International Projects
Advanced coated steels for new demanding biomass firing environment with a high recycling level and improved service life (BIOFIRE)
Title:
Advanced Coated Steels for new demanding Biomass Firing environment having a high recycling behaviour and an improved service life
Acronym:
BIOFIRE
Start: 1.06.2019 /End: 31.05.2023
Co-financing for Łukasiewicz – GIT: PLN 974,559.00
Total value of the project: PLN 9,539,277.00
Executive Agency: European Commission (Directorate-General for Research & Innovation) Ministry of Science and Higher Education
Programme name: Research Fund for Coal and Steel, Co-financed International Projects (PMW)
Consortium:
- Rina Consulting – Centro Sviluppo Materiali SPA [Leader],
- Bono Energia S.P.A.,
- Flame Spray Hungary Femiparki Szolgaltato Es Kereskedelmi KFT,
- Fundacion Tekniker,
- Mannesmann Precision Tubes GMbH,
- Onderzoekscentrum Voor Aanwending Van Staal NV,
- RWE Power AG,
- Łukasiewicz Research Network – Upper Silesian Institute of Technology
Manager of works carried out at Łukasiewicz – IMŻ (currently Łukasiewicz – GIT):
Krzysztof Radwański, BEng, PhD, DSc.
Tel.: 32 2345 234
E-mail:
Objective:
The use of new alternative fuels, such as biomass fuels, requires the development of material solutions that will meet the new operating conditions. Application of protective coatings that increase the strength of tubes in harsh environmental conditions on existing steel (e.g. T12, T22), in order to increase the service life of the boiler tube, provides the possibility of quick use in practice, due to the fact that the base material is well known in terms of properties. The aim of the project is to develop diffusion coatings to improve the efficiency of steel components in boilers fired with alternative fuels and to develop methods of coating them that can be used in the production process. The coatings developed in the BIOFIRE project will increase the environmental resistance of steel commonly used on boiler tubes in power generation systems. As part of the project, special diffusion coatings obtained using pack cementation and slurry methods will be developed. Selected technologies and thermochemical treatments can then be implemented in the steel production process. Components with coatings must meet the requirements of weldability and bendability. They can be produced on the inner (water vapour side) and outer (furnace side) surface of the tubes. The coatings must be properly optimised to ensure an increase in the durability of the components while maintaining the mechanical properties of the steels from which they are made.
IIn the case of firing opportunity fuels, common solutions applied to limit the risks of tube failure caused by metal loss are lowering boiler operating conditions, therefore limiting conversion efficiency, or adopting advanced boiler materials, therefore rising boiler operating costs. Currently, to increase the corrosion resistance of the boiler tubes, new steel grades are developed, and this implies a possible long-term application due to the stringent need of certification of new materials for the relevant application. On the contrary, the application of protective coatings which increase the harsh environment durability of tubes onto an existing steel (e.g. T22, T91) to increase the service life of the boiler tube guarantees a short-term application, because the base material has well known performances. The coating treatments developed in BIOFIRE have enhanced the environmental resistance of the existing fully qualified steels commonly used for boiler tubes for their use in power generation systems firing opportunity fuels by adopting low cost and easy handling thermochemical methods potentially applicable on an industrial scale. Coating solutions, available for both inner (stem side oxidation) and outer (fireside corrosion) tubes, have led to an improvement of the boiler performance, both by reducing the outage time and maintenance expenditure resources. The result of this project is the development of diffusion coating treatments, included in the industrial manufacturing process of steel components, in order to increase the life time of the tubes up to 2 times compared to the un-coated component and the prediction of the lifetime of the coated tubes. The project started from TRL 5 (technology validated in relevant environment due to the experiences of the partner Flame).
