Alternative Thermal Barrier Coatings for Diesel Engines

Transcription

1 Alternative Thermal Barrier Coatings for Diesel Engines H. Samadi, T.W.Coyle Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Abstract The use of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to increase the combustion temperature in diesel engines has been pursued for over 20 years. Increased combustion temperature can increase the efficiency of the engine, decrease the CO and (possibly) the NO x emission rate. However, TBCs have not yet met with wide success in diesel engine applications. To reach the desirable temperature of C in the combustion chamber from the current temperature of C, a coating with a thickness of order 1mm is required, significantly thicker than turbine blade coatings which are on the order of 100µm thick. This results in different temperature and stress profiles in the coating during service than in the case of turbine coatings, and different failure mechanisms. Among possible alternative materials, one of the most promising is mullite. Mullite has excellent thermo-mechanical behavior; however its low thermal expansion coefficient creates a large mismatch with the substrate. To address this problem, multilayer systems are under development which minimize the thermal expansion mismatch stresses while maintaining chemical and phase stability. 1. Introduction Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) in diesel engines lead to advantages including higher power density, fuel efficiency, and multifuel capacity due to higher combustion chamber temperature (900 C vs. 650 C) [1,2].Using TBC can increase engine power by 8%, decrease the specific fuel consumption by 15-20% and increase the exhaust gas temperature 200K [3]. Although several systems have been used as TBC for different purposes, yttria-stabilized zirconia with 7-8 wt% yttria has received the most attention. Several important factors playing important roles in TBC lifetimes including thermal

2 conductivity, thermal, chemical stability at the service temperature, high thermo mechanical stability to the maximum service temperature and at last but not least the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC). Plasma spray is the most common method of depositing TBCs for diesel applications. It creates a splat structure with % volume fraction of voids and cracks [6] (figure 1). High porosity of this structure makes it an ideal choice for TBC. Widespread application has been limited by insufficient lifetimes and the cost. 2. TBC in diesel engine vs. turbine blade Recently, much attention has been focused on TBCs for turbine engines. However, the service environment of the coating in the turbine is markedly different than in the diesel engine. In the former, the service temperature is high ( C). The superalloy substrate s maximum service temperature is about 800 C. The thickness of coating is a few hundred microns and is applied to protect against oxidation, hot corrosion,thermomechanical fatigue and creep. Due to the high substrate temperature, oxidation of the bond coat plays a major role in coating failure. On the other hand, in the diesel engine the gas temperature, currently less than 650 C, would ideally approach 900 C. the substrate temperature is limited to approximately 200 C, and therefore a thick coating (at least 1mm) is required which leads to a high thermal gradient. In a thick thermal barrier coating (TTBC) the bond coat temperature is too low for severe oxidation and creep [7]. Recent work shows that inelastic behavior of the TTBC ceramic material and its unique microstructure determines the failure mechanism [8]. In a thick thermal barrier coating, when the surface of the YSZ coating is heated, a compressive stress is developed in the surface which will be relaxed after two hours of steady state heating. Upon cooling, the stress becomes tensile and initiates cracks [7]. Due to the mismatch in thermomechanical properties of the top coat and bond coat, this interface is a source for cracking and delamination [9]. 3. Alternatives As mentioned above, conventional YSZ coatings have not proven successful for TBCs in diesel engines.

3 There is a great thermal expansion coefficient match between YSZ, bond coat and substrate (10.7x10-6 k -1 vs. 17.5x10-6 k -1 for NiCoCrAlY and 16x10-6 K -1 for IN737) [5]. Good thermo-mechanical performance and fair oxidation resistance are other properties of YSZ as a TBC. A number of materials have been proposed in the literature as possible alternative to YSZ for turbine engine applications. Each has advantages and disadvantages when compared with the standard coating Zirconates Zirconates have drawn the attention of several research groups as a promising alternative to YSZ. These materials with a pyrochlore structure [10] have a fair TEC (in the range of 9-10 x10-6 K -1 ) which is comparable with PSZ. The main advantages of zirconates are their low sintering activity, low thermal conductivity (20% lower than PSZ), and good thermal cycling resistance [11, 12]. The main problem is the high TEC which results in residual stress in the coating, and can cause coating delamination. Some materials in this category; e.g. BaO ZrO 2, SrO ZrO 2, and La 2 O 3 2ZrO 2, undergo phase transformation or become non-stoichiometric during heating. The total porosity in plasma sprayed zirconates is less than 10% [13] which is lower than the porosity in plasma sprayed PSZ. As the porosity has a vital role in thermal insulation, process modification is required to increase the level Garnets Polycrystalline garnet ceramics are used in different applications due to their unique properties. Particularly YAG (Y 3 Al 5 O 12 ) is a good choice for many high-temperature applications, due to its excellent high temperature properties and phase stability up to its melting point (1970 C) [14]. Other advantages which make YAG a candidate as a TBC are their low thermal conductivity (3Wm -1 K -1 ) and its low oxygen diffusivity, 10 orders of magnitude less than zirconia [5]. As shown in figure 2, other members of the garnet category have almost the same thermal conductivity. Although the thermal conductivity value is almost the same as zirconia (or even higher), the thermal expansion coefficient is lower (9.1x10-6 K -1 ) Al 2 O 3.SiO 2.MgO system

4 Most traditional, high temperature refractory ceramic materials are found in the Al 2 O 3.SiO 2.MgO phase diagram. (Figure 3). Among these oxides, some have been considered as alternatives to YSZ in TBCs. The general advantage for the systems in this oxide phase diagram is their low prices which make them competitive alternatives for TBC (Figure 4) Cordierite Cordierite (2MgO.2Al 2 O 3.5SiO 2 ) has a very low TEC (1.67x10-6 k -1 [15]) but, for certain applications, could be an alternative for TBCs. However, after plasma spraying, the cordierite deposition is amorphous. While heating, two phase transformation occur, at 830 C and 1000 C, which produce a volume change and cause cracking [16]. To deposit crystalline cordierite, the addition of 6 wt% TiO 2 has been reported to be effective [17]. Increasing the temperature of the substrate to slow the cooling rate of the cordierite increases the crystallinity, however the oxidation of metal substrates is a concern. Finally, another way to increase the crystallinity of deposited cordierite is laser surface melting [17]. Some studies focused on zirconia-cordierite composites [16]. But there are two major problems with this system: the glassy nature of cordierite and its phase transformation is still unsolved. Also yittria diffuses gradually into the cordierite destabilizing the ZrO2 to allow the destructive tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation to occur Forsterite The high thermal expansion coefficient of forsterite (2MgO.SiO 2 ), 11x10-6 K -1 [15], permits a good match with the substrate. At thicknesses of some hundred microns, it shows a very good thermal shock resistance (figure 5). Another advantage of forsterite is its crystallinity after spraying, which is higher than other oxides in this phase diagram (figure 6). This eliminates the amorphous to crystalline transformation which causes a volume expansion and coating delamination Spinel

5 Although spinel (MgO.Al 2 O 3 ) has very good high temperature and chemical properties, its TEC, 7.68x10-6 K -1, prevents its usage as a reliable choice for TEC. There is only one report of applying spinel on bond coat which failed after 719 thermal cycles (figure 7) [15] Mullite Mullite is applied on SiC as an oxidation resistant layer to form an environmental barrier coating (EBC). Its low oxygen diffusivity, low creep rate at high temperatures, high thermo-mechanical fatigue resistance and close TEC match with SiC (4-5x10-6 K -1 vs. 5-6x10-6 K -1 [18]) makes it the ideal choice for this application. In thin coatings (up to some hundred microns) on top of a metallic substrate, the durability of mullite has been reported to be better than that of zirconia [19]. The low TEC of mullite is an advantage relative to YSZ in high thermal gradients and under thermal shock conditions. However, the large mismatch in TEC with metallic substrate leads to poor adhesion. Figure 8 compares surface stresses of 500 µm thick coatings of yttria fully stabilized zirconia and mullite during cooling after heating to a steady state temperature distribution under a heat flux of 270 kwm -2. Two different values of heat transfer coefficient were used to vary the degree of the thermal shock experienced. Although both samples undergo a peak during cooling, the stress in mullite unlike PSZ, remains compressive during the cooling process which prevents crack initiation in mullite [7]. Mullite has excellent creep resistance. The strain rate for mullite was reported to be 1.32x10-20 s-1 vs. 3.25x10-7 s-1 for YSZ at 800 C and σ=100 MPa [7]. Like cordierite, mullite is amorphous as deposited. In service recrystallization occurs at C which is accompanied by a volume contraction, cracking and top coat debonding [20]. a solution is to heat the substrate to 1000 C 4. Multilayer system In a thick TBC, a low TEC is desirable for the hot surface to minimize thermally derived stresses and sensitivity to thermal shock. A large TEC mismatch with the metallic

6 substrate limits coating adhesion. A multi layer system may permit these opposing requirements to be satisfied. A set of chemically compatible materials have been identified which offer a range of TECs and acceptable thermal conductivities. Coupled analysis of the temperature and stress distribution through the thickness of the multi layer coating is underway to evaluate stress levels in the coating during and after deposition and under service conditions. The goal is to optimize the thickness of each layer to minimize the stress in the coating under service conditions. 5. Conclusion In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of several materials for use as thick thermal barrier coatings in diesel engines were reviewed. A multi layer system is a promising approach to satisfy the competing requirements of the coating. The thicknesses of the different layers must be optimized to minimize the stresses under service conditions. Acknowledgement Support for this research from Auto 21 is gratefully acknowledged. References 1.P. Ramaswamy, S. Seetharamu, K. B. R. Varma, N. Raman and K. J. Rao, thermomechanical fatigue characterization of zirconia (8% Y2O3-ZrO2) and mullite thermal barrier coatings on diesel engine components: effect of coatings on engine performance, Proc. Instn. Mech Engrs., vol. 214, part.c (2000) D. Zhu, R. A. Miller, thermal barrier coatings for advanced gas turbine and diesel engines, NASA/TM T.Hejwowski, A.Weronski, the effect of thermal barrier coatings on diesel engine performance, Vacuum, 65 (2002) S.Ahmaniemi, C.Gualco, A.Bonadei, R.Di Maggio, characterization of modified thick thermal barrier coatings, Thermal Spray 2003, Ohio, USA, X.Q.Cao, R. Vassenb, D. Stoeverb, ceramic materials for thermal barrier coatings, J. Europ. Ceram. Soc., 24 (2004), 1-10.

7 6. G.Qian, T.Nakamura, C.C.Berndt, effects of thermal gradient and residual stresses on thermal barrier coating fracture, Mechanics of Mater., 27, (1998) K.Kokini, Y.R.Takeuchi, B.D.Choules," surface thermal cracking of thermal barrier coatings owing to stress relaxation: zirconia vs. mullite", Surf. & Coat. Tech., 82(1996) M.B.Beardsley, P.G.Happoldt and K.C.Kelley, E.F.Rejda and D.F.Socie, "thermal barrier coatings for low emission, high efficiency diesel engine applications", SAE paper, No S.Rangaraji, K.Kokini, "interface thermal fracture in functionally graded zirconiamullite-bond coat alloy thermal barrier coating", Acta Mater., 51(2003) J.Wu, X.Wei, N.P.Padture, P.G.Klemens, M.Gell, E.Garcı, P.Miranzo, M.I.Osendi, "low-thermal-conductivity rare-earth Zirconates for potential thermal barrier coating applications", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 85, [12] (2002) R.Vassen, X.Cao, F.Tietz, D.Basu, D.Stover, "Zirconates as new materials for thermal barrier coatings", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 83, [8] (2000) H.Lehmann, D.Pitzer, G.Pracht, R.Vassen, D.Stover,"thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient of the lanthanum rare-earth-element zirconate system", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 86, 8 (2003) X.Q.Cao, R.Vassen, W.Jungen, S.Schwartz, F.Tietz, D.Stover, "thermal stability of Lanthanum Zirconate plasma-sprayed coating", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 84, 9, (2001) N.P.Padture, P.G.Klemens, "low thermal conductivity in garnet", J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 80, 4 (1997) H.G.Wang, H.Herman, "thermomechanical properties of plasma-sprayed oxides in the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system", Surf. Coat. Tech., 42 (1990) H.G.Wang, G.S.Fischman, H.Herman, "plasma-sprayed cordierite: structure and transformations", J. Mater. Sci., 24 (1989) F.G.Razavy, D.C.Van Aken, J.D.Smith, "effect of laser surface melting upon the devitrification of plasma sprayed cordierite", Mat. Sci. & Eng., A362 (2003)

8 18. K.N.Lee, D.S.Fox, J.I.Eldridge, D.Zhu, R.C.Robinson, N.P.Bansal, R.A. Miller, "upper temperature limit of environmental barrier coatings based on mullite and BSAS, NASA/ TM P. M. Pierz, "thermal barrier coating development for diesel engine aluminum pistons", Surf. & Coat. Tech., 61(1993) P.Ramaswamy, S.Seetharamu, K.B.R.Varma, K.J.Rao, "thermal shock characteristics of plasma sprayed mullite coatings", J. Thermal Spray Tech., 7, 4 (1998) D. Stover, C. Funke, "directions of the development of thermal barrier coatings in energy applications", J. Mater. Process. Tech., (1999) E.M.Levin, C.R.Robbins, H.F.McMurdie, Phase Diagrams for Ceramics, the American Ceramic Society, Columbus, OH, Figure 712, P.246 (1964).

9 Figure 1. a) EB-PVD coating b) APS coating [21]. Figure 2. Experimentally measured thermal conductivity of different garnets [14].

10 Figure 3. Al 2 O 3.SiO 2.MgO phase diagram [22] Figure 4. a comparison between prices of YSZ vs. some oxides in Al 2 O 3.SiO 2.MgO phase diagram

11 Figure 5. SEM micrograph of plasma sprayed forsterite on 80Ni-20Cr bond coat and mild steel substrate after 719 thermal cycles [15]. Figure 6. as sprayed forsterite [15]. Figure 7. spinel coating after 719 thermal cycles [15].

12 Figure 8. surface stresses of zirconia and mullite during cooling (q=270 kwm -2 ) [7].