TurbinLe

Effect of water vapor oxidation on the fatigue behavior of turbine materials

Project manager: Dipl.-Ing. Maria Glava

 

Motivation

Hydrogen has strong potential as a low-carbon fuel for gas turbines, as it can significantly reduce or eliminate CO₂ emissions during combustion. However, hydrogen combustion produces substantially higher steam concentrations than conventional hydrocarbon fuels. This creates new challenges for turbine materials, particularly regarding high-temperature oxidation and fatigue performance.

Objective

This project investigates the influence of water vapor oxidation on crack initiation, oxide-scale integrity, and the fatigue life of turbine materials. The low-cycle fatigue behavior of pre-oxidized and unoxidized specimens is compared under high-temperature conditions.

Methods
  • High-temperature low-cycle fatigue (LCF) testing of Ni-based alloys
  • Microstructural characterization of precipitates
  • Investigation of crack initiation and growth, damage mechanisms, and oxide scales

Project Partners
  • MTU Aero Engines
  • DLR – German Aerospace Center
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM)

Funding

This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).