Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Ames, Iowa Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Ames, Iowa
AMES, Iowa -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory have received a three-year grant from the DOE's Advanced Energy Products and Technology Research Division to support work that may lead to the next generation of high-temperature structural materials.
Existing materials in heat exchangers and turbines can withstand operating temperatures to 800 degrees Celsius (1472 F). The new materials are expected to withstand nearly double that temperature (1400 degrees Celsius, or 2552 F), enabling power-generation equipment to operate much more efficiently.
A team of Lab researchers led by Mufit Akinc, principal investigator for the Ames Lab project and chair of the Iowa State University's ( ISU) Materials Science and Engineering Department, will use the approximately $900,000 grant to investigate the use of molybdenum silicides doped with boron for power-generating technologies that must survive high-temperatures without degradation.
"The need for high-temperature structural materials spans a wide range of energy intensive technologies," says Akinc. "Applications for these materials include heat exchangers, heating elements, turbochargers, jet engines and gas turbines."
Akinc and co-principal investigators Bruce Cook, Matt Kramer and Ozer Unal will work to develop new structural materials that allow existing power-generating systems to operate at record high temperatures, boosting their output power
And, Akinc reminds us, as the efficiency of a power plant increases, so does the cost saving. He notes that boron doped molybdenum silicides have the potential for improving the energy efficiency of heat engines and heat exchangers by 10-15 percent. "This, in turn, would provide immediate economic benefits by increasing the output from existing power plants and delaying the need to construct new power-generating facilities," he says. "The potential energy savings using improved high-temperature structural materials is enormous."
Ames Laboratory is operated for the DOE by ISU. The Lab conducts research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-performance computing, environmental cleanup and restoration, and synthesis and study of new materials.
Contact: Saren Johnston
ph: 515-294-3474
Last revision: 4/17/98 sd