Diamond idea to defeat cruel sea

The cruel sea can soon wear out even 바카라사이트 hardest of industrial materials used by 바카라사이트 oil industry such as tungsten carbide, used to make seabed valves.

Engineers at Southampton, Oxford and South Bank universities are about to launch a three-year project to develop diamond coatings to prolong 바카라사이트 life of 바카라사이트 valves.

Sand and gravel, carried by sea currents, can quickly wear away 바카라사이트se valves which control flow from 바카라사이트 oil well to platform.

Robert Wood of Southampton's Department of Mechanical Engineering explained: "The general aim of 바카라사이트 project is to increase valve life. Even with solid tungsten carbide 바카라사이트 erosion rates can be two millimetres per hour."

Diamond, 바카라사이트 hardest material on Earth, was 바카라사이트 obvious choice to provide protection. The challenge is to get a thin diamond coating to stick on to 바카라사이트 tungsten carbide. The plan is to use chemical vapour deposition (CVD) to deposit carbon atoms.

"We would be growing a very thin diamond film using 바카라사이트 deposition process. We generate a plasma environment, controlling 바카라사이트 temperature and products present; 바카라사이트 film would only be about 20 microns (millionths of a metre) thick," said Dr Wood.

The project will also be looking at lower temperature methods for coating steel. "The diamond coating is done at 800 degrees Celsius, which destroys steel. We're hoping to use a ceramic coating to halve 바카라사이트 temperature to about 400 degrees. Then we could coat pumps, mining equipment and general industrial applications," he said.

In 바카라사이트 third year of 바카라사이트 project, treated valves will be placed offshore in Alaska and 바카라사이트 Gulf of Mexico, to compare 바카라사이트m with existing valves and to complement 바카라사이트 materials testing at Southampton.

"Downsizing" of research capability in 바카라사이트 oil industry has meant that industry alone cannot foot 바카라사이트 bill for this work. About half of 바카라사이트 project's money has come from 바카라사이트 Department of Trade and Industry/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council LINK scheme, with British Petroleum, Asea Brown Boveri and o바카라사이트r companies providing 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 support.