Economic Efficiency of High-Entropy Alloy Corrosion-Resistant Coatings Designed for Geothermal Turbine Blades: A Case Study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to establish the cost-effectiveness of high-entropy alloy coatings, using the electrospark deposition technique, designed for a geothermal turbine blade’s leading edge. The deposition of materials with high resistance to corrosion and erosion aims to increase the blade’s service life, reduce maintenance costs and improve production efficiency. According to our previous research on the CoCrFeNiMox high-entropy alloy system, the results showed a high corrosion resistance when in bulk or as a coating, and when tested in geothermal steam and in a saline solution. Based on the results, the high-entropy alloy was subjected to further analyses. The paper focused on two aspects of the research. The first direction was to explore the possibility of obtaining an effective, protective high-entropy alloy layer by the electrospark deposition method. To this end, various tests were performed to demonstrate that the new material possesses superior properties and is suitable for the geothermal environment’s demands. The second direction was to calculate the economic efficiency of coating the areas intensely subjected to wear, based on reports published by the geothermal power plants’ representatives. The final costs were compared with the commercially available equipment parts, and also with the general maintenance costs. From the calculation of the cost efficiency for the CoCrFeNiMo0.85 high-entropy alloy, it resulted that the deposition method and the properties of the material are suitable for the operating conditions, representing an efficient and easy to apply solution to reduce maintenance costs in the geothermal industry.