The global superalloy market is developing steadily, China is the main source of future demand growth
The global superalloy market has grown steadily in recent years. According to the data of the Prospective Industry Research Institute, the global high-temperature alloy market size from 2012 to 2018 totaled 75.8 billion U.S. dollars, with an average annual market size of about 10.8 billion U.S. dollars; the global high-temperature alloy market size in 2018 was 12.163 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 4.8% year-on-year. It is expected that the global superalloy market will reach USD 17.3 billion in 2024. We believe that the aerospace industry is the main source of demand for high-temperature alloys. At present, my country's national defense construction is in a critical period, and the market demand for high-temperature alloys will far exceed the overall growth rate of the global market.
High-temperature alloy industry chain: upstream of the high-temperature alloy industry chain, according to the material preparation process, it is mainly divided into deformed high-temperature alloy, cast high-temperature alloy and powdered high-temperature alloy. Due to the difference in material characteristics of different preparation processes of high-temperature alloy, its manufacturing and processing methods It is also different from the working application environment. Taking high-temperature alloys used in aircraft engines as an example, deformed high-temperature alloys are mainly forged, cast high-temperature alloys are mainly cast, and powdered high-temperature alloys are mainly sintered, followed by machining and heat treatment. , To form products required for final downstream applications.
From the perspective of the distribution of downstream application fields, aerospace and energy application scenarios are the main source of demand. At present, the aerospace field is the first application scenario of high-temperature alloys, with a demand share of 55%, followed by gas turbines and petrochemicals, and other energy reference scenarios. The demand accounted for 33%. The two together accounted for the overall demand scale. About 88%; industrial and automotive demand accounted for 7% and 3%, respectively.
High-temperature alloy materials were initially mainly used in the aerospace field, but because of their good properties of high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, they were widely used in industrial fields such as ships, power, metallurgy, automobiles, and nuclear industries. With the continuous development of, the downstream application scenarios and market demand are also in a trend of continuous expansion.
Aerospace field:
In modern aero engines, the amount of high-temperature alloy materials accounts for about 40% -60% of the total mass of the engine, which is mainly used for the four hot end parts of the combustion chamber, guide blades, turbine blades and turbine disks, as well as the engine casing and ring Parts with high working temperature such as parts and tail nozzles. Space engines are similar to aero engines, but space engine materials not only have high requirements for performance at high temperatures and high pressures, but also require stable operation in environments with low temperature and high temperature gradient changes. Taking liquid engines as an example, high-temperature alloy materials are mainly used in thrust chambers as injector panels, turbo pump bends, graphite rudder fasteners, etc.
Various types of gas turbines (ships, electricity, etc.):
Similar to aeroengines, high-temperature alloys are also widely used in hot-end components in marine and power gas turbines.
Petrochemical:
In the deep well mining of oil and natural gas, the drilling tool is in a high temperature and acid environment. At the same time, due to the presence of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and sediment, it is necessary to use corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant superalloys. Shunt etc.
Nuclear Industry:
Various metal parts in the nuclear industry need to withstand high temperatures and high creep strength during work. High-temperature alloys can meet their requirements. They are mainly used in fuel element cladding materials, structural materials and fuel rod positioning grids High temperature gas furnace heat exchanger, etc.
Automotive field:
High-temperature alloys are mainly used for turbine impellers of automobile turbochargers. At the same time, valve seats, inserts, intake valves, seal springs, spark plugs, bolts and other components of automobile internal combustion engines can also be made of high-temperature alloy materials.
Other areas:
High-temperature alloys are also widely used in glass manufacturing, metallurgy, medical equipment and other fields, such as flame crucible tongs for the production of glass wool, parts for roller tube drawing machines for the production of flat glass, feed channels for glass furnaces, gates, etc. Heating furnace pads, wire continuous rolling guides, etc .; artificial joints in the field of medical devices.