The goal of Collaborative Research Centre(SFB) 561 "thermally highly loaded

porous and cooled multi-layer systems for combined cycle power plants" is to expand the current technological and scientific knowledge on power plants in order to achieve total efficiencies of 65% in a combined cycle power plant in the year 2025.Therefore

the aero-thermomechanical

structural-mechanical

materials' scientific and production fundamentals for the development of steam and gas turbine components that are able to withstand highest thermal loads are being worked out within this SFB.This means for the gas turbine that combustion chamber outlet temperatures of 1520℃ at 1.7MPa are to be attained.In order to control these high temperatures

it is not only required to develop new materials' solutions

including thermal barrier coatings

but also to apply improved cooling techniques

as for example effusion cooling.This novel cooling concept is to be realised through open-porous structures.These structures can consist of drilled open-porous multi-layer systems or open-porous metallic foams.The development of graded multi-layer systems is also extremely important

as the grading will enable the use of coolant in dependence of the requirements.The live steam parameters in the high pressure turbine are expected to be increased up to approximately 700℃ with pressure of 30MPa.These elevated steam parameters can be encountered with Ni-base alloys

but this is a costly alternative

associated with many manufacturing difficulties.Therefore

the SFB proposes cooling the highly loaded turbines instead

as this would necessitate the application of far less Ni-base alloys.To protect the thermally highly loaded casing

a sandwich material consisting of two thin face sheets with a core of a woven wire mesh is used to cover the walls of the steam turbine casing.The current state of the research shows that by utilising innovative cooling technologies a total efficiency of 65% can be reached without exceeding the maximum allowable material temperature

thereby prolonging the life-span.