APRIL 2018

Manufacturing of turbine rotor forgings

in steel grade FB2
for Highly Efficient Fossil
Power Plants
 Introduction
 Forging & Electroslug Remelted (ESR) process
 Manufacturing of turbine rotor forgings in steel
grade FB2
 Summary and Conclusions
Introduction
 Efficiency of Coal Fired Power Plants

o High efficiency Power Plants require high steam temperature and high
pressure
→ Rotor shaft for high pressure (HP) and intermediate pressure (IP)
parts with suitable creep properties at operating temperature
o Required strong development of creep resistant steels

Increase in pressure and

reheat temperature  537 Deg
C results in significant in
heatrate and efficiency

https://www.power-technology.com/projects/yuhuancoal/
Efficiency of Coal Fired Power Plants
o Coal maintains to be a major source for future power generation
o CO2 emissions must be reduced for the protection of the climate
o Combination of increasing use of coal world wide and protection of
the climate technology development to increase efficiency
 high efficiency coal fired power plants
o New advanced and reliable high temperature steels are needed

• World energy demand expands

by 45% until 2030 (1,6% per
year)
• Coal accounting for more than a
third of the overall rise
 Forging &
Electroslug
Remelted (ESR)
process
 Metal Forging
Definition
o Forging is a deformation processing of materials through
compressive stress. It is carried out either hot or cold.
o A process in which the work piece is shaped by
compressive forces applied through various dies and
tooling

http://www.engr.mun.ca/~adfisher/3941/Ch14_Metal-Forging-HO
The Forging Process
o Cold Forging: at room temperature
• Requires higher forces
• Need ductile work piece at working temp. ƒ
• Parts have good surface finish and dimensional accuracy
o Hot Forging: at elevated temperatures
• Temperatures above recrystallization temperatures, typically 0.6 Tm, or
above, where Tm is melting temperature
• Requires lower forces
• Lower quality surface finish & accuracy

Typical applications of forging include bolts, disks, gears, turbine disk, crank
shaft, connecting rod, valve bodies, small components for hydraulic circuits
etc
 The Forging Process (Hot Forging)

http://www.satvikengineers.com/forging_process_flow_chart.html
 ELECTROSLAG REMELTING (ESR)

o ESR (electroslag remelting) is established as a new measure for

the production of high grade steels.
o The ESR process almost completely removes the macro-
segregation phenomenon in heavy steel ingots, thus ensuring a
more homogeneous chemical composition and a finer
microstructure with fewer and more evenly distributed non-
metallic inclusions than in cast ingots.

The objective of this process is to produce ingots with superior

quality and the rate of crystallization determines the production
rate.
 ELECTROSLAG REMELTING

The mould with

Oxidation of the slag pool is
electrode and slag moving upwards as
is completely the new ingot is
avoided. formed

Electric current (generally AC) is passed between the electrode and the new ingot,
which is formed in the bottom of a water-cooled copper mold. The electrode tip is
slowly melted from contact with the slag. This process can be started up
through vacuum induction melting
http://mit.imt.si/Revija/izvodi/mit166/arh.pdf
 CHARACTERISTIC OF ESR INGOT

An ideal ingot should have uniform chemical composition without having any
segre-gation absence of
nonmetallic inclusions and
undesirable and harmful
elements and a uniform
structure without having
any micro-porosity or blow
holes.

Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 50 (2016) 6, 971–979

Development of the creep
resistant steel grades FB2
 High Temperature Materials for Turbine Rotor
Materials used for high temperature rotors
30 CrMoNiV 5-11 HP/IP up to 565°C
23 CrMoNiWV 8-8 HP/IP/LP up to 565°C European
X12 CrMoWVNbN 10-1-1 HP/IP up to 610°C European COST E
X14 CrMoVNbN 10-1 HP/IP up to 600°C European COST F
TMK1 HP/IP up to 600°C Japanese similar Cost F
X13CrMoCoVNbNB 9 2 1 HP/IP up to 625°C European COST FB2
X18 CrMoVNbB 10 1 HP/IP up to 625°C European COST FB4

Application development
of
COST E material for high
temperature rotors
(Saarschmiede)

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

The Saarschmiede GmbH Freiformschmiede

Rotor materials for Ultrasuper Critical Power Plants

Chemical composition for materials used for high temperature rotors

Now launch of COST FB2 into regular production

FB  Ferritic-Bainitic
Rotor materials for Ultrasuper Critical Power Plants

Boron-alloyed 10% Cr-steels

Addition of boron
enables
to increase application
temperature by ± 20°C

Abe, Kern and Viswanathan (Eds.). Creep-resistant steels, 2008

Creep rupture strength at 100.000h for new martensitic Cr-Steels

o 100,000 hrs rupture strength about 100 MPa

o Resistance to corrosion
o Resistance to thermo-mechanical cycling
o Sufficient weldability
Manufacturing of turbine rotor
forgings in steel grade FB2
 COST FB2 Trial Shaft – Ingot Making

ESR-Ingot for manufacturing

of the FB2 trial shaft

2011 Saarschmiede GmbH Freiformschmiede

COST FB2 Trial Rotor – Forging

ESR ingot: Ø 1300 mm / 57 t

Forging: Ø 1260 mm / 30 t
Forging Temperature:  1170 °C
 COST FB2 Trial Rotor – Forging

Final shape of the rotor Forgeability of boron-alloyed Cr-steels

Limitation of boron content to

max. 100ppm

2011 Saarschmiede GmbH Freiformschmiede

FB2 Trial rotor - Heat Treatment

PHT (preliminary heat treatment after forging)

- martensitic transformation and tempering

QHT (quality heat treatment)

• Austenitising: 1100°C / 8-10hrs / spray quenching
• Pre-tempering: 570°C / 20-24hrs
• Final tempering: 700°C / 20-24hrs
COST FB2 Trial rotor – Machining

FB2 trial rotor in machined condition after QHT

COST FB2 Trial rotor – UT inspection

MDDS [mm] at 2 MHz in centre of shaft

Reading point 1 2 3 4 5
* MDDS = Minimum Detectable Defect Size
after PHT MDDS 1.9 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.2

after QHT MDDS 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.7

COST FB2 Trial rotor – mechanical properties
COST FB2 Trial rotor – microstructure

good through-hardenability for 1200mm

- 100% tempered martensite
- no  ferrite detectable
- grain size (ASTM): 00 – 2
 COST FB2 Trial rotor – creep properties

COST FB2 Creep rupture data determined at 650°C

https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/published-papers/performance-of-weldments-in-advanced-9cr-steel/
 COST FB2 regular production parts

COST FB2 (X13CrMoCoVNbNB 9 2 1)

Production Parts (since 2007)

7 IP-turbine rotor parts ( 5 ESR Ingots, Ø 1300mm, 30mt – 56mt)

Part- dimensions for weigth for delivery

Component Melt No.
No: QHT [mm] QHT [kg] weigth [kg]
1 IP turbine rotor part 930974 1100x2144 15936 9597
2 IP turbine rotor part 931084 1068x1910 13795 9258
3 IP turbine rotor part 931084 1068x1910 13795 9258
4 IP turbine rotor part 931163 1142x1882 14178 8590
5 IP turbine rotor part 931163 1142x1882 14178 8590
6 IP turbine rotor part 931173 1154x2194 18002 11934
7 IP turbine rotor part 931336 1163x2152 17945 11508

2011 Saarschmiede GmbH Freiformschmiede

Summary and Conclusions

 ESR is s important because it provides better control of

the solidification microstructure and chemical
homogeneity; it also enables greater cleanliness and
better mechanical properties
 Steel type Cost FB 2 is a successful development for steam
temperatures  620°C
 Successful manufacturing and testing of FB2 Trial rotor
 Introduction of FB2 into commercial application - several
production parts have been already manufactured
References

 J. H. DEVLETIAN AND R. W. HEINE, Sept. 1974 Effect of Boron

Content on Carbon Steel Welds
 G. Zeiler, R. Bauer, A. Putschoegl, June 2010, Experiences in
manufacturing of forgings for power generation application
 Edward Power, P.E., Oct 2007, High Performance Steel Cost
Comparison Study
 A.K. VAISH et al, Jan 2000, Electroslag remelting — Its status,
mechanism and refining aspects in the production of quality steels
 Bostjan Arh, Bojan Podgornik, Jaka Burja, June 2016, ELECTROSLAG
REMELTING: A PROCESS OVERVIEW
 John Rothwell and David Abson, June 2009, Performance of
weldments in advanced 9%Cr steel - 'FB2'