In the vast ocean world, ocean engineering, as an important bridge connecting human beings and deep-sea resources, is constantly ushering in technological and material innovations. Titanium, with its unique performance advantages, has demonstrated extraordinary value in key areas such as ocean thermal energy conversion, seawater piping systems and special fire-fighting equipment.
I. Titanium heat exchanger in ocean thermal energy conversion
Ocean thermal energy conversion technology, the use of the surface of the ocean and the temperature difference between the deep sea water to drive the generator power generation of green energy solutions, is gradually becoming an important direction for future energy development. In this process, titanium and its alloys are ideal materials for heat exchangers due to their excellent corrosion resistance, light weight, high strength, non-magnetic properties as well as good acoustic permeability and low coefficient of thermal expansion. Russia has successfully constructed and operated more than 6,000 titanium heat exchangers since 1962, realising commercial application; about 100 titanium heat exchangers have been widely used on the drilling platforms in the North Sea oil fields of the U.S.A.; our country has also made remarkable achievements in the field of marine heat exchangers, and the successful operation of titanium alloy heat exchangers on ships marks a major breakthrough for our country in this technological field. The temperature difference power stations on the islands of Hawaii and Noh are even centred on titanium tube evaporators and condensers, further verifying the key role of titanium in the conversion of ocean thermal energy.
Second, the application of titanium in seawater piping system
Seawater piping system as an important part of marine engineering, the choice of materials directly related to the system's operational efficiency and service life. Titanium with its high corrosion resistance to seawater (service life of 10 times that of steel), high strength and good fatigue properties, has become the preferred material for seawater piping system. The verification and assessment test of 'titanium alloy' instead of 'copper alloy' for manufacturing seawater piping system has been carried out in China, which not only verifies the excellent performance of titanium material, but also demonstrates its reliability in the complex marine environment. The perfect performance of TA2 titanium seamless pipe and its supporting fittings and titanium flanges in the test has laid a solid foundation for the wide application of titanium in seawater piping systems.
Innovative application of titanium in special fire-fighting equipment
Norwegian national oil supply company's innovative attempt to use titanium tubing in fire fighting equipment, but also opened a new chapter in the application of titanium. Experiments have proved that in the case of seawater circulation, titanium can withstand more than 1,000 ℃ high temperature fire baking for up to two hours without being corroded, and its excellent resistance to wave impact and high temperature performance for the marine engineering in the fire safety provides a strong guarantee.
