Eimear O’Hara

Experimental and Computational Material

Characterisation for High Efficiency,

High Flexibility Power Generation

Nano-Scale Design of Power Plant Materials

Increased energy sustainability

Improved flexibility &

reduced emissions

Next generation power plants

Higher temperatures

& pressures

𝜂 = 1 −𝑇𝑙𝑇𝑢

Nano-scale design of materials

Key challenge: Thermo-mechanical fatigue of nano-strengthened materials

Material 𝑇𝑢 (°C) 𝜂 (%)

Current 480 °C 61 %

MarBN 650 °C 68 %

Martensite

Lath

Abe, F. et al., “Advances in Materials Technology for Fossil Power Plants, 2007.

Oruganti, R. et al., Acta Matl, 2011.

40

100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

Stre

ss (

MP

a)

Rupture time (hours)

MarBN

Current Materials

200

160

120

80

High Temperature Fatigue of MarBNStrain-Rate Effect

Cyclic Softening

Cyclic Strength

Secondary

cracking

Strain-Life CurvesInclusions

Fatigue

striations

Unified Viscoplasticity Fatigue DesignStress Relaxation

Strain-Rate Strain-Range Multi-scale material design

for next generation welded

connections in MarBN