A new generation of wear-resistant coatings consisting of high-entropy alloy matrix and complex carbides for the energy industry

该项目是为NSERC-Mitacs Accelerate计划提出的，旨在开发一种新型的高耐磨材料，用于保护表面层，例如，堆焊层和涂层，其形式是由高熵合金(HEA)母体和复杂碳化物组成的复合材料。新的覆盖层和涂层将用于抵御加拿大能源行业不同部门遇到的严重磨损，包括油砂、氢燃料、水电、风能和煤炭开采。磨损会导致运行设施发生故障或失效，导致运行成本高、设施使用寿命短和安全问题。目前使用的WC/Ni合金、WC/Co等覆层和涂层在保护工业设施免受磨损侵袭方面发挥了重要作用。然而，这些涂层和涂层也有缺点，例如，基质材料的耐磨性较低，也容易腐蚀，因此在腐蚀性环境中耐磨性较差。该项目旨在开发新一代保护层/涂层，该保护层/涂层由高熵合金(HEA)基材和复杂的碳化物组成，可在恶劣的运行条件和侵蚀性环境中抵抗在能源生产的各个部门中遇到的严重磨损。主要成果将包括商业应用的原型材料、覆盖/涂层设计指南、应用和进一步开发的数据库和标准。减少运营设施的磨损，如油砂开采，不仅将提高加拿大石油行业在全球燃料市场的竞争力，还将促进清洁能源生产，如以更低的成本增加氢气生产[从油砂(沥青)中提取氢气]，通过燃烧更便宜的化石燃料为蒸汽涡轮机提供动力来增加电力生产，以及提高风力发电的效率。这有助于提高清洁能源的利用率，减少化石燃料的直接使用，有助于最大限度地减少温室气体排放。该项目的成功将对加拿大能源行业产生影响，并在各个方面给加拿大人带来重大好处。

This project is proposed to the NSERC - Mitacs Accelerate program for developing a new class of superior wear-resistant materials for protective surface layers, e.g., hardfacing overlays and coatings, in the form of composite which consists of a high-entropy alloy (HEA) matrix and complex carbides. The new overlays and coatings will be used to resist severe wear encountered in different sectors of Canada's energy industry, including oil sands, hydrogen fuel, hydroelectricity, wind energy, and coal mining. Wear can cause malfunction or failure of operation facilities, leading to high operation costs, short service life of facilities, and safety issues. The currently used overlays and coatings, e.g., WC/Ni alloy and WC/Co, have played an important role in protecting industrial facilities from wear attacks. However, these overlays and coatings have shortcomings, e.g., low wear resistance of the matrix materials, which are also prone to corrosion and thus less durable against wear in corrosive environments. This project is oriented to the development of a new generation of protective overlays/coatings, which consist of a high-entropy alloy (HEA) - matrix and complex carbides to resist severe wear in harsh operation conditions and aggressive environments, encountered in various sectors of energy production. The main outcomes will include prototype materials for commercial applications, guidelines for overlay/coating design, databases and standard for applications and further development. Minimizing wear of operation facilities, e.g., oil sands mining, will not only increase the competitiveness of Canadian oil industry in the global fuel market, but also promote clean energy production such as increased hydrogen production with lowered cost [extract hydrogen from oil sands (bitumen)], increased electricity production through the combustion of cheaper fossil fuels to power steam turbines, and improved efficiency of wind power production as well. This helps increase the clean energy utilization with reduced direct use of fossil fuels, helping minimize greenhouse gas emissions. The success of this project would have impact on the Canada energy industry and bring in significant benefits to Canadians in various aspects.