Objectives: The objective of this project is to increase efficiency, reliability and maintainability of industrial gas turbine blades and vanes by developing new high-resistant coatings and by increasing fundamental understanding of the behaviour of these coatings. The innovative coatings will lead to an increase of turbine efficiency and to a decrease of emission levels (by increasing efficiency and by the possibility of using recovery gas as combustion gas in the turbine). The aim is also to use predictive life models to design long life turbines in order to lower maintenance and energy operating costs.

Description of work:
The performance of conventional reference blade coatings is studied both theoretically and experimentally. An up-scaling development of innovative coatings is operated in order to supply coated vanes and blades for engine tests. The innovative coating systems are tested and compared with the reference ones in order to assess their performance and to get materials data. Isothermal, cyclic oxidation and corrosion tests (with the use of high pollutant content fuel), DBTT (Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature) measurements, acoustic emissions, microstructure investigations, creep resistance, thermo-mechanical tests, physical property measurements are performed. This will lead to optimal engine coating selection.

In parallel, three predictive models in oxidation, corrosion and thermo-mechanical behaviour are developed and validated by experimental coating tests and sophisticated microstructure investigations. To assess the performance of the selected innovative coatings under turbine operating conditions and to validate a durability model (based on the results of the three models), engine tests are performed on coated (cooled and uncooled) blades and vanes.

Expected Results and Exploitation Plans:
The main results include: the definition of new coatings for engines; experimental data about coating systems performance; oxidation, corrosion and thermo-mechanical models; and an assessment of the predicted life models. The increased turbine inlet temperature will give an increase in power output or an increase in fuel efficiency. This increased efficiency of gas turbines will make a major contribution to limiting the gas imports to the Union. In addition, the development of gas turbines to burn bio-fuels and coal gasification fuels will help maintain the diversity and hence the security of energy supply as well as reduce imports.

Organisation Type: Research

Department: METALLIC MATERIALS AND PROCESSES DEPARTMENT - MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES BRANCH

Organisation: Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales
29 Avenue de la Division Leclerc 29
B.P. 72
92322 CHATILLON
FRANCE

Contact Person:
Name: PERAKIS, Jean (Mr)
Tel: +33-1-46733753
Fax: +33-1-46734169
Email:

Organisation Type: Education

Department: SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING SCIENCE

Organisation: CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Cranfield
MK43 0AL CRANFIELD, BEDFORD
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact Person: BLOTT, Malcolm (Mr)

Organisation Type: Research

Department: UPRESA N°5071 - LABORATOIRE DES INTERFACES ET MATÉRIAUX

Organisation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
route de Narbonne 118
31077 TOULOUSE
FRANCE

Contact Person: PIQUET-GAUTHIER, Katherine (Mrs)

Organisation Type: Other

Department: TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

Organisation: ALSTOM POWER UK LTD
Cambridge Road, Whetstone
LE8 6LH LEICEISTER
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact Person: OTTER, Nick (Mr)

Organisation Type: Other

Department: CHEMISTRY & MEASUREMENT (RT)

Organisation: ABB Stal AB
612 82 FINSPAANG
SWEDEN

Contact Person: JOSEFSSON, Lars (Mr)

Organisation Type: Education

Department: LABORATOIRE INTERFACES ET MATÉRIAUX
ECOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE DE CHIMIE DE TOULOUSE

Organisation: Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse
Route de Narbonne 118
31400 TOULOUSE
FRANCE

Contact Person: COSTES, Alain (Professor)

Organisation Type: Other

Organisation: CHROMALLOY France
Avenue des Gros Chevaux, Z.I. du Vert Galant
95310 SAINT OUEN L'AUMONE
FRANCE

Contact Person: MORISSON, Jean-Claude (Mr)

Organisation Type: Other

Organisation: Nuovo Pignone SpA
Via Felice Matteucci 2
50127 FIRENZE
ITALY

Contact Person: BIANCHI, Dino (Mr)

Organisation Type: Other

Department: SERVICE MATERIAUX ET REVETEMENTS
DEPARTEMENT DES MATERIAUX ET DES TECHNIQUES ASSOCIEES

Organisation: Turbomeca SA
64320 BIZANOS
FRANCE

Contact Person: CALEMARD, Alain (Mr)

Organisation Type: Other

Department: DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (IKP) - INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Organisation: Linköping University
581 83 LINKOEPING
SWEDEN

Contact Person: KARLSSON, Curt (Mr)