Power Plant Materials Condition Monitoring and Degradation Assessment
Student:
Navdeep Singh Kahlon
Project title:
Power Plant Materials Condition Monitoring and Degradation Assessment
Academic supervisors:
Industrial sponsor:
Dr Craig Degnan – E.ON
Project achievements
- The effect of surface roughness on electromagnetic measurements is now known
- The effect of surface grinding, to prepare a component’s surface for NDT, is now known with respect to using electromagnetic measuring techniques.
- The effect of introducing work hardened layers into the surface of a component and what effect this has on the ability to characterise a materials mechanical properties with respect to electromagnetic measurement technique is now known.
Student attractions of the EngD Centre
- Real life problem solving in a research driven environment.
- The opportunity to meet and work with World-class experts in the subject topic
- The opportunity to collaborate with like-minded successful individuals.
- The opportunity to develop one’s soft skills or interpersonal skills.
Started:
2011
Graduation:
2016
Prizes and awards
- Winners of the Engineering Young Entrepreneurs Scheme East Midlands Regional Heat, The Holiday Inn East Midlands, Engineering YES. May 2012.
- Most Outstanding Student Award at the 7th IEAGHG International CCS Summer School held at the University of Nottingham. 21st – 26th July 2013.
- Best Group Presentation Award at the 7th IEAGHG International CCS Summer School held at the University of Nottingham. 21st – 26th July 2013.
Research summary
The Starting point for this proposal has been the encouraging progress of the EPSRC sponsored PowerEMs project at the Universities of Manchester (Prof. Tony Peyton) and Birmingham (Prof. Claire Davis), supported by E.ON. The project has shown that in principle, the PowerEMs technology of multi-frequency electromagnetic scanning and measurement of magnetic permeability / resistivity differences can provide a rapid and effective method of distinguishing normal (martensitic) and mis-heat-treated (ferritic) high alloy power plant steels, offering considerable potential for in-situ materials condition monitoring. Several materials issues now need to be addressed in order to develop the technique for practical application, including the evaluation of compositional and service degradation effects, the assessment of surface condition factors and capability for bulk properties characterisation, and comparisons with hardness measurement techniques.
Oral and poster presentations
Oral presentations
- Materials Condition Monitoring, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Shanghai, China. 4th July 2012.
- Power Plant Materials Monitoring and Degradation Assessment, E.ON Technology Centre – Technology Talk. 2nd August 2013
- Power Plant Materials Condition Monitoring and Degradation Assessment, University of Birmingham, Phase Transformation Group Presentations. 7th May 2014.
Poster presentations
- Power Plant Materials Condition Monitoring and Degradation Assessment, University of Nottingham
- 7th Annual IEAGHG International Summer School, University of Nottingham. 21st – 26th July 2013
- Power Plant Materials and Condition Monitoring and Degradation Assessment, University of Birmingham
What's next?
Technical Engineer – Policy Materials Network Strategy, Gas Distribution, National Grid.
I will be innovating new methods to replace iron mains pipework with modern polymer pipes such that the future gas grid network can be affordable, safe and accommodate biogas to help reach low carbon emission targets.