Film Properties
V (Titanium Aluminum Nitride)
Titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) film was developed after titanium nitride (TiN) film, and it has a extremely high hardness and oxidation resistance.
Recently, TiAlN film was made thicker by using an SFC evaporation source developed by Kobelco, enabling use in applications under rigorous conditions such as thermal power generation turbines.
Recommended Applications
・Blades
・Carbide drills
・Carbide endmills
・Turning inserts
・Milling inserts
Application Examples
Steam Turbines for Thermal Power Generation
Oxides (scale) adhere to the inside of the heat transfer tubes of boilers that generate steam and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG). As this scale peels off when power plant operations are started and stopped, it flies off at high speed along with the flow of the steam and can damage the moving blades of the turbine.
(This phenomenon is called solid particle erosion (SPE).)
To solve this issue, Kobelco developed a coating technology using TiAlN film. This greatly improves erosion resistance of the turbine blades, preventing damage due to SPE to ensure a safe, stable power supply.
-Why thermal power generation requires frequent starting and stopping-
Although we are seeing the spread of renewable energy in recent years, this energy is easily affected by weather conditions. However, thermal power generation is not easily affected by weather conditions, and the amount of power generation can be adjusted flexibly. Therefore, it is used as a power source to eliminate the mismatch between the amount of renewable energy generated and the demand for electricity, so power generation is repeatedly turned on and off according to fluctuations in supply and demand.
