Titanium, as a rare metal element, has far more performance than what we have seen. Generally, power generation equipment, especially the side with lower thermal cycling temperature, provides an ideal usage environment for titanium.
It is possible to develop a new type of titanium tube for application at higher working temperatures. Compared with the already developed high-strength low-temperature titanium tube, it will have greater potential in saving metal and improving efficiency. The future goal is to develop a titanium tube that can reach a working temperature of 650 ℃. This alloy can be used on high-pressure turbine discs, reducing weight by 20% compared to the commonly used base disc.
The titanium tube manufacturer stated that as the working temperature increases, it will inevitably bring more new problems, such as surface oxidation, long-term stability of large-scale metallurgical production, friction corrosion, fire hazard, and hot salt stress corrosion. Some problems can be solved by surface coating or surface treatment methods, and research in this area is currently actively underway.
