Nanoscale Metal Oxide Coatings for Corrosion Protection of Superalloy Materials

The Brayton cycle for power generation offers significant advantages over the Rankin cycle typically used. Unfortunately, the Brayton cycle uses very high pressure and high temperature, supercritical CO2 (sCO2) as the heat transfer fluid. New materials that can handle the harsh environment of sCO2 are required to enable power generation and prevent issues with corrosion and erosion or efficiency degradation. Calabazas Creek Research Inc. (CCR), in collaboration with North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UoW) propose to develop nanometer scale, ceramic coatings to provide a barrier between sCO2 and the surface of underlying metal components. This will allow lower cost materials that provide the required performance, significantly reducing cost and improving process economics. This program will develop protective ceramic coatings for materials used in next generation high pressure, high temperature power generators. The power generators offer significant advances in efficiency but lack long term protection from effects of corrosion. The technology developed in this program will reduce maintenance cost of power generators and provide economic and environmental benefits over power generators presently operating in the U.S.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The cost for power plant components is well into the $Billion annually. This process would be applicable to heat exchangers, turbines, valves, sensors, and piping. The technology could be used on a wide variety of power plant systems, including those for fossil fuels, nuclear power, and waste heat recovery.