Search Results for power generation

A powder metallurgy and hot isostatic pressing technology offers a new way to manufacture high pressure-retaining components for use in the power-generation industry.

Thermal spray coatings are widely used to keep power plants running at full capacity. An example is the application of HVOF-sprayed CrC-NiCr to protect generating and superheater banks from sulfuric and vanadium gases. Other examples include the use of arc spraying to deposit high Cr content Ni alloy to extend the life of coal-fired boiler tubes and to apply amorphous work hardening coatings to surfaces in the flu gas path that are susceptible to high-temperature corrosion and wear.

Increasing use of nonmetallic materials in wind turbine blades is driving the development of nondestructive microwave test methods.

Through a series of case studies, the benefits of micro x-ray fluorescence (XRF) over traditional XRF are demonstrated in the power generation industry for informing weld procedures, identifying root cause, and providing materials or component specifications.

Development of wear-resistant hardfacing materials using powder metallurgy/hot isostatic pressing technology offers an alternative to today's cobalt-based materials and those that suffer delamination damage. Ongoing research and development at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), detailed in this article, examines the application of wear-resistant hardfacing materials using the PM/HIP process. The hope is to eliminate weldability and residual stress challenges associated with some hardfacing alloys, as well as to provide a wider range of potential alloy solutions to reduce cobalt use and to address delamination issues with incumbent materials.

In North America, renewable power sources and gas turbines are often in the news, but globally, steam turbines generate the largest portion of electricity, and they will remain a predominant power-generation technology for many decades. Because steam turbines represent a preponderance of our power-generation base, it is essential to continue to drive turbine technology development. Until now, the main technical barrier limiting large efficiency improvements was the temperature constraint imposed by available materials. Today, the game is changing. Due to advancements in materials, we now have a chance to make unprecedented improvements in steam turbine power plant efficiency by raising the inlet temperature hundreds of degrees through the use of new tailored superalloys.

The continually increasing demand for new energy will likely be met through a combination of traditional and emerging energy platforms. While technology needs for traditional oil and gas production differ greatly from the needs of emerging power generation platforms, such as solar, wind, fuel cells, and batteries, a common need among all these sources or energy is advanced materials. Tantalum surface alloys enable advancements in traditional and new energy production methods.

This article explains how coating technology originally developed for use in nuclear power generating equipment is helping automotive engineers solve heat, wear, and performance challenges using new materials and design approaches.

Advanced thermoelectric materials open new horizons for use in solid state power generation and refrigeration applications. This article describes a project that used state-of-the-art computational modeling and high-throughput experimentation to strategically screen the extensive material space and accelerate learning for materials development.

3D laser microscopy is opening new areas of study for metallic alloys and coatings in power generation applications. This article describes some case studies where laser microscopy has augmented, and in some cases replaced, metallic alloy characterization using optical microscopy or scanning electron microscopy.

The 10th Liège Conference on Materials for Advanced Power Engineering was held in September 2014. This article presents conference highlights, including the current state of European materials research for advanced power engineering applications; European multinational programs in this area; and critical research topics including creep-fatigue, new alloy development, and materials developments for gas turbines.

Case studies from a range of industries illustrate how advanced additive manufacturing capabilities optimize both material performance and value. The materials discussed are Inconel 718, Ti-6Al-4V, aluminum F357, and Hastelloy X.

Clearance-control coatings play a major role in gas turbine engines by minimizing the air gap between rotating blade tips and engine casings. An improvement of just 125 µm can reduce fuel consumption by 0.5%. This article discusses the potential impact of new materials being considered for blade tip coating systems, including NiCoCrAlY bond coats and matrix layers with Hf, Re, or Si additions for better oxidation and creep resistance, embedded angular CBN particles for enhanced incursion of abradable shroud coatings, and double or Pt aluminide topcoats for extended oxidation protection.

Advanced materials engineering is being used to solve component life cycle improvement challenges in extremely harsh working conditions. This article discusses examples from various industries where new materials and surface modifications are used to extend the useful life of engineering components and equipment.

Moisture-electric energy transformation (MEET) technology is being developed to further expand the utilization of environmental energy sources like thermal power, wind power, hydropower, and solar energy. The goal of the MEET technology is to extract power from environmental moisture with as few conversion processes as possible to satisfy the ever-growing demand for new and more portable energy sources The use of cold spray to produce MEET devices results in a greener process. While the suitability of polyether ether ketone as a MEET material was proven and the deposition of PEEK using cold gas dynamic spray (CGDS) was achieved, additional work is needed to fully characterize the manufacturing of PEEK-based MEET devices via CGDS.

This article describes work to develop a cost-efficient plasma gun capable of high deposition rates. Engineers analyzed both gun components and gas flow dynamics to design a gun that improves plasma stability. Considerable effort was spent on characterizing the use of the gun for spraying yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) for thermal barrier applications.

Use of radiography to inspect insulated generator components without the need to strip insulation offers advantages over other inspection methods to assess serviceability and need for repair. This article outlines some of the considerations involved in using nondestructive radiography techniques to assess component integrity.

Thermal spray plays an important but latent role in many energy generation applications. Strong R&D commitment is required to further expand its technological envelope. This article addresses future directions in the use of thermal spray coating technologies in the energy sector.

This article presents a brief overview of thermally sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) used in gas turbines that generate electrical power.

For those who are active within the thermal spray industry, 2017 offered a dramatic mix of jubilation and concern over conditions within the global thermal spray market. This article briefly reviews some of the market factors influencing the industry in 2017 and future outlook.