Behaviour of coated and uncoated ferritic steels under isothermal and cyclic steam oxidation conditions

Abstract

Next generation steam turbines are expected to operate at 600-650°C and at these temperatures, currently available high strength ferritic-martensitic steels need to be coated to prevent oxidation. Slurry deposited aluminide coatings have shown excellent performance up to 650°C under isothermal conditions. The behaviour of these coatings as well as that of uncoated P92 under thermal cycling conditions has been studied both in steam and in air at 650°C. The tested specimens were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. A comparison with isothermal steam oxidation has been established. In cyclic oxidation, evidence of scale spallation from uncoated substrates was observed at shorter exposure times than for specimens tested under isothermal conditions. In the coated specimens, cracks originally present in the "as deposited" coating did not propagate or become sites of preferential oxidation during isothermal steam testing. However, the cracks widened and propagated causing substrate oxidation when the specimens were tested by thermal cycling in steam or in air.