Novel Thermally-Sprayed Architectures for High Temperature Thermal Barrier Coating Systems

Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants are gaining popularity due to their higher cycle efficiency, which is achieved by pushing the inlet operating temperature beyond 1400oC. However, in order to meet long-term goals, with target efficiencies greater than 50% and with lower emissions, the inlet temperature may need to be raised even higher (to 1500ºC or higher). In turn, superior materials and coatings will be needed. This projects will (1) identify critical microstructure aspects of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) for IGCC systems; (2) design new TBC materials and architectures to meet the multifunctional requirements; (3) evaluate coating performance in relevant IGCC environments; and (4) determine the role played by the top-coat architecture on erosion, hot corrosion, and bond coat oxidation. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The development of superior TBC coatings not only would be beneficial to IGCC applications but also would be extremely useful in other land- and aerospace-based turbine applications, including automotive applications, rocket nozzles, and nuclear power plants.