Titanium applications
Traditional
- Desalination
- Chemical Plants
- Pulp and Paper
- Cloro Soda
- Nickel and precious metal leaching
- Off Shore
- Naval and Deep Sea Submarines
- Armors
- Power Station Condenser
- Flue gas desulfurization(FGD)
- Incinerators
- Military Weaponry
- Plate heat exchanger
- Aeronautics
- Aerospace
Desalination
Desalination plants, where brine solutions are met with very high chlorine content and relatively high temperatures, are an ideal field of application for titanium. Normally the corrosion resistance of titanium in such media is much higher than copper – based alloys and stainless steels. The higher cost of titanium is compensated by its longer life and reduced maintenance, technical and economic charges. Nowadays titanium is almost the unique choice in the designing such plants.
Chemical plants
Chemical plants offer a wide range of situations where titanium can offer advantages over other metallic and non – metallic materials. A typical example is the higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion of titanium where the combination of chlorine ions and temperatures leads to damage on stainless steel. Titanium became the prime choice metal in industries like terephtalate acid production or high pressure acid leaching of nickel ores.
Pulp and paper
In the pulp and paper industry chlorine is used for whitening of the product. The use of titanium reduces or eliminates the corrosion problems met using other metals and allows the producers to avoid non metallic coatings which are expensive and short – lived.
Cloro – soda plants
Electrodes for the electric winning of chlorine are today almost invariably built from titanium, because titanium electrodes have the longest work life among all other viable metals.
Nickel and precious metal leaching
HPAL (High Pressure Acid Leaching) today is the used system to win nickel and other precious metals from ores formerly considered not profitable using traditional systems. HPAL consists of high temperature and high pressure leaching of the ores by strong mineral acids (usually sulfuric acid). The extreme conditions due to the action of the strong acid, hot slug lead to heavy corrosion – erosion problems. Titanium is the prime choice material for the construction of the equipment used in HPAL. Competing materials are nickel – based alloys, tantalum and ceramic materials.
Off – shore
In off - shore platforms titanium is used for its low density, for its corrosion resistance or both. In deep sea drilling, where maintenance or repair is often connected with very expensive and tedious underwater operations, the reliability of titanium in contact with crude oil and / or sea water is unsurpassed. Even where corrosion problems are limited, the weight savings obtained using titanium on the cramped, crowded platforms can be a money – winning factor.
Naval and deep sea submarines
Titanium is mainly applied in shipbuilding in the military field where anti-magnetic materials are needed, e.g. in mine sweepers or in stealth submarines. In civil shipbuilding titanium is becoming popular for on-board structures and appliances where normally sea water would lead to corrosion in contact with other metals. Deep sea submarines for research and sea prospecting and other usages have been developed with titanium alloy pressure resistant hulls to avoid corrosion and diminish the weight of the vehicle.
Armors
Armors for bullet – proof vests, ground vehicles, planes and helicopters have been traditionally connected with heavy layers of ballistic steel. In modern technology steel is often substituted by non metallic materials in order to reduce the weight and increase the speed of said systems. Often these non metallic materials suffer from degradation over time, or do not provide multi-hit protection. On top of that producers of bullets are continuously improving the piercing capabilities of bullets and missiles. Titanium alloys are already used in some very popular tanks and the volume of titanium used in similar applications is expected to increase.
Power station condensers
Big power stations are frequently built on the shore to make use of the sea water as a cooling medium. Sea water leads to corrosion / erosion problems and biofouling problems. Titanium, despite its lower thermal conductivity, allows the use of thinner walled tubes, thanks to the absence of erosion / corrosion and to a higher speed of the cooling water. The higher speed and the low - adhesion properties of titanium reduce the growth of bio-fouling organisms without the use of sterilizing agents.
Flue Gas Desulfurization
Plants intended to scrub or treat fumes coming from combustion of sulfur – rich materials (co – generation plants, burning of recycled combustibles, low – enthalpy heat exploitation) are prone to problems of strong acid condensation where the temperature is below the dew point. Titanium, often in the form of lining or cladding metal, has solved the problem of corrosion where stainless steel or chemical resistant bricks failed (also as retro-fitting lining of older plants).
Incinerators
Modern incinerators of solid wastes can pose the problem of fumes exhausted close or below the dew point, with the formation of vapor plumes and strong acid condensation. Re-heating of the fumes beyond the dew point can solve the problem but gas – to - gas heat exchange leads to heavy corrosion issues. Titanium alloy can resist in such a harsh environment so the constructor does not have to use non-metallic pipes (glass, ceramic) or expensive corrosion and heat resistant coatings.
Military – weaponry
In the military field, apart from applications in the aerospace and naval areas, titanium is used in airborne items, where weight savings are important, or where the anti-magnetic properties of titanium are important. Hence a “titanium” version of vehicles, guns, cannons, knives and other weapons has been developed where steel is substituted wherever possible (for example for paratroopers or frogmen).
Plate heat exchanger
A plate heat exchanger is formed by a stack of superimposed corrugated metallic sheets (plate), pressed together by a couple of bulkheads. The heat exchanging liquids flow in the channels formed between two adjacent sheets. A system of gaskets holds the liquids between the sheets to avoid spilling. Because the pressure drop on opposite sides of one sheet is minimal, very thin gage sheets can be used, minimizing the thermal resistance. Hence, among all liquid – to – liquid heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers usually have the highest exchanged power vs. exchanger volume ratio (thus compensating the higher costs). In case of aggressive fluids, titanium sheets can combat corrosion and avoid over-dimensioning of the sheet thickness.
Aeronautics
The first and oldest application of titanium alloys is the fabrication of structural aeroplane parts. Forged and stamped parts (today often also cast elements) are used for landing gears, struts, beams, ordinates, turbine blades and so on. Panels and reinforced panels obtained by superplastic or isothermal deformation (normally plus diffusion bonding) are often used in the most demanding areas of military and civil planes.
Aerospace
Aerospace accomplishments would probably have been impossible or much more difficult without titanium alloys. The necessity of a high ratio between strength and density led to the use of titanium alloys where every gram of payload was important. The techniques used in the aerospace industry are the same as those used in the aeronautic industry with more demanding standards.
Emerging
Architecture
Architectural applications of titanium have been developed for practical reasons (protection from weathering) or pursuing new forms of styling and art. Titanium has been used for its particular luster or hue or to give a long-lasting appearance to monuments or pieces of art. Anodized titanium, with unusual metallized colors, can offer new possibilities to architects and stylists. Even if applied only in some instances, titanium revealed itself to be flexible to enough to be applied to any forms of building and construction.
Automotive
In order to enhance the performance of motorized road vehicles, in terms of speed, drive, exhaust emission and fuel consumption, motorcar and motorbike companies are investing in the R&D for lightweight construction. Among other materials involved (metallic and non metallic) titanium alloys have a role in both structural parts of the frames and in engine components. Valves, connecting rods, springs, bolts and nuts are already produced from titanium in racing and sports car and bikes. Titanium is also entering the world of top class cars and bikes, spreading to mass production vehicles.
Consumer goods
Scores of consumer goods are produced from titanium, among them sports goods (golf clubs, ski, softball bats, bicycles, mountain bikes, items for racing cars and bikes, scuba divers knives etc.), watches and jewelry (where titanium is applied for its anti-allergic properties or for its appearance), pans, pots and kitchen tools.
Food and beverages
Tanks, reservoirs and equipment made from titanium have been developed for the food industry, working with solutions and pastes rich in salt and other aggressive media. In such environments corrosion can occur leading to quick contamination of foods and beverages; titanium is a very suitable alternative to stainless steel, glass, epoxy or Teflon coated equipment which can require expensive maintenance and frequent refurbishment of components. Titanium is regarded as non – detrimental (it can have even a positive effect) to the quality and taste of foods and beverages including wine, cheese, preserves, sauces, fruit juices, ham and other foodstuffs.
Medical
Titanium is considered as biologically inert toward living tissues in men and animals, hence its use in prosthetic applications in orthopaedics and dentistry. The biocompatibility of titanium can be enhanced with surface treatments and coatings to improve the adhesion of living cells. The low weight of such devices is also an advantage to a quicker recovery of the patient and leads to better life conditions.