Thermo-mechanical simulation of steam turbine blade with spark plasma sintering fabricated Inconel 738LC superalloy properties

Abstract

The exponential increase in the demand for energy has placed tremendous pressure on the power generation companies and the components used for the power supply. The efficiency of such supply is dependent on the operating parameters of the plants but at the expense of the useful life of the components. Turbine blade is one of the components that contribute immensely to such efficiency and it should be made of high-strength material with an exceptional ability to withstand the harsh operation environment. The properties of spark plasma sintering technique produced Inconel 738 low carbon (IN738LC) superalloy was used in finite element analysis software, Abaqus CAE/2017 to simulate the thermo-mechanical behaviour of steam turbine blade. The maximum thermo-mechanical stress and strain were developed on the root of the turbine blade (along the tailing edge) and the value of the maximum stress developed is far below the yield stress of the superalloy. Hence, spark plasma sintered Inconel 738LC is suitable for turbine blade production as such blade will survive several thermo-mechanical stress and strain cycles prior to failure.