PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED MATERIALS FOR ALTERNATIVE-FUEL-CAPABLE HEAT ENGINES, PROCEEDINGS

ABSTRACT:
This conference, cosponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy, is the second to address the problems that may be encountered by structural materials in heat engine systems burning alternative fuels. Alternative fuels are those that will replace

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natural gas and distillate oils as price increases or diminishing availability restrict their use, and include residual oils, shale oil, coal, and coal-derived liquids and gases. The problems for heat engines in the change to these different fuels are primarily related to impurities, both those whose role is chemical, in increasing the corrosion of materials, and those that appear as solid or liquid particles in the combustion gases and may erode or deposit on component surfaces. A difficulty is that the impurities that may be present in the newer fuels when they appear in the market cannot be predicted with confidence; both the amount and the nature of the impurities will be a function of the preparation methods. The principal areas of concern are gas turbines and diesels, but heat exchangers and novel forms of direct combustion of coal are also discussed. Metallic materials, structural ceramics, and coatings are included; advanced cooling techniques, which may reduce problems of the interaction of the materials with their environment at the expense of greater fabrication problems, are also reviewed.

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