Nickel for oil
Scientists of the small innovative enterprise “Technologies of Special Metallurgy”, based on NUST “MISiS”, created a unique alloy by order of PJSC “ODK-Saturn” that combines two mutually exclusive properties: corrosion resistance and high heat resistance. The new alloy will be used to create special gas turbines for the development of gas and oil fields on the shelf.
Various pure metals before smelting
The development of the sea shelf requires new high technology. So, for example, to provide energy for the oil and gas production field, a special type of power plant is required that uses a hybrid of gas and steam turbines. Such units give efficiency twice as much as usual (58% instead of 28%). In Russia, there are only a few of them, while the USA and Europe are very actively switching to such power plants.
One of the key elements of the turbine of such a power plant is cooled nickel alloy working and nozzle blades. They must withstand not only high temperatures, but also the impact of an aggressive marine environment, that is, be very corrosion resistant.
These two properties contradict each other in chemical composition: to make the alloy corrosion resistant, it must have a lot of chromium. However, it is required that the alloy be heat-resistant at the same time, therefore, its composition must include elements resistant to high temperatures, such as tungsten, molybdenum, or rhenium. At the same time, chromium in high concentrations reduces heat resistance. In addition, it interacts with these elements and, forming harmful compounds, makes the alloy brittle. How to combine the two antagonist requirements is a big problem.
Overseas, scientists have been solving this problem for more than twenty years, and a whole line of new generation nickel alloys has been created. In Russia, at the request of PJSC UEC-Saturn, a small innovative enterprise based on NITU MISiS, the Scientific and Technological Center “Technologies of Special Metallurgy”, commissioned by PJSC UEC-Saturn, developed the technology for smelting a new domestic alloy. As a result, a unique corrosion-resistant alloy was created, which has a level of heat resistance comparable to aviation alloys (temperatures of 900-1000 C), and as a result received its own name SLZhS-5.
Molten metal
“ The alloy has heat resistance characteristics corresponding to aviation materials, which makes it possible to use it not only in the design of land and offshore gas turbine plants, but also in gas turbine engines of amphibious aircraft and ekranoplanes ,” said Doctor of Technical Sciences Alexander Logunov , chief specialist in materials and technologies of PJSC UEC-Saturn, Honored Inventor of the Russian Federation.
Tests conducted at the sites of FSUE TsNII KM "Prometey" and OJSC NPO CKTI showed that the high-temperature corrosion-resistant alloy SLZhS-5 is not inferior in corrosion resistance to widely used domestic alloys and surpasses all existing analogues in terms of heat resistance - Russian and foreign. Moreover, it has a sufficiently high level of ductility, which is an indicator of high operational reliability.
General view of the furnace
“ The unique technology for smelting the alloy SLZhS-5, developed by our specialists, made it possible to solve the problem associated with the introduction of all the chemical elements necessary for the given properties of the metal. In fact, this is a technique of precise alloying (enrichment) by introducing various components into the alloy in a certain sequence. The more accurate the doping is, the more stable the alloy obtained and its unique properties , ”emphasized Alexander Mikhailov, general director of the STC“ TSM ”on the basis of NUST“ MISiS ”.“ Before obtaining such a result, the team conducted dozens of scientific experiments and laboratory experiments . ”
Various pure metals before smelting
The development of the sea shelf requires new high technology. So, for example, to provide energy for the oil and gas production field, a special type of power plant is required that uses a hybrid of gas and steam turbines. Such units give efficiency twice as much as usual (58% instead of 28%). In Russia, there are only a few of them, while the USA and Europe are very actively switching to such power plants.
One of the key elements of the turbine of such a power plant is cooled nickel alloy working and nozzle blades. They must withstand not only high temperatures, but also the impact of an aggressive marine environment, that is, be very corrosion resistant.
These two properties contradict each other in chemical composition: to make the alloy corrosion resistant, it must have a lot of chromium. However, it is required that the alloy be heat-resistant at the same time, therefore, its composition must include elements resistant to high temperatures, such as tungsten, molybdenum, or rhenium. At the same time, chromium in high concentrations reduces heat resistance. In addition, it interacts with these elements and, forming harmful compounds, makes the alloy brittle. How to combine the two antagonist requirements is a big problem.
Overseas, scientists have been solving this problem for more than twenty years, and a whole line of new generation nickel alloys has been created. In Russia, at the request of PJSC UEC-Saturn, a small innovative enterprise based on NITU MISiS, the Scientific and Technological Center “Technologies of Special Metallurgy”, commissioned by PJSC UEC-Saturn, developed the technology for smelting a new domestic alloy. As a result, a unique corrosion-resistant alloy was created, which has a level of heat resistance comparable to aviation alloys (temperatures of 900-1000 C), and as a result received its own name SLZhS-5.
Molten metal
“ The alloy has heat resistance characteristics corresponding to aviation materials, which makes it possible to use it not only in the design of land and offshore gas turbine plants, but also in gas turbine engines of amphibious aircraft and ekranoplanes ,” said Doctor of Technical Sciences Alexander Logunov , chief specialist in materials and technologies of PJSC UEC-Saturn, Honored Inventor of the Russian Federation.
Tests conducted at the sites of FSUE TsNII KM "Prometey" and OJSC NPO CKTI showed that the high-temperature corrosion-resistant alloy SLZhS-5 is not inferior in corrosion resistance to widely used domestic alloys and surpasses all existing analogues in terms of heat resistance - Russian and foreign. Moreover, it has a sufficiently high level of ductility, which is an indicator of high operational reliability.
General view of the furnace
“ The unique technology for smelting the alloy SLZhS-5, developed by our specialists, made it possible to solve the problem associated with the introduction of all the chemical elements necessary for the given properties of the metal. In fact, this is a technique of precise alloying (enrichment) by introducing various components into the alloy in a certain sequence. The more accurate the doping is, the more stable the alloy obtained and its unique properties , ”emphasized Alexander Mikhailov, general director of the STC“ TSM ”on the basis of NUST“ MISiS ”.“ Before obtaining such a result, the team conducted dozens of scientific experiments and laboratory experiments . ”
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