Mathematical materials model to cut power bills

Pioneering materials research could ensure that consumers' electricity bills stay as low as possible in the future. The investigation is taking place at Loughborough University in the English Midlands.

Modern power stations generate electricity using steam-powered turbines. To achieve maximum efficiency, steam temperatures need to be kept as high as possible for as long as possible. This means that pipe work and other steam-carrying channels could be required to operate at temperatures of up to 650°C for as long as 40 years.

But since most of the advanced steels now used in power stations have only been in service for up to 20 years, it is difficult to predict their behaviour after being in service twice as long. This also makes the development of better steels difficult.

To overcome this difficulty the team has devised mathematical models that show how power station steels behave at the nanoparticle level. The small changes that take place at this scale determine the strength of steel. Such models provide the only way in which designers of electricity generating plants can forecast the behaviour of different steels over a longer time.

By studying the microstructure of steels after long-term exposure at various temperatures the researchers can verify the models' accuracy. The models can then be used to predict how a steel's properties could be changed using heat treatment or other techniques.

"Our work could have tangible benefits, in terms of improving power station operation and keeping down the price of the electricity we all use in so many aspects of our lives," says team leader Professor Roy Faulkner.