Coating system evaluation and application

Abstract

A method of applying a coating system to a surface of an object, such as an anti-corrosive or anti-fouling coating is disclosed. The method comprises performing a computer implemented coating system e

Description

BACKGROUND It is known to apply a coating system to an object, the coating system comprising one or more coatings. Protective coating systems exist which provide a level of protection against a particular effect occurring. Objects such as oil and gas production facilities, wind energy systems, storage tanks, pipes and pipelines, bridges, buildings and vessels are applied with coating systems to protect them from the environment they are exposed to. Depending on the environment, these objects are exposed to a range of conditions that can cause various processes to occur such as corrosion, erosion, photochemical degradation and fouling. It is important to apply a coating system that will protect against the environment the object is exposed to. For example, an anti-fouling protective coating system protects against the accumulation of marine fouling on a surface to which the anti-fouling protective coating system is applied, and an anti-corrosive protective coating system protects against corrosion of a surface to which the anti-corrosive protective coating system is applied. Other types of protective coating systems exist such as chemical resistance protective coating systems, thermal barrier protective coating systems, mechanical resistance protective coating systems, UV resistance protective coating systems, wood protective coating systems, anti-ice protective coating systems, fire retarding or fire protective coating systems and concrete protective coating systems. Other types of coating system exist which are configured to exhibit a property after application to the object, such as a certain colour, gloss level, a surface texture, a surface pattern, a metallic effect, a friction reduction level, and a friction enhancement level. For each type of coating system, a large number of different coating systems are available. SUMMARY It is important to apply a coating system that will provide a required level of performance. In particular, it is important that protective coating systems protect against the environment the object is exposed to. If the applied protective coating system does not protect the object against the environment it is exposed to the object may require early maintenance. Maintenance may come in the form of reapplying one or more coatings of the coating system (e.g. with a prior cleaning or removal of the coating system). As an example, in the event that an anti-corrosive protective coating system applied to a steel object is no longer providing acceptable anti-corrosive performance and the object has started to corrode, the object will require removal of the corrosion and the anti-corrosive protective coating system down to the bare steel and then re-application of all coatings of the anti-corrosive protective coating system will be necessary. In another example, in the event that an anti-fouling protective coating system applied to a marine vessel is no longer providing acceptable anti-fouling performance, the marine fouling will contribute to an increase of frictional drag leading to increased fuel consumption and green-house gas emissions. This also poses environmental risks for the transfer of marine species from one aquatic region to another. Similarly, it is important that coating systems that are configured to exhibit a property after application to the object, exhibit the property in the environment that the object is exposed to. If the applied coating system does not exhibit the property the object may require early maintenance. Maintenance requires substantial amounts of time, manpower and coating material. For some objects maintenance is also difficult or even impossible to make due to safety reasons or access difficulties. The foundation of offshore oil production facilities, offshore wind energy systems and bridges are examples of objects that are difficult or even impossible to make coating maintenance on as these surfaces are submerged in water. The required maintenance, such as that previously described, will also mean that the operation of the object will have to be temporarily stopped throughout the duration of the maintenance, which can be disruptive to the operation of the object. It is also desirable to minimize the amount of coatings used, as all manufacturing processes and production of coatings will have a certain environmental impact (e.g. production of raw materials, transportation and fabrication). Many factors influence which coating system is most appropriate for a specific object. There is therefore a need for a coating system evaluation method to be used when applying a coating system to an object. According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method of applying a coating system to a surface of an object, the method comprising: performing a computer implemented coating system evaluation method comprising: obtaining environmental data relating to an environment of the object; determining an environmental severity value using the environmental data, the environmental severity value indicating the severity of environmental conditions in the environment; for each of a plurality of coating systems, obtaining a model using the environmental severity value, the model indicating how performance of at least one coating of the coating system is expected to change over time; obtaining a coating system performance parameter defining required performance of the coating system; determining, from the models, one or more coating systems of the plurality of coating systems that provides the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, and providing an evaluation output identifying the one or more coating systems; the method further comprising: selecting a coating system from the one or more coating systems identified in the evaluation output; and applying the coating system to the surface. Selecting and applying a coating system to the object in accordance with the methods described herein, will result in a coated surface designed to cope with the challenges expected to be endured. The obtaining environmental data relating to the environment of the object may be based on a coating type of the at least one coating of the coating system. The determining the environmental severity value may comprise computing the environmental severity value. Computing the environmental severity value may comprise inputting the environmental data into an equation. The method may further comprise selecting the equation based on a material of the surface. The determining the environmental severity value may comprise: transmitting a query to a data store storing a plurality of environmental severity values each associated with the environmental data, the query comprising environmental data relating to the environment of the object; and receiving a response to said query, the query comprising the environmental severity value. The coating system may be a protective coating system, and the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: an effect that the protective coating system is protecting against, and degradation of the protective coating system. The protective coating system may comprise one or more of: (i) an anti-fouling protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: accumulation of marine fouling on the surface, and degradation of the anti-fouling protective coating; (ii) an anti-corrosive protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: corrosion of the surface, and degradation of the anticorrosive protective coating; (iii) a chemical resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: chemical degradation of the surface, absorption by the chemical resistance protective coating of a chemical stored or transported by the object, and degradation of the chemical resistance coating; (iv) a thermal barrier protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: heat exchange of the surface and object with the environment, and degradation of the thermal barrier protective coating; (v) a mechanical resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: mechanical degradation of the surface, and degradation of the mechanical resistance protective coating; and (vi) a UV resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the surface as a result of UV absorbance, and degradation of the UV resistance protective coating; (vii) a wood protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the wood surface, and degradation of the wood protective coating; (viii) an anti-ice protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: build up of ice on the surface, and degradation of the anti-ice protective coating; (ix) a fire retarding or a fire protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to the coating decreasing its fire protection and / or fire retarding properties; and (x) a concrete protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the structural properties of the object, and degradation of the concrete protective coating. The coating system may be configured to exhibit a property after application to the surface, and the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to a degradation of the property of the coating system. The property may comprise one or more of: a colour, a gloss level, a surface texture, a surface pattern, a metallic effect, a friction reduction level, and a friction enhancement level. The obtaining the model may comprise retrieving the model from a memory using the environmental severity value and one or more of: coating data associated with each of the at least one coating; or information about the object. The obtaining the model may comprise retrieving a template model, and modifying the template model using the environmental severity value. The obtaining the model may comprise retrieving a template model using the environmental severity value, and modifying the template model. The modifying the template model may comprise using one or any combination of: coating data associated with each of the at least one coating; and information about the object; The coating data may comprise one or both of: a coating type of each of the at least one coating, and a thickness of each of the at least one coating to be used during said applying. The information about the object may comprise one or more of: information on an environment in which the surface of the object was, or will be, prepared for application of the coating system; information on a surface preparation method used, or will be used, to prepare the surface of the object for application of the coating system; information on at least one environment in which the coating system will be applied during said applying; or information on at least one application method to be used to apply the coating system to the surface of an object during said applying. The coating system performance parameter may define a performance value that is to be exhibited by the coating system after a time period has elapsed after application of the coating system to the surface. The evaluation output may identify only a single coating system. The evaluation output may identify multiple coating systems of the plurality of coating systems. The method may further comprise assigning a ranking value to each of the multiple coating systems based on its ability to provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter; wherein the evaluation output comprises the multiple coating systems and the ranking values associated with each of the multiple coating systems. According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a computing device comprising a processor configured to perform any of the computer implemented coating system evaluation methods described herein. According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor to perform any of the computer implemented coating system evaluation methods described herein. The instructions referred to herein may be provided on a carrier such as a disk, CD- or DVD-ROM, programmed memory such as read-only memory (Firmware), or on a data carrier such as an optical or electrical signal carrier. Code (and / or data) to implement embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise source, object or executable code in a conventional programming language (interpreted or compiled) such as C, or assembly code, code for setting up or controlling an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or code for a hardware description language. These and other aspects will be apparent from the embodiments described in the following. It will be appreciated that features from one aspect may be combined with the features of another aspect. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by this summary nor to implementations that necessarily solve any or all of the disadvantages noted herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present disclosure and to show how embodiments may be put into effect, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of the computing device; Figure 2 illustrates a method of applying a coating system to a surface of an object; Figure 3 illustrates a computer implemented coating system evaluation method; and Figure 4 illustrates models in the form data curves, each data curve indicating how performance of a respective coating system is expected to change over time; DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments will now be described by way of example only. Embodiments of the present disclosure include the execution of computer implemented methods. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a computer implemented coating system evaluation method which provides an evaluation output. A user can then use this evaluation output to select a particular coating system and then apply the selected coating system to a surface of an object. Figure 1 illustrates a simplified view of a computing device 100 which may perform the computer implemented methods described herein. A shown in Figure 1, the computing device 100 comprises a central processing unit (“CPU”) 102, to which is connected a memory 104. The functionality of the CPU 102 described herein may be implemented in code (software) stored on a memory (e.g. memory 104) comprising one or more storage media, and arranged for execution on a processor comprising one or more processing units. The storage media may be integrated into and / or separate from the CPU 102. The code is configured so as when fetched from the memory and executed on the processor to perform operations in line with embodiments discussed herein. Alternatively, it is not excluded that some or all of the functionality of the CPU 102 is implemented in dedicated hardware circuitry (e.g. ASIC(s), simple circuits, gates, logic, and / or configurable hardware circuitry like an FPGA. The computing device 100 may comprise an input device 106 coupled to the CPU 102. The input device 106 allows a user of the computing device 100 to provide inputs and control the operation of the computing device 100. The input device 106 may be keypad, keyboard, a touch-screen display, and / or a microphone. The computing device 100 may comprise an output device 108 coupled to the CPU 102. The output device 108 allows the computing device 100 to provide outputs to a user operating the computing device 100. The output device 108 may comprise a display (for example the touch-screen display referred to above) and / or a speaker. The input device 106 and output device 108 may be integrated into the computing device 100 as shown in Figure 1. In other embodiments, one or both of the input device 106 and output device 108 may not be integrated into the computing device 100 and may be connected to the computing device 100 (and thereby the CPU 102) via respective interfaces. Such interfaces may be wired (e.g. a USB interface) or wireless. The computing device 100 may comprise a communication interface 110 coupled to the CPU 102. The communication interface 110 allows the computing device 100 to transmit data, and / or receive data. The communication interface 110 may be a wireless communication interface and / or a wired communication interface. Figure 2 illustrates a flowchart of a process 200 for applying a coating system to a surface of an object. The object may be any man-made object. The coating system that is to be applied to a surface of an object comprises one or more coatings. A coating system may comprise several coating layers (e.g. 1,2, or 3 or more coating layers) of the same coating type with the same film thickness (e.g. dry film thickness) or several coating layers (e.g. 1, ,2 or 3 or more coating layers) of the same coating type with different film thicknesses (e.g. dry film thickness). A coating system may also comprise coating layers of different coating types e.g. two coating layers of an anti-corrosive protective coating and two coating layers of a UV-resistance protective coating. The different coating types may have the same film thickness (e.g. dry film thickness) or different film thicknesses. For simplicity embodiments are first described with applying a single coating to a surface of an object, which may be the only coating of a coating system, or may be one of multiple coatings of a coating system. At step S202, a computer implemented coating system evaluation method is performed. Step S202 is performed by a computing device 100. For example, step S202 may be performed by the CPU 102. Figure 3 illustrates steps performed in the computer implemented coating system evaluation method that is performed at step S202. For simplicity embodiments are first described with reference to the computer implemented coating system evaluation method evaluating individual coatings. At step S302, the CPU 102 obtains environmental data relating to an environment of the object (which is to be coated with a coating system). The environment of the object may be an indoor or outdoor environment in the vicinity of an object. In embodiments whereby the object provides an enclosed space, e.g. a storage tank or a pipe, the environment may be the space enclosed by the object and / or be external to the enclosed space. For protective coating systems, the environmental data may comprise values for environmental parameters that are directly linked with the effect that the protective coating system is protecting against. For example, for an anti-corrosive coating the environmental data may comprise values for salinity, humidity, and / or temperature. Furthermore the environmental data may comprise values for environmental parameters that degrade the coating (i.e. contribute to coating breakdown) and therefore impact the coating’s ability to prevent the effect from occurring. For example, for an anti-corrosive coating UV light can contribute to breakdown of the anti-corrosive coating. The environmental data may be time dependent. For example, the environment of the object may experience seasonal changes, and the CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data based on a month, season or any other identifier that defines a time of year. The CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data by retrieving the environmental data from memory 104 in which it is stored. Alternatively or additionally, the CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data by retrieving the environmental data from an external data store (not shown in Figure 1) in which it is stored. The CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data relating to an environment of the object based on a coating type of the coating. That is, the CPU 102 may obtain environmental data that is relevant for selecting a coating having a particular coating type. Alternatively or additionally, the CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data relating to an environment of the object based on the object. That is, the CPU 102 may obtain environmental data that is relevant for selecting the performance of a coating that is to be applied to a particular type of object (e.g. a marine vessel, a wind turbine, an offshore drilling station, storage tank, a pipe, a building). As non-limiting examples, the coating type may be one of an anti-fouling protective coating, an anti-corrosive protective coating, a chemical resistance protective coating, a thermal barrier protective coating, a mechanical resistance protective coating, an UV resistance protective coating, a wood protective coating, an anti-ice protective coating, a fire retarding or a fire protective coating, a concrete protective coating, an aesthetic appearance coating (e.g. that provides a particular colour, gloss level, surface texture, surface pattern, and / or metallic effect), a friction reducing coating (e.g. flow coating for internal lining of pipelines), or a friction enhancing coating (e.g. anti-slippage). It will be appreciated that a coating can exhibit multiple different properties, for example a coating may provide both UV resistance and mechanical resistance properties. An anti-fouling protective coating is used to protect surfaces that are immersed in water (typically sea water) from biological fouling settlement and growth. All surfaces submerged in seawater will experience fouling of organisms such as bacteria, diatoms, algae, mussels, tube worms and barnacles. Marine fouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, algae and animals on structures submerged in seawater. The fouling organisms can be divided into microfouling (bacterial and diatomic biofilms) and macrofouling (e.g. macroalgae, barnacles, mussels, tubeworms, bryozoans) which live together forming a fouling community. The development of marine fouling is a known problem for vessels. Fouling of the underwater hull of a vessel will lead to increased drag resistance and increased fuel consumption or reduced speed. Increased fuel consumption will lead to increased CO2, NOX and sulphur emissions. Heavy fouling can also lead to reduced manoeuvrability of the vessel. Many commercial vessels (e.g. container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, passenger ships) are trading worldwide. If the hull of a vessel is fouled the organisms will be transported from its original ecosystem to a different ecosystem. This is problematic as new species can be introduced in sensitive ecosystems and eliminate indigenous species. A vessel can also be prohibited from entering a port if the hull is fouled. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is an anti-fouling protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: (i) water properties (e.g. whether the water is salt water or fresh water, a chlorophyll level, a salinity level, a pH level, a nutrient level, a temperature and / or an amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in the water), (ii) a light intensity, (iii) location information (e.g. a water depth, a distance between the object and coastline, and / or a geographical location of the object). The environmental data may indicate how the water properties, light intensity and / or location information changes over time. Anti-fouling protective coatings are for example described in GB2558739, GB2559454, WO2019096926, GB2576431, DE102018128725, DE102018128727, WO9744401 and WO2021105429. An anti-corrosive protective coating is used to protect surfaces against corrosion. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is an anti-corrosive protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: a humidity level, a temperature in the environment of the object, a chloride deposition rate, a SOx deposition rate, a UV light intensity level, immersed medium and salinity. Anti-corrosive protective coatings are for example described in WO2018046702, WO2023166212, WO2023194444, US2009226729 and WO2017184514. Chemicals are stored and transported in tanks or pipelines that are coated on the interior with a chemical resistance protective coating. The chemical resistance protective coating need to withstand the chemicals that they will come into contact with (so as not to be damaged, and so as not to contaminate the chemicals stored / transported) to prevent chemical degradation of the surface to which the chemical resistance protective coating is to be applied. Furthermore, in cases where there are changes of chemicals (e.g. in ships the chemical transported in a tank might change at every voyage), the tanks are cleaned mechanically and chemically and the chemical resistance protective coatings thus need to withstand the cleaning methods and chemicals. Also when chemicals stored within a tank or transported along a pipeline are changed, it is important that the old chemical does not contaminate the new chemical and therefore any chemical resistance protective coating should minimize the amount of chemicals absorbed as well as have a fast desorption of the chemicals. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a chemical resistance protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: the chemicals (cargo) to be stored / transported, the temperature of chemicals, the concentration of chemicals, the sequence and frequency of cargo, the cleaning methods and cleaning agents (cleaning chemicals) used. Chemical resistance protective coatings are for example described in WO2023006741 and WO2012119968. Coatings can be used for insulation purposes. In particular, a thermal barrier protective coating may be a heat retention, heat reflection, cold retention, or cold reflection coating. Typically a surface of an enclosed space (e.g. a tank, pipeline etc.) that is arranged to store and / or transport a medium (e.g. gas in a tank) is coated with a thermal barrier protective coating. The external medium outside of the object may be air, water, soil etc. The thermal barrier protective coating is configured to minimize the heat transfer between the two media (internal and external). The two media could also be the same, just at different temperatures (e.g. the interior and exterior of a house). In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a thermal barrier protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: a type of the external medium (e.g. air, water, soil, etc.), parameters of the external medium (e.g. temperature, heat capacity, etc.), a type of the internal medium (e.g. air, water, oil, chemicals, etc.), parameters of the internal medium (e.g. temperature, heat capacity, etc.), and if the medium is flowing, the flow speed. Thermal barrier protective coatings are for example described in WO2021175852. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a mechanical resistance protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: force applied, frequency of force applied, type of force applied, type of material moved over the surface, temperature, UV light intensity, humidity, chemical exposure, wind direction, wind speed, and precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level. Mechanical resistance protective coatings such as wind blade coatings are for example described in WO2010122157, WO2023079078, WO2024008831 and WO2024008829. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a UV resistance protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: a UV light intensity, temperature, precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, humidity, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), and mechanical stress. UV resistance protective coatings are for example described in WO2009004010, WO2020025469 and WO2012048650. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a wood protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: temperature, humidity, light intensity (e.g. UV light, visible light), precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), and mechanical stress. Wood protective coatings are for example described in EP314377 and EP3237552. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is an anti-ice protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: temperature (e.g. air, water), humidity, light intensity (e.g. UV light, visible light, IR), precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), salinity (in case of icing on ships), and mechanical stress. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a fire protection or a fire retarding coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: temperature, humidity, light intensity (e.g. UV light, visible light), vibrations, and mechanical stress. Fire protective coatings are for example described in WO2021250211, WO2023104996, WO2016110456, WO2015007628, WO2015007629, WO2021222685, WO2020198424 and WO2024099096. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a concrete protective coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: temperature, humidity, light intensity (e.g. UV light, visible light), precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), mechanical stress, and pH level. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is an aesthetic appearance coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: temperature, humidity, light intensity (e.g. UV light, visible light), precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), mechanical stress, and pH level. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a friction reducing coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: type of material that is moved over the surface, properties of the material that is moved over the surface, force of which the material is moved over the surface and speed of which the material is moved over the surface, UV light intensity, precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), and pH level. In an example whereby the coating to be applied to the object is a friction enhancing coating, the environmental data may comprise one or more of: type of material that is moved over the surface, properties of the material that is moved over the surface, force of which the material is moved over the surface, speed of which the material is moved over the surface, frequency of usage, temperature, UV light intensity, precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, hail) level, air quality (e.g. pollution, dirt, microorganisms and spores thereof), and pH level. The environmental data obtained by the CPU 102 at step S202 may be based on historic measured environmental data and / or predicted environmental data. The environmental data can be found in generally or commercially accessible databases, e.g. NOAA for climate data. In these databases annual average data and / or timeseries data of measurement data can be stored. Furthermore, modelled data from climate / environmental / weather modeling, can be found in generally or commercially accessible databases, which can be used to represent the environmental conditions of an object. Measurement of the environmental data is possible by use of generally available sensors. Environmental data may also be obtained by observations by humans or automatically analysed video footage (e.g. how many cars are driving over a parking lot in case of a floor coating with friction enhancing effects or mechanical resistance effects). This data would be stored and made available to be used directly and / or to compute derived values (e.g. average values, maximum values etc.). The environmental data relating to an environment of the object that is obtained by the CPU 102 may be representative of the environment of the object. For an anti-corrosive protective coating that is to be applied to an off-shore wind turbine, the CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data based on an ocean area the object is to be placed (e.g. North Sea) such that the environmental data is representative of conditions for the North Sea. Similarly, for a wood protective coating the CPU 102 may obtain the environmental data based on a geographical area the object is to be placed (e.g. Southern Norway inland, or West Norway coastal) such that the environmental data is representative of conditions in that geographical area. As a further example, the CPU 102 at step S202 may obtain environmental data by execution of modelling software which can be performed without the use of databases. For example for a thermal barrier protective coating that is to be applied to a pipe, the CPU 102 may execute the modelling software to model the flow of a fluid in the pipe to obtain environmental data such as a flow speed. Commercially available modelling software or modelling software developed specifically for this task may be used. At step S304, the CPU 102 determines an environmental severity value using the environmental data obtained at step S302. The environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment of the object. When the coating to be applied to the object is a protective coating, the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment of the object which would lead to an effect that the protective coating is protecting against. Alternatively or additionally, the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to degradation of the protective coating (i.e. which would lead to the protective coating to lose its protecting properties). When the coating to be applied to the object is configured to exhibit a property after application to the surface (e.g. a colour, a gloss level, a surface texture, a surface pattern, a metallic effect, a friction reduction level, and / or a friction enhancement level) the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment of the object which would lead to a degradation of the property. The CPU 102 may determine the environmental severity value in a number of different ways. The CPU 102 may compute the environmental severity value using one or more pieces of environmental data obtained at step S202. The CPU 102 may compute the environmental severity value by inputting the one or more pieces of environmental data into an equation (which may be selected by the CPU 102 based on a material of the surface). Taking the example of an anti-corrosive protective coating, the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to corrosion of the surface. For an anti-corrosive protective coating in atmospheric conditions, the environmental severity value may be a corrosion rate. As is known to persons skilled in the art, equations exist which can be used to determine a corrosion rate based on environmental data. For example, equation (1) provided below is described in ISO 9223:2012 and can be used for determining the corrosion rate for carbon steel objects: ^cerr "1 J7- / f-6X^0,020-RH + / St) + 0,102-5^82-exp^OSS-RH+0,040- / ) (1) = 0,150-(7 -10) when Tx 10 *C; otherwise --0,054-(7 - 10) 128, R2 -0,85 rcorr is first-year corrosion rate of metal, expressed in micrometres per year (pm / a); T is the annual average temperature, expressed in degrees Celsius (°C); RH is the annual average relative humidity, expressed as a percentage (%); Pd is the annual average SO2 deposition, expressed in milligrams per square metre per day [mg / (m2 ■ d)]; Sd is the annual average Cl’ deposition, expressed in milligrams per square metre per day [mg / (m2 ■ d)]. As noted above, the equation used to compute the environmental severity value may be based on a material of the surface. Equation (2) provided below is described in ISO 9223:2012 and can be used for determining the corrosion rate for aluminium objects: / CWT - 0,004 2- / -^73‘exp(0„025-RH + y^)+0,0018-S'exp(0,020-RH + 0,094 -T) / AJ ~ 0.009( / - 10) when 10 °C; otherwise 0,043( / - 10) A,! ~ 113, / ^-0,65 (2) rcorr is first-year corrosion rate of metal, expressed in micrometres per year (pm / a); T is the annual average temperature, expressed in degrees Celsius (°C); RH is the annual average relative humidity, expressed as a percentage (%); Pd is the annual average SO2 deposition, expressed in milligrams per square metre per day [mg / (m2 ■ d)]; Sd is the annual average Cl’ deposition, expressed in milligrams per square metre per day [mg / (m2 ■ d)]. It will be appreciated that the above examples are merely provided to demonstrate how the equation used to determine the environmental severity value may be dependent on a material of the surface. Whilst environmental data relating to annual average temperature, annual average relative humidity, annual average SO2 deposition, and annual average chloride deposition are used in the above equations for calculating a corrosion rate, the equation used to determine a corrosion rate (or alternative environmental severity value for an anti-corrosive protective coating) may use additional and / or alternative environmental data than those used in equations (1) and (2). For an anti-corrosive protective coating, the environmental severity value may additionally or alternatively indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to degradation of the anti-corrosive protective coating. Taking the example of an anti-fouling protective coating, the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to accumulation of marine fouling on the surface. Various equations may be developed and used to compute the environmental severity value for an anti-fouling protective coating, non-limiting examples are provided below and the skilled person would readily be able to determine alternatives. In embodiments whereby the environmental data comprises a water temperature, a salinity level and a water depth, the environmental severity value (ESV) may be calculated using equation (3) below: ESV = (water temperature / °C + salinity / (practical salinity unit) + 1 / (water depth / m)) (3) where water temperature is expressed in degrees Celsius (°C); where salinity is expressed in practical salinity unit; where water depth is expressed in metres (m). In embodiments whereby the environmental data comprises a chlorophyll level, a salinity level and a water depth, the environmental severity value (ESV) may be calculated using equation (4) below: ESV = (chlorophyll / (mg / m3) + salinity / (practical salinity unit) + 1 / (water depth / m)) (4) were chlorophyll is expressed in milligrams per cubic metre (mg / m3); were salinity is expressed in practical salinity unit; were water depth is expressed in metres (m). Whilst environmental data relating to water temperature, a salinity level, a chlorophyll level and a water depth are used in the above equations for calculating an environmental severity value for an anti-fouling protective coating, the equation used to determine such an environmental severity value may use additional and / or alternative environmental data than those used in equations (3) and (4). For an anti-fouling protective coating, the environmental severity value may additionally or alternatively indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to degradation of the anti-fouling protective coating. Taking the example of a thermal barrier protective coating, the environmental severity value may indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to heat exchange of the surface and object with the environment. As one example, the heat loss of an uninsulated pipe may be used as the environmental severity value, computed from the temperature of the fluid flowing through the pipe and the temperature of the surrounding air and the pipe material using equation (5) below: q_r / A=0.01 78*e*[((T_c+273) / 1 00)A4-((T_a+273) / 100)A4] (5) q_r: Radiative heat loss A: surface area e: emissivity of pipe material T_c : temperature of the fluid T_a : ambient temperature Whilst environmental data relating to the temperature of the fluid flowing through the pipe and the temperature of the surrounding air are used in equation (5) for calculating an environmental severity value for a thermal barrier protective coating, the equation used to determine such an environmental severity value may use additional and / or alternative environmental data than those used in equation (5). For a thermal barrier protective coating, the environmental severity value may additionally or alternatively indicate the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to degradation of the thermal barrier protective coating. Whilst example equations have been provided for an anti-corrosive protective coating, an anti-fouling protective coating, and a thermal barrier protective coating, it will be appreciated that equivalent equations may be used to compute the environmental severity value for other protective coatings. For a chemical resistance protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: chemical degradation of the surface, absorption by the chemical resistance protective coating of a chemical stored or transported by the object, and degradation of the chemical resistance coating. For a mechanical resistance protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: mechanical degradation of the surface, and degradation of the mechanical resistance protective coating. For a UV resistance protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the surface as a result of UV absorbance, and degradation of the UV resistance protective coating. For a wood protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the wood surface, and degradation of the wood protective coating. For an anti-ice protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: build up of ice on the surface, and degradation of the antiice protective coating. For a fire retarding or a fire protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to the coating decreasing its fire protection and / or fire retarding properties. For a concrete protective coating, the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the structural properties of the object, and degradation of the concrete protective coating. Similarly, equivalent equations may be used to compute the environmental severity value for coatings which are configured to exhibit a property after application to the surface, whereby the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to a degradation of the property of the coating. In other embodiments, the CPU 102 does not compute the environmental severity value and instead retrieves the environmental severity value from a data store. The data store may correspond to the memory 104 or an external data store (not shown in Figure 1). In these embodiments, the data store stores a plurality of environmental severity values each associated with environmental data, and at step S204, the CPU 102 is configured to transmit a query to the data store. The query comprises environmental data relating to an environment of the object. The CPU 102 is configured to receive a response to the query, the query comprising the environmental severity value. Taking the example of an anti-corrosive protective coating, the data store may store environmental severity values in the form of corrosivity classes (e.g. corrosivity classes C1-C5 and CX), each of the corrosivity classes associated with environmental data. In particular, each of the corrosivity classes may be associated with data ranges for environmental data (e.g. humidity, temperature, chloride deposition rate, SOx deposition rate, and / or UV light intensity levels) that impacts corrosivity, or a corrosion rate range. The CPU 102 may be configured to transmit a query to the data store; and receive a response to the query, the response comprising the corrosivity class corresponding to the environmental data transmitted in the query. It is possible to divide a map (e.g. of the world or region of the world) into corrosivity zones, where each corrosivity zone is defined by geographical area and is associated with a corrosivity class. Each corrosivity zone may also be divided into corrosivity zone layers whereby each corrosivity zone layer is associated with a height above sea level. The data store may store environmental severity values in the form of corrosivity classes (e.g. corrosivity classes C1-C5 and CX), each of the corrosivity classes associated with one or more corrosivity zones. The CPU 102 may be configured to transmit a query to the data store, the query comprising a geographical location of the object; and receive a response to the query, the response comprising the corrosivity class corresponding to the geographical location transmitted in the query. The data store may store environmental severity values in the form of corrosivity classes (e.g. corrosivity classes C1-C5 and CX), each of the corrosivity classes associated with one or more corrosivity zones in combination with a corrosivity zone layer. The CPU 102 may be configured to transmit a query to the data store, the query comprising a geographical location of the object and a height of the surface above sea level; and receive a response to the query, the response comprising the corrosivity class corresponding to the geographical location and height transmitted in the query. The corrosivity zones and / or corrosivity zone layers that are associated with each corrosivity class may be time dependent. For example, the corrosivity class of a particular corrosivity zone and / or corrosivity zone layer may experience seasonal changes. Taking the example of an anti-fouling protective coating, the data store may store environmental severity values in the form of fouling intensity classes, each of the fouling intensity classes associated with environmental data. In particular, each of the fouling intensity classes may be associated with data ranges for environmental data e.g. water properties (the examples of which have been described above), light intensity, water depth, a distance between the object and coastline etc., that impacts marine fouling. The CPU 102 may be configured to transmit a query to the data store; and receive a response to the query, the response comprising the fouling intensity class corresponding to the environmental data transmitted in the query. It is possible to divide a map (e.g. of the world or region of the world) into fouling zones, where each fouling zone is defined by geographical area and is associated with a fouling intensity class. For example, coastal waters typically pose a higher fouling risk than open ocean waters. The data store may store environmental severity values in the form of fouling intensity classes, each of the fouling intensity classes associated with one or more fouling zones. The CPU 102 may be configured to transmit a query to the data store, the query comprising a geographical location of the object; and receive a response to the query, the response comprising the fouling intensity class corresponding to the geographical location transmitted in the query. The fouling zones that are associated with a fouling intensity class may be time dependent. For example, the fouling intensity class of a particular fouling zone may vary dependent on the season. Similar methods may be employed for other types of coating. In other embodiments, at step S304 the CPU 102 may use a value of an environmental parameter included in the environmental data obtained a step S302 directly as the environmental severity value. Taking the example of a UV resistance protective coating, if the environmental data obtained a step S302 comprises a UV light intensity level, the UV light intensity level may be used as the environmental severity value. As part of the computer implemented coating system evaluation method, the CPU 102 is configured to evaluate the expected performance of a plurality of candidate coating systems. For simplicity embodiments are first described with reference to the computer implemented coating system evaluation method evaluate the expected performance of a plurality of individual coatings. In examples whereby the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is used to evaluate the expected performance of individual coatings, at step S306, for each of the plurality of candidate coatings, the CPU 102 obtains a model using the environmental severity value. Each model indicates how performance of the respective coating is expected to change over time in an environment associated with the environmental severity value. In an example, where the CPU 102 is configured to evaluate the performance of ten candidate coatings, the CPU 102 would obtain a model for each of the ten coatings at step S306. Each model indicates how performance of a coating is expected to change over time if applied to the object. The model may take various forms. For example the model may be in the form of an equation, a tabular data set, or a data curve. For ease of illustrate, embodiments are described with reference to the model(s) being data curve(s). We refer to examples herein whereby a model indicates how performance of a single coating is expected to change over time if applied to the object, however a model may also indicate how performance of multiple coatings of a coating system is expected to change over time if applied to the object. The models may be based on testing made in a laboratory and / or testing made in real-life. The testing may be accelerated testing. Various test methods exist which are evaluating properties such as barrier properties, corrosion and corrosion creep, adhesion, anti-fouling performance, dirt pick up resistance, water uptake, ice mitigation, abrasion resistance, mechanical impact, coating hardness, gloss retention and / or colour retention. Analysis techniques such as FT-IR, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), NMR and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) may be used. The testing may be performed in different environmental conditions. Different coating film thicknesses (e.g. dry film thickness) may be used and the testing may be performed on different objects (e.g. type, material, size, shape). Extrapolated data may be used. Real-life inspections performed on objects (e.g. visual inspections or sensor measurements) may be used as basis for the model. In some embodiments, a model obtained at step S306 may be prestored in memory. For example, a plurality of models indicating how performance of a coating is expected to change over time may be prestored in the memory 104 and / or an external data store (not shown in Figure 1) accessible to the CPU 102. The plurality of prestored models may each be associated with an environmental severity value or a range of environmental severity values. In these embodiments, at step S306 the CPU 102 is configured to query the memory using the environmental severity value to obtain a model that is associated with the environmental severity value. Optionally, the plurality of prestored models may each be associated with further information which may be used to retrieve the prestored model at step S306. For example, coating data associated with the coating may be used to retrieve the model from memory. The coating data may comprise a coating type and / or a coating thickness (e.g. dry film thickness) that will be used when the coating is applied to the surface of the object. Additionally or alternatively, information about the object may be used to retrieve the model from the plurality of prestored models. In examples whereby a model obtained at step S206 indicates how performance of a single coating is expected to change over time, the information about the object may comprise one or more of: (i) information on an environment in which the surface of the object was, or will be, prepared prior to application of the coating (e.g. the temperature and / or humidity of the environment in which the surface was, or will be, prepared); (ii) information on a surface preparation method used, or will be used, to prepare the surface of the object prior to application of the coating (e.g. whether the surface was, or will be prepared using abrasive blasting, water jetting, wire brushing, disc-sanding, needle chipping etc.); (iii) information on at least one environment in which the coating will be applied to the surface of an object (e.g. the temperature and / or humidity of the environment in which the coating will be applied); or (iv) information on at least one application method that will be used to apply the coating to the surface of an object (e.g. whether the coating will be applied using a brush, spray gun, roller, electrostatic application etc.). In examples whereby a model obtained at step S306 indicates how performance of a coating system comprising multiple coatings is expected to change over time in an environment associated with the environmental severity value, it will be appreciated that the multiple coatings may be applied in different environments and / or using different application methods, and the information about the object may comprise information on these different environments and / or application methods. Furthermore, the information about the object may be specific to the coating type of the coating(s) of the coating system. Taking the example of a chemical resistance protective coating, different models may be stored in dependence on one or more: (i) dimensions of the object; (ii) a material of the surface of the object; (iii) a position of the surface on the object (e.g. whether the surface is at the bottom, side, or top of a storage tank); and (iv) whether the object is stationary or moving in use. Taking the example of an anti-fouling protective coating that is to be applied to a marine vessel, different models may be stored in dependence on one or more: (i) speed of the vessel, (ii) area of the vessel (e.g. boot top, side bottom, flat bottom), (iii) voyage factor (i.e. how many days the vessel will be sailing and idle), (iv) loading conditions (e.g. ballast or laden) and (v) if the vessel will be subjected to proactive cleaning. Taking the example of an anti-corrosive protective coating, different models may be stored in dependence on one or more: (i) height above ground and / or sea level, (ii) orientation of the surface of the object (e.g. facing north, south etc.) and (iii) area on the object (e.g. vertical, horizontal). Taking the example of a thermal barrier protective coating, different models may be stored in dependence on one or more: (i) orientation of the surface of the object (e.g. facing north, south etc.) and (ii) area on the object (e.g. vertical, horizontal). In some embodiments, a model obtained at step S306 is generated from a model prestored in memory. In particular, a template model may be prestored in the memory 104 and / or an external data store (not shown in Figure 1) accessible to the CPU 102. This template model is then adapted in order to obtain the model that will be used to evaluate the expected performance of a particular coating. The CPU 102 may be configured to retrieve a template model, and modify the template model using the environmental severity value. That is, the CPU 102 is configured to modify the template model based on the severity of environmental conditions in the environment of the object. This minimises data storage requirements as it is not necessary to store multiple different models. The CPU 102 may be configured to further modify the template model based on coating data associated with the coating. The coating data may comprise a coating type and / or a coating thickness that will be used when then coating is applied to the surface of the object. Additionally or alternatively, the CPU 102 may be configured to further modify the template model based on information about the object, examples of which have been described above. A plurality of template models may be prestored in the memory 104 and / or an external data store (not shown in Figure 1) accessible to the CPU 102, whereby each template model is associated with an environmental severity value. In these embodiments, the CPU 102 is configured to retrieve a template model from the plurality of template models using the environmental severity value. This template model is then adapted in order to obtain the model that will be used to evaluate the expected performance of a particular coating. The CPU 102 may be configured to modify the template model based on coating data associated with the coating. The coating data may comprise a coating type and / or a coating thickness that will be used when the coating will be applied to the surface of the object. Additionally or alternatively, the CPU 102 may be configured to modify the template model based on information about the object, examples of which have been described above. The models for each of the plurality of candidate coatings may be obtained using the same or different methods. Figure 4 illustrates models in the form of data curves, each data curve indicating how performance of a respective coating is expected to change over time. Figure 4 illustrates a simple example in which model 401 indicates how performance of a first coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value, and a model 402 indicates how performance of a second coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value. The y-axis for the data curves shown in Figure 4 is a unit-less measure of performance, however the y-axis may alternatively represent numerical values of a measurable property of the coating. Persons skilled in the art are aware of methods to translate measured properties to a unit-less performance value between 0 and 100%. Taking an example of an anti-corrosive protective coating, no visual performance loss may correspond to a performance protection value of 100%, and a 10% spot rust may correspond to a performance protection value of 80% etc.). There exist standards on how to evaluate the coating condition of an anti-corrosive protective coating, e.g. “ASTM D610 Standard Practice for Evaluating Degree of Rusting on Painted Steel Surfaces”, or “ISO 4628-3 Paints and varnishes — Evaluation of degradation of coatings — Designation of quantity and size of defects, and of intensity of uniform changes in appearance Part 3: Assessment of degree of rusting”. In all these cases it is possible to map a measured value (barrier property, corrosion rate, ASTM “rust scale" / ISO “degree of rusting” value) to a unit less performance protection value between 0 and 100%. Referring back to Figure 3, at step S308 the CPU 102 obtains a coating system performance parameter defining required performance of the coating system. In the example whereby the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is used to evaluate coating systems having a single coating, the coating system performance parameter defines the required performance of the coating that is to be applied to the object. The CPU 102 may obtain the coating system performance parameter from memory e.g. memory 104 and / or from an external data store accessible to the CPU 102. A user may input the coating system performance parameter to the CPU 102 and / or memory using the input device 106. The coating system performance parameter may define a performance value that is to be exhibited by the coating after a time period has elapsed after application of the coating to the surface of the object. In these embodiments, the performance value may be a unit-less performance value. For example, the coating system performance parameter may define that a coating must have >40% performance after 10 months. Alternatively, the performance value may be a measurable property of the coating or object. For example, for a mechanical resistance protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the coating must have a film thickness of 250 pm after 10 months. For example, for an anti-corrosive protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the coating must have a barrier property value of at least 107 Ohm*cm2 after a period of 1 year. For example, for an aesthetic appearance protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the coating must have a gloss of more than 70 GU at 60° after 12 months. For an anti-fouling protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the coating must have an area of less than 2% covered in macrofouling after 2 years. For example, for an anti-fouling protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the vessel must have a speed loss of less than 2% according to ISO19030 after 3 years. In another example, the coating system performance parameter may define a minimum rate of change of a performance value that is to be exhibited by the coating after application of the coating to the surface of the object. In these embodiments, the performance value may be a unit-less performance value. For example, the coating system performance parameter may define that a coating must not be expected to have a drop of >10% performance over a time period of 3 months. Alternatively, the performance value may be a measurable property of the coating or object. For example, for a mechanical resistance protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that a coating must not have a reduction in film thickness of 10 pm over a time period of 10 months. For example, for an aesthetic appearance protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the coating must have a gloss reduction of less than 5 GU at 60° over a time period of one year. For example, for an anti-fouling protective coating, the coating system performance parameter may define that the vessel must have a speed loss of less than 1% per year (speed loss determined according to ISO19030). In a further example, the coating system performance parameter may define that an average performance value taken over a time period should exceed a predetermined value. In yet another example, a combination of two or more conditions may be used for the coating system performance parameter. For example, the coating system performance parameter may define that an initial performance value is at a maximum once the coating is applied (or higher than a certain value) and it should not drop more than a given value over the expected lifetime of the coating. In examples whereby the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is used to evaluate the expected performance of individual coatings, at step S310, the CPU 102 determines, from the plurality of models, one or more coatings (from the plurality of candidate coatings) that provides the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. Referring to a simple example in which the plurality of candidate coatings consists of two coatings, whereby the model 401 indicates how performance of a first coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value, and the model 402 indicates how performance of a second coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value, at step S310 determines which of the first coating and the second coating provides the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. In an example, whereby the coating system performance parameter defines that a coating must have >40% performance after 10 months, it can be seen from model 401 that the first coating will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, and it can be seen from the model 402 that the second coating will not provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. It will be appreciated that in some scenarios, only a single coating of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. In other scenarios, multiple coatings of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. In examples whereby the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is used to evaluate the expected performance of individual coatings, at step S312, the CPU 102 provides an evaluation output that identifies one or more coatings that will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. The CPU 102 provides the evaluation output using the output device 108. For example, the CPU 102 may output a unique identifier (e.g. a product name, identification number etc.) of the one or more coatings that will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, via a display of the computing device such that the unique identifier(s) is visually output to a user of the computing device 100. In another example, the CPU 102 may output the unique identifier of the one or more coatings that will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, via a speaker of the computing device such that the unique identifier(s) is audibly output to a user of the computing device 100. For each of the one or more coatings identified in the evaluation output, the evaluation output may include the performance of the coating defined by the coating system performance parameter. For each of the one or more coatings identified in the evaluation output, the evaluation output may include a film thickness (e.g. dry film thickness or wet film thickness) of the coating. Referring to Figure 4, the model 401 may indicate how performance of a first coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value if it is applied with a 200 pm dry film thickness, and the model 402 may indicate how performance of the same coating is expected to change over time in the environment associated with the environmental severity value if it is applied with a 100 pm dry film thickness. In scenarios whereby multiple coatings of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, the CPU 102 may be configured to include all of the multiple coatings in the evaluation output. In an example, whereby the coating system performance parameter defines that a coating must have >40% performance after 10 months, and coatings 1-3 of a set of ten candidate coatings will provide the required performance, the CPU 102 may be configured to include coatings 1-3 in the evaluation output. The performance protection percentage figure that is provided after 10 months for each of coatings 1-3 may also be included in the evaluation output. In scenarios whereby multiple coatings of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, the CPU 102 may be configured to assign a ranking value to each of the multiple coatings in the evaluation output based on their ability to provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. The evaluation output may comprise the multiple coatings (e.g. identified by their unique identifier) and the ranking values associated with each of the multiple coatings. For example, when the evaluation output is transmitted to a display of the computing device 100, the evaluation output may comprise a list of the multiple coatings with an indication of the ranking value assigned to each of the multiple coatings. The multiple coatings may be arranged in the list in an order dependent on their ranking values. In an example, whereby the coating system performance parameter defines that a coating must have >40% performance after 10 months, and coatings 1-3 of a set of ten candidate coatings will provide the required performance because the model for coating 1 indicates that it will provide 92% performance after 10 months, the model for coating 2 indicates that it will provide 75% performance after 10 months, and the model for coating 3 indicates that it will provide 61% performance after 10 months, the CPU 102 may be configured to rank coating 1 as first, rank coating 2 as second and rank coating 3 as third. In scenarios whereby multiple coatings of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, and all of the multiple coatings are included in the evaluation output, additional data associated with the coatings may be provided in the evaluation output For example the environmental impact of each of the multiple coatings may be provided in the evaluation output e.g. the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in each of the multiple coatings may be included in the evaluation output. As another example, information on the availability of each of the multiple coatings may be provided in the evaluation output (e.g. whether the coating is in stock and the amount of stock). As another example, information on the application time of each of the multiple coatings may be provided in the evaluation output. In a further example, information on any application restrictions for the multiple coatings (e.g. coatings that must be applied in certain temperature or humidity conditions) may be provided in the evaluation output. In a further example, information on any required regulatory approvals for the multiple coatings (e.g. some coatings are only approved for use in certain countries) may be provided in the evaluation output. The additional data associated with the coatings that is referred to herein may be stored in memory e.g. memory 104 and / or in an external data store accessible to the CPU 102. In embodiments whereby the CPU 102 is configured to assign a ranking value to each of the multiple coatings in the evaluation output, the CPU 102 may be configured to assign the ranking values based on their ability to provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter and additional data associated with the coatings, examples of which have been described above e.g. the environmental impact of each of the multiple coatings. In other embodiments, in scenarios whereby multiple coatings of the plurality of candidate coatings will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, the CPU 102 may be configured to include only a single coating in the evaluation output which provides the highest level of performance according to the coating system performance parameter. In an example, whereby the coating system performance parameter defines that a coating must have >40% performance after 10 months, and coatings 1-3 of a set of ten candidate coatings will provide the required performance because the model for coating 1 indicates that it will provide 92% performance after 10 months, the model for coating 2 indicates that it will provide 75% performance after 10 months, and the model for coating 3 indicates that it will provide 61% performance after 10 months, the CPU 102 may be configured to only identify coating 1 in the evaluation output because it will provide the highest level of performance according to the coating system performance parameter. Referring back to Figure 2, once the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is performed, the process proceeds to step S204. At step S204 a user of the computing device S204 selects a coating system from one or more coatings systems identified in the evaluation output. In examples whereby the computer implemented coating system evaluation method is used to evaluate the expected performance of individual coatings, at step S204 a user of the computing device S204 selects a coating from one or more coatings identified in the evaluation output. In examples, whereby the evaluation output includes only a single coating, at step S204 this coating is selected to be applied to the object. In examples, whereby the evaluation output includes multiple coatings, one of the multiple coatings is selected to be applied to the object. The selection of a coating from multiple coatings include in the evaluation output may be based on ranking values assigned to the multiple coatings. The selection of a coating from multiple coatings include in the evaluation output may be based on other considerations such as availability of the coatings and / or the environmental impact of the coatings provided in the evaluation output. These other considerations may be conveyed by way of the additional data included in the evaluation output, the examples of which have been described above. That is, the selection of a coating from multiple coatings include in the evaluation output may be based on the ranking values assigned to the multiple coatings and the additional data included in the evaluation output. At step S206, the selected coating system identified in the evaluation output is applied to the object. By applying the selected coating system we mean: applying the selected coating system on to the surface of the object thereby forming a curable and / or dryable coating film or films, and then allowing the curable and / or dryable coating film(s) to cure and / or dry thereby forming one or more layers of coating on the surface of the object. Application of the protective coating may be by any means, for example, by brush, spray gun, roller, electrostatic application etc. If the evaluation output includes a required film thickness (dry film thickness or wet film thickness) the coating is applied in accordance with the required film thickness. A deviation from the required film thickness is acceptable as it in practice is difficult to apply exact film thicknesses. The acceptable deviation can vary from different coating types. For an anti-corrosive protective coating an acceptable deviation may be ±20 pm. Whilst embodiments are described herein with evaluating the expected performance of individual coatings, embodiments extend to evaluating the performance of multiple coatings which form part, or the entirety of, a coating system. That is, a model obtained at step S306 may indicate how performance of multiple coatings of a coating system is expected to change over time. Furthermore, at step S310, the CPU 102 may determine, from the plurality of models, one or more coating systems that provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter. Furthermore, at step S312, the CPU 102 may provide an evaluation output that identifies one or more coating systems that will provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter.

Claims

1. A method of applying a coating system to a surface of an object, the method comprising:performing a computer implemented coating system evaluation method comprising:obtaining environmental data relating to an environment of the object;determining an environmental severity value using the environmental data, the environmental severity value indicating the severity of environmental conditions in the environment;for each of a plurality of coating systems, obtaining a model using the environmental severity value, the model indicating how performance of at least one coating of the coating system is expected to change over time;obtaining a coating system performance parameter defining required performance of the coating system;determining, from the models, one or more coating systems of the plurality of coating systems that provides the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter, and providing an evaluation output identifying the one or more coating systems;the method further comprising:selecting a coating system from the one or more coating systems identified in the evaluation output; andapplying the coating system to the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining environmental data relating to the environment of the object is based on a coating type of the at least one coating of the coating system.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the determining the environmental severity value comprising computing the environmental severity value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein computing the environmental severity value comprising inputting the environmental data into an equation.5 The method of claim 4, the method comprising selecting the equation based on a material of the surface.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the determining the environmental severity value comprises:transmitting a query to a data store storing a plurality of environmental severity values each associated with the environmental data, the query comprising environmental data relating to the environment of the object; andreceiving a response to said query, the query comprising the environmental severity value.

7. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the coating system is a protective coating system, and the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of:an effect that the protective coating system is protecting against; and.degradation of the protective coating system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the protective coating system comprises one or more of:(i) an anti-fouling protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: accumulation of marine fouling on the surface, and degradation of the anti-fouling protective coating;(ii) an anti-corrosive protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: corrosion of the surface, and degradation of the anticorrosive protective coating;(iii) a chemical resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: chemical degradation of the surface, absorption by the chemical resistance protective coating of a chemical stored or transported by the object, and degradation of the chemical resistance coating;(iv) a thermal barrier protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment whichwould lead to at least one of: heat exchange of the surface and object with the environment, and degradation of the thermal barrier protective coating;(v) a mechanical resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: mechanical degradation of the surface, and degradation of the mechanical resistance protective coating; and(vi) a UV resistance protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the surface as a result of UV absorbance, and degradation of the UV resistance protective coating;(vii) a wood protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the wood surface, and degradation of the wood protective coating;(viii) an anti-ice protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: build up of ice on the surface, and degradation of the anti-ice protective coating;(ix) a fire retarding or a fire protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to the coating decreasing its fire protection and / or fire retarding properties; and(x) a concrete protective coating, wherein the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to at least one of: degradation of the structural properties of the object, and degradation of the concrete protective coating.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the coating system is configured to exhibit a property after application to the surface, and the environmental severity value indicates the severity of environmental conditions in the environment which would lead to a degradation of the property of the coating system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the property comprises one or more of: a colour, a gloss level, a surface texture, a surface pattern, a metallic effect, a friction reduction level, and a friction enhancement level.

11. The method of any preceding claim, wherein obtaining the model comprises retrieving the model from a memory using the environmental severity value and one or more of:coating data associated with each of the at least one coating; or information about the object.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein obtaining the model comprises retrieving a template model, and modifying the template model using the environmental severity value.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein obtaining the model comprises retrieving a template model using the environmental severity value, and modifying the template model.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein modifying the template model comprises using one or any combination of:coating data associated with each of the at least one coating; and information about the object;15. The method of claim 11 or 14, wherein the coating data comprises one or both of:a coating type of each of the at least one coating, anda thickness of each of the at least one coating to be used during said applying.

16. The method of any of claims 11 or 14, wherein the information about the object comprises one or more of:information on an environment in which the surface of the object was, or will be, prepared for application of the coating system;information on a surface preparation method used, or will be used, to prepare the surface of the object for application of the coating system;information on at least one environment in which the coating system will be applied during said applying; orinformation on at least one application method to be used to apply the coating system to the surface of an object during said applying.

17. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the coating system performance parameter defines a performance value that is to be exhibited by the coating system after a time period has elapsed after application of the coating system to the surface.

18. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the evaluation output identifies only a single coating system.

19. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, wherein the evaluation output identifies multiple coating systems of the plurality of coating systems.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises assigning a ranking value to each of the multiple coating systems based on its ability to provide the required performance defined by the coating system performance parameter; wherein the evaluation output comprises the multiple coating systems and the ranking values associated with each of the multiple coating systems.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor to perform the coating system evaluation method of any preceding claim.

22. A computing device comprising a processor configured to perform the coating system evaluation method of any of claims 1 to 20.

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