Geo-coat aims to develop specialised corrosion- and erosion- resistant coatings optimized for operation in aggressive Geothermal environments.
Coating Materials & Methods
The coatings developed by Geo-Coat are based on selected High- Entropy Alloys (HEAs) and are claimed to exhibit better erosion and corrosion performance as compared to titanium alloys, stainless steel and corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs). Additonally, coatings based on Cermets and Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) are also being developed as part of the project. These MMCs, containing Ti and Ni together with harder filler phases, retain the corrosion and chemical resistance of the base materials as well as possess superior wear and hardness properties.
Geo-Coat will use employ coating techniques such as High Velocity Oxygen Fuel spray (HVOF), Electro Spark Deposition (ESD), electroless platinga and laser cladding. Although, commonly used in other manufacturing sectors, these techniques are relatively new for the specific applications of HEAs especially within geothermal applications. Geo-Coat aims to achieve the lowest levels of porosity and highest levels of hardness through process parameters optimisation, to provide long-life consolidated coatings for key components.
Geo-Coat Knowledge-Based System (KBS) database
The Geo-Coat KBS database will be populated with different coating methodologies and material data, substrate material data, geothermal application data, well integrity data, technical data related to coatings corrosion, wear resistance and mechanical properties.
Geo-Coat Flow Assurance Simulator (FAS)
The Geo-Coat FAS will provide information on pressure, flow velocities, temperatures, and geofluid compositions in the whole system replicating the geothermal power plant, thereby setting the performance requirements for the coating methodology selection at each process point. Using the information of the operational environment, generated from the geothermal flow assurance simulator, the optimal coating requirement as specifying coating thickness, material, adhesion to the substrate, porosity and the optimised process parameters for the selected coating methodologies can be determined.
Click here for Geo-Coat Flow Assurance Simulator (FAS)