Reference components for energy power plants and metallurgical processes were identified. The notional design of three heat exchangers and two tubes was produced. They will be applied respectively in: 1) an integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), an Indirect Fired Gas Turbine (IFGT), a Waste Incinerator; 2) Gas Fired Recuperative Immersion and Radiant Tube Burners (ITB & RTB).

A series of new ceramic composites was made and subjected to simple evaluation tests: the starting point was a material (Product A) made using the existing technologies of the partners. This material could not withstand even short term exposure to air at elevated temperatures with weight losses of greater than 90% being recorded. Special procedures to obtain C/SiC composites both 2 and 2.5 D were developed: standard CVI processes were modified and additional resin impregnation cycles were included to get required and homogeneous density of final products. Several fibre and overlay coatings were attempted and tested: 1) CVD C, Ir, BN, SiC to protect C/fibre and favour pull-out; 2) painted glasses; 3) CVD A1N/A1203 to increase the oxidation resistance of composites. New families of C/SiC composite materials were developed, namely Product B and C, E and F, G and H. The results from characterisation activity were encouraging, in particular as far as product B and E were concerned. Product Z, a variant of product E, was assessed as the most promising one among the different alternatives of C/SiC materials produced. Product Z was fully analysed using both flat and tube coupons: physical, mechanical, microstructural properties were obtained at room and/or high temperature, whereas an experimental campaign provided its behaviour under cold and hot erosive conditions, corrosive environments and thermal shock. An ad hoc machine was designed, ordered and employed to manufacture C/SiC materials in tubular shape. The process, by which the fibre tubes are produced continuously by feeding a strip of pre-needled short fibre web onto a mandrel and forming an overlapping spiral and the route to stitch the layers together, is an innovative one that can, after a necessary scale up process, be applied at an industrial level.

Such results allow the industrial partners in the consortium to focus on different market applications which will be exploited mainly in the following fields: coating technologies, carbon felt pre-form manufacturing, radiant and immersion tube burners, heat exchangers for advanced power production and waste incineration.
The proposed research is directed at the development of high-tech ceramic tubes to be employed in chemically aggressive, high temperature, differential pressure environments. Three different kinds of coated ceramic matrix composite materials and a monolithic with a multi-layer coating will be developed and manufactured. Special attention will be paid at needled felt carbon fibre coated both internally (fibre coating) and externally (overlay coating), as it looks very promising for the foreseen applications; different coating solution will be examined. The goal is the development of long-term oxidation and corrosion resistance to high temperature (1500 C) and pressure (up to 18 bars). A wide number of coupons and sample tubes will undergo a full test programme evaluation, ranging from physical, microstructural and mechanical characterization, to erosion, corrosion, thermal cycling and thermal shock tests. Among the wide-ranging industrial areas of high temperature ceramic-based materials, three are focused in this project:

- power generation heat exchange

- process heat exchange

- waste incinerators heat recovery .