Steam oxidation of fossil power plant materials: collaborative research to enable advanced steam power cycles

Abstract Research into improved materials systems and associated manufacturing and reliability issues is a major part of initiatives to produce cleaner and cheaper energy systems in the UK and the USA. Under the auspices of a Memorandum of Understanding on Energy R&D, a work programme concerned with steam oxidation has been conducted. The focus was on the generation of definitive information regarding the oxidation behaviour in steam of current and developmental ferritic steels, austenitic steels, and nickel-based alloys required to enable advanced steam power cycles. The results were intended to provide a basis for quantifying the rate of metal loss expected under advanced steam cycle conditions, as well as understanding of the evolution of oxide scale morphologies with time and temperature to identify features that could influence scale exfoliation characteristics. This understanding and acquired data were used to develop and validate models of oxide growth and loss by exfoliation. This paper provides an overview of the activity and highlights a selection of the results coming from the programme.