Search Results for thermal process scale-up

Early consideration of scale-up requirements can help circumvent downstream problems when implementing thermal processes for the production of new materials and product forms. Examples are given showing how success is achieved when scaling opportunities and challenges are identified early in the development process.

This article reviews the current state of thermal spray nanocomposite coating technology and assesses commercially available feedstock materials as well as those in development.

A joint Canadian venture launches a new facility with an innovative hybrid approach to cold spray additive manufacturing. The technology platform combines multiple manufacturing steps in a single cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) unit, incorporating surface preparation, cold spray forming and buildup, local laser-based thermal treatment, and in-situ sequential robotic machining and semi-finishing.

The growth and exfoliation of thermally grown oxides, or scales, in steam power plants is a complex phenomenon that depends on alloy composition, microstructure (including surface condition), temperature, pressure, and plant operation. This article discusses the factors that contribute to oxide scale buildup in ultrasupercritical boiler tubes and ongoing efforts to mitigate problems due to steam-side oxidation and exfoliation in high-efficiency power plants.

Lithium-ion batteries are an important enabling technology for electric vehicles. This article reports on a study in which an induction melting process was evaluated to produce LiFePO 4 (LFP) ingots as well as granules from low-cost precursors. The melt casting process can provide the benefits of utilizing various precursors, rapid reaction kinetics, homogeneous liquid composition, and scale-up readiness. More importantly, this process also offers the possibility of lower-cost battery materials at a similar or better performance level as compared to solid state methods. If successful, melt synthesis of battery cathode material could offer a novel application of the conventional casting process.

A recently discovered nanocarbon phase, first imaged to atomic resolution in 2012, is being exploited to increase the electrical and thermal conductivity of metals and alloys. These unique materials, known as carbon covetic nanomaterials or covetics for short, represent an opportunity to improve energy efficiency over a wide range of applications using low-cost raw materials and scalable processes. This article briefly describes the structure, properties, and potential applications for covetics.

Flow measurement is an increasingly important part of quality control systems in the heat treating industry. This article covers selection basics, sizing, mass flowmeter overview, and frequently asked questions about about flowmeters.

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.

Stony Brook celebrates a milestone by reflecting on its Center for Thermal Spray Research from the early years of growth and expansion to the development of an industrial consortium.

What needs to be discovered, learned, and understood to advance thermal spray beyond existing practices? Is revenue a realistic indicator of progress and advancement or is it just a framework for a much bigger picture? This article reviews some past successes, failures, and unrealized potentials of industrial and manufacturing outcomes and provides details of the knowns and unknowns of the thermal spray portfolio.

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.

A hydrogen gas generator plant offers a flexible hydrogen supply solution to the powder metallurgy industry. This article provides an overview of a unique steam methane reformer that uses an integrated heat recovery system to reduce the cost and improve the reliability of hydrogen gas supply.

The next generation of metal additive manufacturing leverages the advantages of cold spray to offer promising options for applications in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering.

Neutron-based imaging and measurement techniques are an ideal complement to x-ray methods for characterizing additively manufactured materials and components. This article presents examples showing how neutron radiography and residual strain measurements reveal the internal structure and stress distributions in highly engineered turbine blades produced by additive processes. It also discusses the development of neutron characterization tools at ORNL and a recent effort in which they were used to evaluate stress-relief treatments for large-scale metal AM structures.

Radio frequency inductively coupled plasma (RF-ICP) spraying is shown to be a promising method for producing oxidation-resistant W and W-Cr coatings on plasma-facing surfaces in fission and fusion reactors.

The Spanwise Adaptive Wing project intends to obtain a wide spectrum of aerodynamic benefits in flight by folding wings through the use of an innovative and lightweight shape memory alloy.

The benefits and flexibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) open up new possibilities for lithium-ion battery design and performance beyond the limitations of traditional manufacturing methods. In particular, AM offers the ability to build on-demand complex geometries and shape-conformable battery components with tailored properties. While 3D printing offers significant potential, challenges include considerations related to feedstock consistency, printing parameters, and electrochemical performance of the printed components.

This article provides an overview of pulsed laser dewetting self-assembly (PLDSA) and its use in the production of silver and cobalt films with desired nanostructure.

Concentrating solar-thermal power with thermal energy storage can provide renewable energy for electricity or industrial processes at any time of day. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made significant research investments to increase the operating temperature of solar-thermal systems, which increases overall efficiency, but materials science challenges remain to affordably manufacture and commercialize key components.

Recent advances in thermal spray techniques enable thermal spray aluminum coatings to reliably protect offshore structures in splash zones.