New High-Temperature Coating From Oerlikon Balzers

Oerlikon Balzers, a leading provider of surface solutions, said its new Balora portfolio of coatings are designed for applications in high-temperature environments including power generation.

The first coating from the new portfolio, Balora PVD MCrAlY, represents the next generation of high-density MCrAlY coatings, which use Oerlikon Balzers’ PVD Arc surface and equipment technologies to form a barrier against oxidation and hot corrosion inside the hot section of turbines.

Efficiency improvements in gas turbines are often achieved by increasing the operating temperatures to 1200 °C and above. Coatings used in turbine hot sections must withstand these extreme conditions to prevent hot corrosion and component oxidation, otherwise, a system failure would occur – resulting in considerable replacement costs. Typically, MCrAlY coatings for these applications are produced using thermal spraying and other technologies. Oerlikon Balzers has applied its proven high-end PVD Arc technology to make these standard MCrAlY coating production processes more efficient and improve the coating properties by giving them aerodynamically smooth surfaces and outstanding substrate adhesion.

Oerlikon Balzers said its new Balora PVD MCrAlY solution produces extremely dense coatings which form an optimum oxidation barrier. The coating design process, a matter of a few steps, takes into account the individual requirements of the application and base material. High-performance targets are developed from the powder material provided by Oerlikon Metco and used to deposit an ultra-dense coating on the components in Oerlikon Balzers’ high-end arc evaporation coating systems.

Balora PVD MCrAlY from Oerlikon Balzers is designed to allow higher service temperatures and forms an excellent oxidation barrier, thus providing significant added value to customers by improving system efficiency, extending turbine blade service life, reducing maintenance and increasing service intervals, according to the company

“The new Balora portfolio, including PVD MCrAlY, clearly demonstrates Oerlikon Balzers’ technological expertise and power for innovation,” said Marc Desrayaud, head of Oerlikon. “This new solution for turbine hot sections will help make applications in the aerospace and power generation markets more efficient thanks to our new coating technology.”