  Measurement of coating film thickness of metal panels is conducted at a client-specified schedule at cost of $25.00 per panel.  Measurements consist of three (3) positions along the midline of the panel on both sides. Since the fluid shear forces experienced by the panel vary depending upon the distance from the center shaft, the film thickness measurements represent erosion rate at three (3) different velocities for each panel. 

Payment Schedule

1. Initial payment is requested at start of the project, which includes set-up charge and maintenance charge for the first three (3) months.

2. Invoice will be sent to client for subsequent monthly charges, inspection cost and film thickness determination.

Test Location 

The PDTS facility is based in Poseidon’s SHMRC Marine Research Centre in Tuticorin Bay, India.  This site is selected because it is ideally suited for both static and dynamic testing due to the aggressive barnacle fouling experienced in this location.  An experienced team of engineers and marine biologists are at this station to support the operations.

C. ZEBRA MUSSEL TESTING

About Zebra Mussels

The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a non-indigenous mussel introduced into North American waterways in 1988, when ballast water containing larvae of this species taken up from European freshwater ports was discharged into the Great Lakes. Since then, zebra mussels have steadily invaded the Great Lakes and have reached south as far as New Orleans.  These mussels represent a major nuisance problem, clogging pipes of power plants, municipal water systems, and other industries that depend on large intakes of freshwater. Zebra mussels also pose serious problems for ship hulls, boats and submerged structures of locks and marinas. 

Zebra mussels cause billions of dollars in repair and remediation. One means of abatement is to formulate coatings that will prevent attachment of zebra mussels to underwater surfaces. To enable development of coatings for this purpose, a means of testing  such coatings in a zebra mussel-infested environment must be accessible to the paint industry.

Location. The test  platform  is located along the banks of Lake Erie (one of the Great Lakes) near the campus of the State University of New York in Buffalo, N.Y.

Testing Schedule. The zebra mussel population proliferates when the waters warm up in spring until the end of autumn in October. The test period begins June 1 and ends October 31, 2004.

Deadline for Submission of Panels

May 28, 2004

Procedure. Coated panels (metal or PVC) measuring 4 inches by 10 inches (10.16 cm.  by 25.4 cm.) must be received by Poseidon on or before May 28, 2004. PVC panels with mounting holes at the top and bottom center may be purchased directly from Poseidon at a cost of $6.00 per panel plus shipping and handling. Panels must be shipped with spacers to prevent them from sticking to each other. An order form is accomplished and submitted along with your test panels. The minimum number of panels is 10 for each participating company.

Cost of Testing.  The maintenance charge for the study period is $30.00 per panel per month and includes the set-up charge and an inspection report at the end of the study period. Interim inspection reports may be requested at a cost of $15.00 per panel.

Inspection Reports. The report consists of an evaluation of the panel in accordance with the ASTM D 3623-78a (Standard Test Method for Testing Antifouling Panels in Shallow Sumergence) and digital photographic record each test panel.  A hard color copy of the report may also be requested at an additional cost.

D. BARNACLE SETTLEMENT ASSAYS & ECOTOXICOLOGY  TESTING

Cyprid Settlement Assay                                  Acute Testing–Marine & Freshwater Organisms

US$ 650.00 per compound (to determine         1. Single concentration         US$   115.00

EC₅₀)                                                                         2. Determination of LD₅₀     US$    600.00

Cyprid Settlement Assay on Coated Dishes     3. Prolonged toxicity 14-       US$ 2,200.00

US$ 850.00 per compound                                      day test

 

(active ingredient is incorporated on VYHH           Algal growth inhibition      US$ 1,500.00

Resin and coated on the bottom of Falcon

petri dish. Settlement assay is conducted with     Marine bacteria toxicity      US$   125.00

the bioactive material impregnated in the               test agar diffusion   

coating (EC₅₀ determined).

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