Modeling of thermal barrier coating temperature due to transmissive radiative heating

Abstract

Thermal barrier coatings are generally designed to possess very low thermal conductivity to reduce the conduction heat transfer from the coating surface to the metal turbine blade beneath the coating. In high-temperature power generation systems, however, a considerable amount of radiative heat is produced during the combustion of fuels. This radiative heat can propagate through the coating and heat up the metal blade, and thereby reduce the effectiveness of the coating in lowering the thermal load on the blade. Therefore, radiative properties are essential parameters to design radiative barrier coatings. This article presents a combined radiation and conduction heat transfer model for the steady-state temperature distribution in semitransparent yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings. The results of the model show a temperature reduction up to 45 K for YSZ of high reflectance (80%) compared to the YSZ of low reflectance (20%). The reflectivities of YSZ and metal blade affect the temperature distribution significantly. Additionally, the absorption and scattering coefficients of YSZ, the thickness of the coating, and the thermal conductivities of YSZ and metal blade affect the temperature distribution.