Strategic Metals Use in the Gas

Turbine Industry - Challenges

and Opportunities.
Colin Small.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

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  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Whittle W1 1941.
 Weight 700 lbs.
 Thrust to weight ratio 1.2:1.

 Gas temperature around 600ºC.

 Turbine blade material.

Ni-20Cr

 Trent 1000 2011.

 Weight 11924lbs.
 Thrust to Weight ratio 5.4:1.

 Gas temperature in excess of 1800°C.

 Turbine blade material.

Ni-9.6Co-6.5Ta-6.4Cr-6.4W-5.6Al-3Re-1Ti
Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 5

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Alloying additions to Turbine Blades.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Conventionally Cast Generation Generation Generation Generation
20
SX SX SX SX

18
Cr

16

14 Co
Composition (wt. %)

12

10

8
Ta+W

6 Mo

4
Ru
Ti
2 Re
Al

0
1955 1965 1975 Year 1985 1995 2005
Source: R C Reed, Superalloys: Fundamentals and Applications, Cambridge University Press, 2005

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Strategic Metals In Gas Turbines.
Alloying
Material Applications Typical Components
Application
Ni, and Co-based Compressor, combustor, HP and LP turbine, Blades, discs, casings, structural
Cobalt superalloys exhaust components
Ni, and Co-based Compressor, combustor, HP and LP turbine, Blades, discs, casings, structural
Chromium superalloys exhaust components
Blades, discs, casings, structural
Hafnium Ni-based superalloys Compressor, combustor, HP turbine, exhaust
components
Compressor, and LP turbine Blades, disc and structural
Niobium Ni-based superalloys
components
Platinum Coatings HP turbine SX blades
Coatings Combustor, HP turbine, exhaust Thermal barrier coatings
Rare Earths Magnetic Materials Ancillaries Permanent magnets
Rhenium Ni-based SX alloys HP turbine SX blades
Ruthenium Ni-based SX alloys HP turbine Not used - too scarce/expensive
Ni-base superalloys, Blades, discs, casings, structural
Tantalum metallic metal
Compressor, HP turbine, exhaust, electronics
components, electrical capacitors
Blades, disc and structural
Titanium Ti-based alloys Compressor
components
Compressor, combustor, HP and LP turbine, Blades, discs, casings, structural
Tungsten Ni-based superalloys
exhaust components
Blades, discs, structural
Vanadium Ti-based alloys Compressor
components

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Compressor Use of Strategic
Compressor Metals
LP Turbine In Combat Engines
HP Turbine Discs Exhaust
blades Discs Blades Cobalt Cobalt
Cobalt Cobalt Cobalt Chromium Chromium
Chromium Chromium Chromium Tantalum Rare Earths
Niobium Hafnium Niobium, Tungsten Tungsten
Tantalum Tantalum Tantalum
Titanium Titanium Tungsten
Tungsten Tungsten
Vanadium Vanadium

LP Turbine
Discs Cobalt
Chromium
HP Turbine Blades Niobium
Cobalt Tantalum
Ancillaries Chromium
and Control Tungsten
Hafnium
Systems Platinum
Combustor
Cobalt Rhenium
Cobalt
Rare Earths Rare Earths
Chromium
Tantalum Tantalum
Rare Earths
Tungsten Tungsten
Image © Eurojet Turbo GmbH

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Challenges.

 Availability/Costs.

 Aerospace requirements.

 Materials usage.

Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Availability & Costs.
 Scare resources cost
more money.
 Scarcity, real or
perceived?
 Is your demand
significant?
 What is the cost of
qualifying a new
material?
Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Aerospace Requirements.
 Changes must not invalidate
certified products.
 Aerospace has a huge legacy
product range to deal with.

 Traditional materials have

decades of performance data
behind them.
 Limited opportunity to use new
technology to backfill on mature
products

 Key issue – We must be able to

state that the new material will
perform as well as the traditional
material for life required Images © BAe Systems

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Material Usage.
For a large engine we typically require……

6 tonnes of Titanium
9 tonnes of Nickel

6.5 tonnes of Steel

… to make a 6 tonne engine.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Solutions?
 Do not use.

 Minimise.

 Substitute.

 Recycle.

 New alloys. Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Do not use.
 Preferred strategy, e.g. Ru.
- 1 – 3% addition to alloy to current
generation of SX alloys to
improved performance (very
effective).
- Cost is volatile, $170 per troy
ounce in 2011 but has reached
$573 in 2007.
- World production could not meet
demand if used in SX blades.
- Will not be used in SX blades.
 Not usually possible in
established alloys
(requalification cost). Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Minimise.
 Possibly as alloy composition is a
balance of properties.
 Need to understand the important
properties and tailor chemistry for
those, e.g. Re.
- Alloy element for 3rd and 4th
generation SX alloys.
- Original alloy design intent was
to maximise creep resistance.
- Service shows we don’t use full
creep life but that
environmental performance is
a major issue.
- Redesign of alloy to meet the in
service need – reduce rhenium
content . Image © Rolls-Royce plc

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

 Substitute
 Sometimes possible.
 Recycle
 OK if bulk addition.
 Nearly impossible if in trace (ppm)
quantities in small components.
 New alloys
 Design alloy with cost and supply as
constraints as well as the usual
property and environmental
constraints.
 Opens up new areas of metallurgy
 Challenge is that these alloys do not
have the traditional balance of
engineering properties – need to Image © Rolls-Royce plc
educate designers and engineers to
think differently.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

  70 years of development.

 Metals and applications.

 Challenges.

 Solutions?

 Conclusions.

© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc

Conclusions.
 Use of strategic materials is a challenge
to the aerospace industry.

 Need to understand what is making it a

strategic metal before you can address
the issues.

 Number of strategies are available to

limit use of such metals but it depends
on the applications if any of these can be
used.
© 2011 Rolls-Royce plc