MOSCOW, Nov 1– . TPU scientists have developed a vacuum ion-plasma installation for applying protective coatings to the inner walls of pipes. The university reported that import-substituting technology will help solve the problem of corrosion and erosion of the internal walls of products widely used in the oil and gas, chemical and other industries. The installation will be presented at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum 2023.
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“Cylindrical products, or, to put it simply, pipes, are actively used in various industries, but the internal walls of such products are often subject to corrosion and erosion,” noted Dmitry Sidelev, project manager, associate professor of the B.P. Weinberg Research Center at TPU, adding, that the problem of protecting them can be solved with the help of corrosion-resistant coatings obtained in gas-discharge plasma.
According to him, to apply them, Tomsk Polytechnic uses ion-plasma technologies implemented in a vacuum. “We apply coatings using plasma from magnetron sources. According to our calculations, this will significantly increase corrosion resistance,” explained the scientist.
The technology used by polytechnics is import-substituting: similar methods are used in the UK and Japan. In Russia, magnetron deposition technologies are used to solve other problems. According to experts, the advantages of the technology include a relatively low installation cost (from two million rubles, according to preliminary calculations), the possibility of automating the process, and the stability of coating properties. In addition, the use of the installation makes it possible to obtain various types of protective coatings.
As Dmitry Sidelev said, a demonstration model of the installation was manufactured and assembled, the technology was tested, and the first samples of coatings were applied. “These are coatings of titanium nitride and zirconium oxide, which we applied to the inner surface of a pipe made of steel 12Х18Н10Т (corrosion-resistant austenitic stainless steel),” he noted, adding that such steel is a standard material for a large number of products that require high corrosion resistance durability and good strength characteristics. In addition, according to the scientist, it can operate in a wide temperature range.
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The installation can be used in the oil and gas, chemical, energy and automotive industries, as well as for materials and products used in the nuclear industry and thermal energy.
The further fate of the project depends on the interest of potential partners. According to the project manager, there are already several companies that plan to apply coatings to the internal surfaces of products with a diameter of 40–50 mm. “SPIGF is an excellent platform to show potential investors that we have similar technology and are ready to refine and scale it and equipment to meet the needs of potential customers,” he added.
Work on the project began in 2022 with the support of the program Ministry of Education and Science “Priority 2030”. Undergraduate and graduate students of the TPU School of Nuclear Technology Engineering are actively involved in the development.