Pioneering Protection in Aggressive Environments

The 2015 Gordon Research Conference on High Temperature Corrosion will focus on forefront scientific approaches to the discovery and modelling of phenomena associated with the exposure of materials to extremes of temperature and reactivity. With the world’s insatiable demand for greater efficiencies in energy conversion, operating temperatures are being driven inexorably upwards, leading to new challenges for materials and protection. The greater use of diverse fuel supplies and the minimization of environmental impact have also led to the need to understand corrosion mechanisms in more complex atmospheres, often requiring more sophisticated alloys and coating systems. Underlying all this research are recent advances in experimental and computational techniques, which have led to unprecedented opportunities to make further progress in this technologically challenging and economically important area.

The 2015 GRC will focus on high temperature processes in aggressive environments including steam and water vapour. The link between chemical and mechanical effects on oxide scale development and degradation will also be explored, together with lifetime modelling and prediction. Fundamental aspects of corrosion mechanisms at high spatial resolution and models of the development of internal attack will also be considered, along with the behaviour of new alloys and coating systems. Examples from a wide range of high temperature applications will be highlighted, including fuel cells, engines, power and chemical plant.

Invited presentations from international experts will be supplemented by posters on specific topics related to the main themes of the conference. All delegates are encouraged to submit posters on their own work, to facilitate a lively exchange of information. Ample time will also be provided for programmed discussions as well as informal exchanges, in order stimulate new ideas and deepen our collective knowledge and understanding of high temperature corrosion and associated materials development and protection. The 2015 GRC will be preceded by the High Temperature Corrosion Gordon Research Seminar for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, in order to encourage early career researchers in this field.