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During the summer of 2022, EIO sponsored 4 academicians from Ukraine to further their studies for high temperature applications. These candidates were supported to permit ongoing study while residing in Poland as a result of the conflict raging in Ukraine. Because of EIO’s support, these candidates were able to attend the High Temperature Capillary (HTC2022) meeting where results of EIO’s work with high nickel alloys was presented.   Pictured here are those scientists along with the Director of both Poland’s and Bulgaria’s National Academy of Sciences.

EIO proudly sponsored and was Plenary speaker at the 3rd International Conference of Metals, Ceramics and Composites held in Varna, Bulgaria. This conference brings leading scientists from throughout the world to present new innovative concepts and understanding of the interactions between various materials. EIO was invited to present recent developments and liquid metal engineering of nickel super alloys used in extreme conditions.  Dr. Natalie Sobczak made the presentation on behalf of EIO due to travel conflicts preventing in person attendance.

World’s largest (10 ton) Haynes 282 high nickel super alloy casting produced at McConway and Torley (M&T) in Kurtztown, PA for the U.S. Advanced Ultra Supercritical Program (AUSC) managed by The Energy Industries of Ohio. Technical support provided by Metal Tek International Waukesha, WI and AGH University School of Foundry Engineering, Krakow, Poland.  Simulation modelling was completed in December 2020 using two different software packages. Trial pours were completed, and a successful casting produced at the M&T facility in March 2021.    This is a breakthrough manufacturing process for producing large turbine castings needed to demonstrate the readiness of the alloy for large castings such as the nozzle carrier undertaken in this project.  The Haynes 282 alloy has been qualified for use in applications up to 760°C and 5,000 psi.

10-ton Steam Turbine casting after knock out

Casting Team at M&T Kurtztown, PA

On September 20, 2022, Bob Purgert, president of EIO received the prestigious Exemplary Collaborator award from EPRI. This award recognizes those individuals who have provided support and direction for projects involving high levels of collaboration and cooperation. As "Principal Investigator" responsible for the U.S. DOE/Ohio Coal Office project, he provided the overall administrative support to include insuring adequate funding was obtained and accounted for from the funding sources. This 20 year project, under the technical direction of EPRI, was an instrumental success in developing new alloys for use in high temperature applications that were tested and achieved commercialization.

Professors Jerzy Sobczak and Dean Rafal Danko from Poland's AGH University, Faculty of Foundry Engineering along with  EIO's President Bob Purgert and Government Affairs Manager Chris Sinagra visit Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's office in Cleveland Ohio in June 2019.  Congresswoman Kaptur provided a letter of support for a collaborative effort between Poland's AGH University and The Energy Industries of Ohio for developing new casting processes for super alloys.

During May 2019 Bob Purgert, President of EIO, visited Poland's Center of Energy located at AGH University in Krakow, Poland.  Discussions regarding the Advanced UltraSuperCritical program and its potential applications for Poland were undertaken culminating in plans to hold a joint U.S./Poland  workshop of key government and utility officials.  Pictured above are Professor Jerzy Sobczak and  Bob Purgert along with the Centre of Energy's Director, Professor Wojciech Nowak and Dr. Sanislaw Tokarski, Management Director.

U.S. Department of Energy Awards EIO $16M Phase II follow-on project.   EIO as the prime contractor with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is now undertaking the Phase II portion of the U.S. Advance UltraSuperCritical program's component test program. This Phase will construct full scale assemblies,  castings, forging and valves that will be used in next generation a-dvanced power generation systems. Though primarily to be used in high temperature and high pressure applications,  these components will demonstrate the fabricability of the materials developed during  earlier phases to put the U.S. at the forefront of other national programs for High Efficiency  Low Emission (HELE) technologies. The goal is to use these materials for more efficient energy production and to aid with energy independence.

Besides offering advantages for transitioning  U.S. coal based systems for reducing CO2 emissions these materials offer benefits for use in solar,  nuclear and other power generation scenarios.  As a spin off benefit,  a domestic supply chain leading the world for making components from these advanced  materials will be established to include a number of Ohio firms being qualified for future applications with both domestic and export opportunities.

This phase of the AUSC program is estimated to be finished by late 2021 as all precompetitive efforts will have been completed. It will end a twenty year, $100million development project led by Energy Industries of Ohio that included participation by all US boiler and turbine manufacturers, key utility companies, the Electric Power Research Institute, and a number of suppliers who co funded the effort along with the Ohio Coal Development Office and the U.S. Department of Energy.  This program's coordinated and shared research has enabled the project's partners to develop cutting edge technology and vast intellectual property that looks to benefit the United States.

The high temperature/high pressure advanced materials development program conducted by an industrial consortium led by the Energy Industries of Ohio has published its final report completing this $70 Million, 15 year effort.  This effort, where EIO was the prime contractor and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) acted as the technical lead organization, identified and qualified a number of materials capable of operating under extreme conditions. These conditions are needed for future power generation systems that include nuclear, solar concentrators and fossil plants that will operate with considerably lower emissions. The project was funded by the Ohio Coal Development Office, the U.S. Department of Energy with cost share from EPRI, Babcock & Wilcox, Alstom Power, Foster Wheeler, Babcock Power, General Electric and Siemens Westinghouse. These reports are available on the Department of Energy's website Office of Scientific and Technical Information www.osti.gov.

The U.S. Department of Energy along with the State of Ohio's Coal Development Office and a consortium made up of Babcock & Wilcox, General Electric and Alstom Power will cost share in a $75 Million effort under a prime contract to the Energy Industries of Ohio, who, along with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will manage the project. The project is for full scale component testing needed prior to commercialization.

Since 2001 a U.S. public/private Advanced Ultrasupercritical (AUSC) Materials consortium has been led by EIO to find means to operate fossil fueled power plants at higher temperatures to reduce emissions.  The AUSC technology is now ready to be demonstrated under this full scale Component Test (ComTest) planned for Ohio. The project team under EIO's leadership has been able to locate a suitable site at the former Ohio Edison plant which is now the Youngstown Thermal District heating plant.  Additional infrastructure will be constructed to accommodate the test and EIO plans to install the first AUSC turbine on site. "This is very positive news not only for moving the technology forward but for sub-tier opportunities for Ohio's manufacturing industries as well" according to Bob Purgert, EIO President.  He continued "The need for castings from Ohio's foundries, forgings and fabrication of products along with job training for skills needed to weld and install the equipment will directly benefit Ohio workers. The timeliness of the test could not be more critical in view of the proposed Clean Power Plan."

In addition to the prototype AUSC steam turbine, Energy Industries of Ohio will also test components that deliver steam to the turbine including a superheater, boiler tube membrane wall, desuperheater, steam headers, and main steam piping.

On January 1, 2016 EIO submitted the Final Technical Report for a $500,000 Advanced Manufacturing project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory. Working with industry, EIO tailored two material processing technologies, Hot Isostatic Pressing of Powdered Metal, (HIP/PM) and Additive Manufacturing (AM), (also known as 3D Printing) to create a credible, safe and cost effective approach to large scale manufacture of quality structural advanced material components.  For expensive high nickel alloy components, EIO's R&D activities have shown numerous advantages of using HIP/PM over other methods such as casting and forging. 

A serious drawback of HIP/PM has been the canisters required to produce the parts. The cans (or outside skins of the powder metallurgy container) are currently formed by bending and welding low carbon steel sheet metal, constraining the complexity and shape. Under this program, EIO successfully demonstrated that 3D Printing could be used to fabricate the canisters, saving time and money and enabling larger, more complex parts to be mass produced.  The project went one step further and creatively proved that these cans could be made from the same material as the final part, thus eliminating post processing. As a final achievement, the project showed that combining HIP/PM with AM created as robust a part as one produced by AM alone, thus offering a cost effective alternative to the more expensive 3DP.  EIO's Report is posted on the DOE website www.osti.gov.