First, the core advantages of titanium alloy
1. Light weight and high strength: density of 4.5g/cm³ (57% of steel), specific strength of 29MPa·m³/kg
2. Environmental tolerance: in seawater environment, the corrosion rate is <0.001mm, and the acid and alkali medium with pH value of 0.5-13 can be tolerated
3. Thermal stability: the working temperature of conventional industrial titanium alloys (such as Ti-6Al-4V) can reach 450℃
4. Hydrogen compatibility: Specific titanium alloys can store hydrogen equivalent to 800-1000 times their own volume
Second， Typical application scenarios and technical progress
1. Nuclear safety In the third generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant, the condenser tube bundle made of Ti-3Al-2.5V alloy has been commercialized. The service life of the material in high temperature water environment containing boron can reach 40 years, which is more than 3 times longer than that of traditional copper alloy. The actual operation data of a domestic nuclear power plant shows that the titanium alloy cooling system reduces the annual maintenance cost by 27%.
2. Solar energy utilization system In the photovoltaic power station, TA10 titanium alloy bracket system (Ti-0.3Mo-0.8Ni) has been used for 8 consecutive years in the Qinghai Salt Lake area, and its resistance to sand erosion is 5 times that of aluminum alloy. In the field of photothermal power generation, titanium-coated ceramic composite heat absorption tube can increase the operating temperature to 580℃, and the thermal efficiency can reach 68%.
3. Hydrogen energy industry chain electrolytic water hydrogen production link, industrial grade titanium anode (Ti/RuO₂-IrO₂) in alkaline electrolytic cell service life of more than 30,000 hours. In terms of storage and transportation, the hydrogen storage capacity of TiFe hydrogen storage alloy reaches 1.8wt%, and with carbon fiber reinforced technology, mobile hydrogen storage devices with working pressure <5MPa have been developed.
4. Ocean Energy development A wave energy conversion device made of Ti-631 alloy (Ti-6Al-3V-2Zr) was used in an ocean energy demonstration project, which has been running continuously for 4 years in the harsh environment of the South China Sea, and the structural integrity rate has reached 98%. All titanium sea water pump system compared to stainless steel equipment, energy consumption is reduced by 15%, and the maintenance cycle is extended to 5 years.
Third, rational development prospects
At present, the application of titanium alloy in the field of energy is still facing the challenge of high cost (about 5-8 times of stainless steel) and difficult processing. However, with the progress of powder metallurgy technology and 3D printing process, a domestic enterprise has achieved a 40% reduction in the cost of titanium alloy components. The International Energy Agency report shows that by 2040, titanium alloy demand in the energy field will account for 35% of global titanium consumption, and the main growth point is concentrated in the field of hydrogen energy storage and transportation and nuclear fusion devices.
From the point of view of actual engineering cases, titanium alloys are changing from "optional materials" to "required materials" for specific scenarios. The value of its technology is not to replace all traditional materials, but to provide an irreplaceable solution to solve the key pain points in the energy transition. The rational application of this material may reshape the design logic of future energy equipment.
BaoJi DingDing Titanium Products Co., Ltd. is committed to producing high quality titanium alloy materials, welcome to consult: 3412107@bjddt.com.
