Performance of High Temperature Materials for Efficient Power Plants: The Waterside Challenge

Abstract

Supercritical (SC) service at high operating values aims for good plant efficiency, but the waterside oxidation resistance can then become lifelimiting. In this paper, selected materials and modeling options are compared for life assessment under waterside SC oxidation, particularly for thermal power plants that increasingly need to accommodate cyclic service, fast ramping, and low minimum loads to an extent to which the conventional design practices and materials solutions only partially accounted. For example, the life reduction by hightemperature oxidation and corrosion via lost loadbearing wall thickness is more easily accommodated than the impact on crack growth or material ductility.