Erosion behaviour of low-pressure cold-sprayed Ni coatings for concentrating solar power receivers

Nickel-based coatings provide outstanding wear and erosion resistance making them particularly suitable for several applications, from aerospace and naval to automotive, energy, and electrical. Cold spray (CS) is encountering a growing interest as a promising technology to deposit thick and dense coatings for components used in energy power generation systems, such as the concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. In this article, nickel coating was deposited onto steel substrates by using a low-pressure CS. The erosion behaviour of the coating was evaluated by a solid particle impact test at two different impact angles. The coating erosion rate was 10 x 10-4 at a 60 degrees impact angle, showing a combination of ploughing and cutting mechanisms.