DE102017219317A1 - Turbine, compressor, 3D printed and / or motor component and the use of prefabricated parts for surface coating - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of a novel surface coating in power plant components and / or components produced by means of 3D printing. In this case, the invention discloses coated surfaces and / or surface subregions which show reduced abrasive damage of the components in question of said components. Finally, the invention also relates to components produced in 3-D printing with - otherwise in the printing direction - otherwise unsatisfactory property profile. The invention proposes for the first time the use of a diamond surface in loaded and / or unstable regions of components from the field of turbine, engine and / or power plant technology. The use also applies to high-strength alloys which can be processed by means of 3D printing. A diamond surface in parts of the parts subjected to particularly abrasive loads and / or produced by 3D printing lends a new dimension to these components in terms of load capacity and abrasive stability. Here, for the first time, the large-scale use of diamond-coated surfaces is shown, in which the unique combination of materials of the diamonds in terms of thermal conductivity, electrical insulation effect and hardness for the power plant division can be harnessed.

Description

The invention relates to the use of a novel surface coating in power plant components and / or components produced by means of 3D printing. In particular, the invention relates to an improvement for turbine, compressor and / or engine components, in particular their loaded surfaces, such as the surfaces of two interacting, in relative motion components such as those in large bearings in turbines, in the blade edges at blades and / or rotor blades of rotors and / or compressors and electrically rotating machines such as electric motors in the rotor bearing occur.

In addition, the invention relates to isolation systems that show improved compactness. In this case, the invention discloses coated surfaces and / or surface subregions which show reduced abrasive damage of the components in question of said components. Finally, the invention also relates to components produced in 3-D printing with - otherwise in the printing direction - otherwise unsatisfactory property profile, which is improved by the surface coating proposed here.

In the turbine sector for drive and power generation as well as in electric motors, there is a growing demand for reliability and / or efficiency. For turbines is usually a reduced use of fuel and an extension of maintenance intervals in the foreground, while electric motors performance is required with unchanged or even reduced space size. Components produced by 3-D printing often have shortcomings in the mechanical load capacity in the printing direction, which make the component unstable, in particular with respect to shear forces.

These tendencies are at the expense of abrasive surfaces of the respective components such as - surfaces of blades, in particular blade edges, rotor blades, blades, in the rotor bearings, bearings in general and similar components of turbine, compressor and / or engine components and other components.

One problem is that the affected components, which are partly also made of a chromium-containing alloy and come in contact with oil during operation, form very aggressive abrasive chromium carbides during operation, resulting in material removal. Another problem, for example in the field of turbine blades, is that particle-induced erosion of the surfaces and / or erosive loading by condensing steam occurs.

The consequent removal of material can under certain circumstances also lead to an influence on the flow geometries and thereby make a revision and / or interruption in operation necessary for the repair of the affected components.

On the other hand, the requirement on the compactness of the components and in particular on the thickness of the coatings is very high, so that in the components in question on the one hand an extremely stable and on the other hand an extremely thin surface are required.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide stable, highly loadable, electrically insulating and / or compact surfaces for on the one hand abrasive loaded components and on the other hand instable components due to their manufacturing process, such as components produced by 3D printing, turbine, generator, motor and / or compressor components.

This object is achieved in the present case by the subject matter of the invention, as disclosed in the claims and the description.

Accordingly, the subject of the present invention is a turbine, compressor engine component, and / or a 3D printed component, at least partially on the component surface, which is the substrate, having a diamond surface. In addition, the invention relates to the use of a diamond layer for protective coating of loaded and / or unstable surfaces of components, in particular of turbine, compressor, and / or engine components and / or components produced in 3D printing.

General knowledge of the invention is to come through the use of nano- and / or microcrystalline diamond surfaces to a significant increase in the stability of surfaces. In this process, unstable surfaces are stabilized and / or surfaces that are particularly abrasive are made more resilient. Surprisingly, it has been found that by special techniques, in particular the pretreatment of the surface to be coated, the deposition of the diamonds and / or the bonding technique of the diamonds with each other and with the surface to be coated results in an economically sensible use of diamonds on surfaces.

In particular, the efficiencies and life of - for example - turbine components for industrial drives and Energy production and electric motors can be increased. By using the high-performance material diamond, the efficiency of the systems is increased at the same time and energy consumption / pollutant emissions are reduced. Especially in turbines in wear-critical part-load operation, a significant improvement is achieved by the diamond surfaces. For electric motor applications, which account for an increasing proportion of power consumption in industrial manufacturing as well as in the area of mobility, the use of mechanically and electrically highly stressable diamond surfaces should make it possible to achieve engine classes with increased performance and efficiency at a reduced size. On the other hand, the diamond surface is resistant to various media such as oil and water and a drop impact and / or particle erosion.

Thus, it has been recognized that the use of nano- and / or microcrystalline diamond layers and / or diamond layers in abrasions-stressed and / or otherwise chemically or physically stressed areas of turbine, compressor and / or engine components normally occurring damage in these areas reduce the components. This can provide higher power density, safer operation and faster service. In the field of electric motors, a diamond surface offers the possibility, for example as a main insulation material, of greatly increasing the power class while maintaining the same size due to its unique material property that combines maximum thermal conductivity with maximum electrical insulation.

The diamond surface can be produced in the form of a self-supporting layer or film which is applied to the surface, for example by application, such as sticking, soldering and / or melting. This can also be done in the form of retrofitting.

In the present case, the "diamond surface" refers to the area which is fixed on the component and ready for use, to which the diamonds are applied. The thickness of this diamond surface may be, for example, in the range of 1-200 μm, in particular in the range of 30-100 μm, in particular in a structure comprising a composite of a diamond layer with the substrate surface, for example by gluing.

Of course, the thickness is of course as low as possible, the only critical aspect here is that diamond layers must have a certain thickness so that they do not break before they are attached, for example glued, to be. Therefore, the thickness of the "diamond surface" is especially preferred around 100 .mu.m, in particular around 50 .mu.m.

In the present case, a "diamond layer" is a prefabricated structure made of diamonds, for example composed of several layers of diamonds, which is either self-supporting or built on a support. For example, a diamond ply forms a "tile" from which a diamond surface can be assembled by application to the surface of the component forming the substrate.

A diamond layer comprises at least one layer of diamonds. A diamond layer is understood to mean a two-dimensional arrangement of diamonds. The layer therefore usually has a thickness that correlates with the grain size of the diamonds.

The dimension of a diamond layer is preferably in the range of less than 5 μm.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the thickness of a diamond layer is less than 2 μm, in particular less than 1 μm.

For this purpose, joining techniques from the field of high-temperature resistant connection technology are preferably used, which withstand a continuous use temperature of for example 250 ° C and more. In addition, the adhesive bond should connect a metallic or ceramic surface on the one hand and a substrate surface such as a diamond layer on the other hand resiliently.

The diamond surface may additionally or alternatively be deposited and produced directly on a surface so that the nano- or micro-diamonds, not only in the form of a - for example - self-supporting diamond layer or a diamond layer on a substrate, but on the loaded or surface to be stabilized themselves are provided.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a coating of an abrasive and / or electrically loaded surface of a turbine, compressor and / or engine component, in particular also a blade edge, is provided.

Due to their high hardness and heat conductivity, their extreme wear resistance and their low adhesion tendency, diamond coatings are excellently suited for use in abrasive loaded components such as turbines, compressor and / or engine components. For example, a diamond surface includes multiple layers of diamonds stacked one on top of the other. Density, grain size and / or orientation of the diamonds can vary from layer to layer and within one layer.

For example, in the form of a diamond layer, the diamond surface can be retrofitted at any time in existing systems. This adhesive, melting, soldering and welding techniques for connecting the diamond layer may be provided with the surface to be protected.

It is particularly advantageous if the diamond surface can be produced by a tiling-like coating of individual sections which comprise one or more diamond layers.

For example, it is advantageous to apply prefabricated diamond layers as sections on the substrate, that is to say the component surface.

By a tiling-like arrangement of small sections, the diamond surface can be adapted to any requirement profile, for example through sections with denser or looser diamond packing and / or through sections with several or only one diamond layer (s).

In the respective section, by varying the size and / or staggering of the diamonds within the diamond layer and / or within the diamond layer, different gradients can be generated within the diamond layer.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the diamond surface is produced by juxtaposing different and / or the same, in particular prefabricated, diamond layers.

The diamond surface may be in the size of the diamonds, the density of the diamonds per unit area, the application of the diamonds, position and / or orientation of the diamonds, eg a texture, the size of the diamonds and finally the number of diamond layers per unit area to produce the diamond Diamond surface, vary. In this way, a precisely fitting property profile of the diamond surface can be generated for the respective surface to be coated.

It is only an advantageous embodiment, if within a diamond layer of the diamond layer, the diamonds are present in approximately the same average grain size.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the surface of the substrate before the deposition or deposition of the diamond, for example by CVD method, pretreated, in particular, for example, by an electrolytic plasma process pretreated. This pretreatment is also useful if the diamonds are applied, for example in the form of a diamond layer with a carrier. A kind of a useful here useful diamond layer is the from the EP 2403974 known diamond foil.

In an example, wet-chemical pretreatment by an electrolytic plasma process, the component to be treated is in an electrolyte bath and is subjected to a pulsed frequency, so that close to the substrate by electrolysis gas bubbles form, in which a plasma is ignited. In this way, production-related surface roughness can be reduced as required, the surfaces cleaned and / or functionalized to improve the chemical bonding of a diamond layer or the deposition of diamonds and thus optimally prepared for application of the diamond layer and / or generation of a diamond surface. This pretreatment also includes, for example, resist-resistant equipment of the diamond surface area of the device surface which is the substrate for the diamond surface.

The aim of the pre-treatment is in addition to the component cleaning the roughening, so that a mechanical interlocking between adhesive, Solder ... and component surface is possible.

Also, a carrier or the underside of a self-supporting diamond layer is advantageously prepared for bonding. For example, by plasma activation, the C-H bonds seated on the diamond surface can be broken, which causes a significant increase in the wettability of the diamond layer. Bonding layers, for example metal layers, in particular very thin metal layers in the range of a few nanometer layer thickness, can also be applied to the thus activated surface of the diamonds.

These then facilitate soldering, gluing, welding, etc. with the component. A bonding layer thus makes it possible, for example, to adhere a self-supporting CVD diamond layer by means of welding, in particular electron beam welding, laser welding and / or the like.

Thus, a component having a diamond surface in which the diamonds have a coating in the boundary region between the substrate and the diamond layer underside is produced.

For attachment to the surface, a further connection layer may be provided. In particular, thermally induced stresses between the component of the component, such as the blade edge and a diamond layer, depending on the material of the blade very have different thermal expansion coefficients can be compensated.

Alternatively, a direct deposition of microcrystalline and / or nanocrystalline diamonds on a metallic substrate, such as on metal or ceramic, take place. This is especially for thermally highly stressed areas of application, that is, for example, at operating temperatures of greater than 500 ° C, provided.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the diamond layer is a diamond layer on, for example, a metallic carrier such as nickel, chromium, copper, molybdenum, tungsten and / or any alloy and / or, for example, a silicon wafer. A diamond layer, as used herein, can be varied from crystals / crystallites with different crystal sizes in the nanometer and / or micrometer range and / or from a diamond coating, the average crystal size within the diamond layer remains the same, or varies without clearly attributable tendency and / or of the underside towards a top decreases or increases, be designed.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the coating comprises several layers of diamonds without intermediate layers one above the other.

According to another embodiment, it is a self-supporting diamond layer, wherein several layers of diamonds of different mean grain size are combined so that a self-supporting layer is formed.

In one embodiment, the average grain size of the diamonds varies within a layer.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the diamond surface comprises a plurality of diamond layers each of different thickness.

According to preliminary tests, the use of a diamond surface in the various areas of turbomachinery applications, such as generators, provides a maintenance cost savings of 2 to 7 days. In particular, in the case of plants which are operated by the increasing proportion of systems operated with partial load operation, an increase in operational safety can be assumed, since the formation and critical propagation of cracks in the blade root can be avoided, for example, by protecting the blade trailing edge and the intermediate regions.

The mean grain size of the diamonds can vary in the range from 0.01 nm to 10 μm.

Test:

A 50 μm diamond surface was adhered to a steel plate and tested by the Taber Abraser test, a particle erosion resistance test in which corundum rolls act on the steel edge. After 1000 revolutions no damage could be detected on the diamond side, the comparison steel body showed a significant damage by the corundum rollers.

The invention proposes for the first time the use of a diamond surface in loaded and / or unstable regions of components from the field of turbine, engine and / or power plant technology. The use also relates to high strength alloys, such as nickel and titanium alloys, which are processable by 3D printing. A diamond surface in parts of the parts subjected to particularly abrasive loads and / or produced by means of 3D printing lends a new dimension to these components in terms of load capacity and / or abrasive stability. Here, for the first time, the large-scale use of diamond-coated surfaces is shown, in which the unique combination of materials of the diamonds in terms of thermal conductivity, electrical insulation effect and hardness for the power plant division can be harnessed.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 2403974 [0033]

Claims (15)

Turbine, compressor engine component component and / or a 3D-printed component, at least partially on the component surface, which is the substrate having a diamond surface. Component after Claim 1 wherein the diamond surface comprises diamonds having a mean grain size in the nanometer and / or micrometer range. Component according to one of Claims 1 or 2 wherein the diamond surface comprises multiple layers of diamonds on each other. Component after Claim 3 wherein the density, grain size and / or orientation of the diamonds of successive layers are the same or different. Component according to one of Claims 3 or 4 , wherein density, grain size and / or orientation of the diamonds within the layer stack is equal or unequal. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the density, grain size and / or orientation of the diamonds within a diamond layer are the same or different. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the thickness of the diamond surface is less than 200 microns, in particular less than 100 microns. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one diamond layer forms a diamond layer, which is connected to the surface of the component by gluing, melting, welding and / or soldering. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the diamonds have a coating in the boundary region between the substrate and the diamond layer underside. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate surface is pretreated. A component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the diamond surface comprises a diamond layer having a backing which bonds to the substrate surface of the component. Component according to one of the preceding Claims 1 or 2 wherein the diamond surface is composed of sections that are equal or different. A component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the diamond surface comprises a tiling-like composition of sections. Component according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the diamond surface comprises at least one section in the form of a self-supporting diamond layer. Use of at least one diamond layer for protective coating of loaded and / or unstable surfaces of components, in particular of turbine, compressor, and / or engine components and / or components produced in 3D printing.