Liburdi Will Repair Dresser-Rand Power Turbines
According to a company spokesman, both parties will focus their efforts on gas turbine blades and vanes over the next six months. After that, they will begin to look at other applications. These might include centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, expanders, and control systems used by the chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas, and power generation industries.
The goal of the initial program is to enable customers to safely and economically extend power turbine operating life beyond the original design life. Liburdi uses a variety of advanced processes. These include:
Powder metallurgy. Liburdi powder metallurgy (LPM) is a patented advanced joining and cladding process for blades, vanes, and other superalloy turbine parts. Liburdi says it offers superior strength and performance when compared to conventional weld and diffusion braze repair technologies.
Automated welding. In 1990, Liburdi introduced the first robotic system specifically designed to weld turbine blades and vanes.
Advanced coatings. Liburdi applies chemical wear and oxidation-resistant coatings by physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and slurry methods. Coating capabilities include PVD titanium nitride, CVD aluminides, and slurry-based aluminides and MCrAlY overlay coatings.
Although the primary focus of the agreement is the repair and rejuvenation of power turbine components, Liburdi Engineering's expertise also will allow Dresser-Rand to offer new repair procedures for other product lines.
Liburdi's component repair capabilities allows Dresser-Rand to offer customers "a choice between new and refurbished parts," says Walt Nye, executive VP of Dresser-Rand's Product Services organization.
For more information: Product Services, Dresser-Rand Co., 10077 Grogans Mill Rd., Suite 500, The Woodlands, TX 77380. Phone: 281-363-7650. Fax: 281-363-7654.
By Alan S. Brown