SAMI 2017 • IEEE 15th International Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics • January 26-28, 2017 • Herl’any,

Slovakia

Effect of TBC on Heat Transfer into

Nickel Based Refractory Alloy
* ** * *** *
Ladislav Főző , Jozef Čerňan , Miroslava Cúttová , Katarína Ratkovská , František Adamčík
* TUKE Department of Aviation Engineering, Košice, Slovakia
*
* TUKE Department of Aviation Technical Studies, Košice, Slovakia
UWB Department of Power System Engineering, Pilsen, Czech Republic
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Abstract— The aim of the experiment is to evaluate an effect
of industrially used plasma sprayed coatings of the TBC on II. HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH SOLID WALL
the heat transfer into the refractory material designed for According to [7] in the heat conduction the heat flux
aeronautical applications. This study uses basic structural QT is determined by the Fourier law. It is necessary to
material of combustion chambers - components of turbine know the distribution and the course of temperature in the
engines highly thermally stressed during the operation by
observed volume, depending on the direction and the
flow of hot gasses. Using the hot gasses from the gas burner,
time: .
the operational conditions inside the combustion chambers
are simulated. The use of the TBC coating shows positive
effect on the alloy overheating reduction. The results
demonstrated decrease of the temperature with values in the
range of hundreds of °C for materials covered with the
TBC. This phenomenon can contribute to the development
of the new types of aircraft engines with higher operational
temperature and better fuel economics.

I. INTRODUCTION
The endeavor for the highest thermodynamic efficiency
Figure 1. Explanation of heat transfer through the solid wall
in a gas turbine is related to the achievement of the
highest possible temperature of gases emitted from its The steady heat flux on Fig. 1 through the defined part of
combustion chamber [1, 2]. Although the currently used the planar wall with the thickness of d and the thermal
fuel would make it possible to increase the gas conductivity coefficient λ is formed if the first surface
temperature almost up to 3000°C [3], it is clear that the (x=0) has the constant temperature T1 and the opposite
limiting factor are the materials of combustion chambers surface (x=d) has the constant temperature T2, wherein
and gas turbines. The refractory and creep-resistant nickel
and cobalt alloys used for the construction of these parts T1>T2. The temperature inside of the wall falls therefore
have the maximum operating temperature of 1200°C [4]. under the consideration from T1 to T2 in proportion to the
But their advantages are high strength and resistance to distance x.
creep and oxidation at such high temperatures. And If we know the functional relationship T(x), we can
therefore there is an effort to create a composite material determine the heat flux through the area of S, as:
system that would ensure the protection of the refractory /
creep resistant material from heat and allow its use at (1)
temperatures higher than its operating temperature. Such
protection elements today are thermal barriers coatings
(TBC), consisting of two or more layers [5]. The first If we consider the composite wall with the thickness of
metal layer is based on NiAl, NiCr, NiCrAlY or CoCrAlY, d=d1+d 2 while its components have the coefficient of the
which improves the corrosion resistance of the base thermal conductivity λ =λ1+λ2. The heat flux QT in this
material - nickel alloy and also improves the adhesion of case is determined by the temperature difference at the
the second layer. The second layer comprises, on the boundary walls of the two components, i.e. T1, T2, T3
other hand, of the ceramic material based on ZrO2+Y2O3, maintaining the same area of S:
which resists to high temperatures without the undesired
oxidation and has low thermal conductivity. It is believed (2)
that the TBC layer on refractory alloys allows the
operation at the temperatures up to 300 °C higher than the
original operating temperature [6].
III. EXPERIMENT DESCRIPTION
For the experiment a refractory nickel alloy designated
according to the Russian GOST Standard as EI435 [8]
978-1-5090-5655-2/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE 000435
L. Fozo • Effect of TBC on Heat Transfer into Nickel Based Refractory Alloy

TABLE II.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS USED IN THE HEAT TRANSFER SIMULATION
Young´s Coefficient of Specific Thermal

Material Density thermal Poisson´s heat Material

modulus conductivity
properties (g/cm3) expansion ratio capacity properties
(GPa) (m/m.K)x10-6 (J/kg.K) (W/m.K)

EI435 8.49 195 12.2 0.3 405 14.6 EI435

TBC layer 6.05 149 9.91 0.25 420 2.1 TBC layer

epoxy 1.30 2.99 5.99 0.37 1047.6 0.188 epoxy

with the plasma sprayed TBC layer in the inert TABLE I.
atmosphere of Argon was used. The sample of the CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EI435 ALLOY ACCORDING
material covered with the TBC and the sample without TO [8]
the TBC, both with the dimensions of 4x3 cm, were Mat. Ni Cr Si Mn Ti Fe C
embedded in the high temperature epoxy resin as shown wt% wt% wt% wt% wt% wt% wt%
in Fig. 2 and tested in the laboratory assembly - Fig. 3. It EI 70-77 22 <0.8 <0.7 0.35 <6 <0.12
consists of a sample holder with an approach window for 435
hot gases from a burner, which simulates the action of hot
gases in a jet engine. The opposite side of the sample has The TBC layer was analysed in a scanning electron
been captured by an infrared camera, which recorded the microscope using the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX)
heating rate of the sample material at different distances chemical elemental analysis after the preparation. As
between the burner and sample holder. shown on Fig. 4., the presence of elements such as Zr, Y,
and O suggests that the TBC layer with the thickness of
approx. 250 μm formed the ceramic-based coating of
ZrO2 + stabilizing ingredient Y2O3 typically made of
approx. 7 wt% Y2O3 (7YSZ ceramics) [9]. The second
substrate layer comprises of the metal alloy NiAl having
the thickness of about 50 μm.
 Figure 2. Appearance of samples in epoxy resin Figure 4. Appearance and analysis of plasma sprayed TBC

The experiment was conducted at the position of the

burner in the distance of 10 cm (temperature of 1070 °C IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
on the hot side of the sample), 15 cm (600 °C) and 20 cm Simulational model of heat flow has been created in the
(300 °C) from the sample holder. software tool CREO 3.0 and appropriate computer
equipment. The properties of the two used materials are in
Tab. 2 together with the material of the epoxy resin,
which created the frame of the samples. For a better
visibility of the heat transfer through the material half cut
of the sample was used.
The prepared model was in the Thermal Simulation
Mode subjected to the heat load of 27000 mW,
corresponding to the burner flame temperature of about
1000 °C. The opposite cold side of the sample was
determined by the initial temperature of 20 °C and the
coefficient of convection cooling of 0.01 W/(m 2.K).
Simulation results in Fig. 5 show the temperature
distribution inside the samples.
 Figure 3. Laboratory assembly for measurements

Prescribed chemical composition of the nickel alloy

EI435 according to the GOST Standards is shown in
Table. 1
000436
SAMI 2017 • IEEE 15th International Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics • January 26-28, 2017 • Herl’any, Slovakia

(2). The results of these calculations are shown in Fig.

8.b).
 Figure 5. Simulation results of heat distribution in samples

The results show that the model with TBC layer in the Figure 8. a) Temperature trend lines of samples (left) and b) Heat
simulation under the same conditions of heat load flux trend lines of samples (right)
exhibits on the cold side of the sample temperature of
582,2 °C, whereas the material without the TBC exhibits If we use all experimental measurement result for every
a temperature of 700,2 °C. Graphical plot with the distance between burner and sample without TBC for
dependence of the temperature on the time from this creation the surface graphical dependence chart, we will
simulation is visible on fig. 6. There is also an obvious obtain 3D chart on fig. 9.a) for temperature behaviour and
positive impact of TBC layer in offering resistance to heat on fig. 9.b) for heat flux behaviour depending on time.
flux through the sample surface area. The results of Here is clearly to see, that increase in distance between
computational simulation were than confronted with the burner and sample leads to decease in maximal
results of experiments performed in the laboratory using a temperature obtained during time period of the
gas burner and IR camera and are in direct agreement experiment. Also the Heat flux thru the sample is
with the measured data from experiments with burner decreasing rapidly with increased distance from burner.
placed at 10 cm from the sample. (The temperature at the
hot side of the sample reached approximately 1000 °C).

Figure 9. a) Behaviour of sample temperature arise without TBC (left)

and b) Behaviour of heat flux thru the sample without TBC (right)

Figure 6. Simulation temperature behaviour The same facts are evident for 3D chart of sample with
TBC layer on Fig. 10.a) and 10.b). But in comparison
The thermovision camera of the FLIR A40M type used with sample without TBC layer, here we can see lower
for scanning is connected to the computer through the
maximum obtained temperature during experiment time
FireWire IEEE -1394 interface. Fig. 7 shows thermal
period and much lower heat flux thru the sample – almost
images for the sample without the TBC layer and the
3 times lower than heat flux in sample without TBC.
sample coated with the TBC at the distance of 10 cm
between the burner and sample holder. The results of the
experiments performed in the laboratory will be
confronted with the results of the simulation in the CREO
3.0 software tool.

Figure 10. a) Behaviour of sample temperature arise with TBC (left)

and b) Behaviour of heat flux thru the sample with TBC (right)

CONCLUSION
V.
Based on the above experiments and simulations it is
Figure 7. IR camera photo of sample cold side – distance of burner: 10cm possible to summarize the following conclusions:
x The computational simulation using computer
The plot with the dependence of the temperature on the time technology and software tools available shows
with established trend lines for distance of 10 cm between positive effect of TBC coating on reduction of the
burner and sample holder is in Fig. 8.a) As shown, a trend of base material (EI435) overheating. The accuracy of
the temperature rise at a constant inflow of heat from the the simulations results were than confirmed by the
burner has a logarithmic increase for both samples the same experimental measured values.
way as it was visible on Fig. 6 obtained from computational x Samples with the thermal barriers in every burner
simulation. To determine the heat flux through the area of position were overheated less than samples without
the sample we can use the relationship
000437
L. Fozo • Effect of TBC on Heat Transfer into Nickel Based Refractory Alloy
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