Recent UK collaborative R&D projects have developed a novel high temperature "MARBN" type alloy, IBN1, which enables a 25°C operating temperature increase in new steam power plant, and can thereby deliver major CO2 emission savings. IMPLANT is an experienced consortium which brings together industrial and academic partners to seek innovative advances in both materials and manufacturing, thus enabling commercial market success for thick section cast IBN1 pressurised components in future boiler and turbine plant.

IMPLANT will pursue innovative developments in superclean materials technology, controlled microstructural development through solidification simulation, and novel heat treatment to promote grain refinement. This will maintain and extend IBN1's competitive edge over "lookalike" competitor products. In parallel, IMPLANT will develop a novel manufacturing concept for boiler plant manufacture -- that thick section IBN1 steam headers can be made by shaped casting, with improved design to minimise the risk of weld cracking in service, making a cast product highly competitive with conventional wrought and welded headers.

IMPLANT will thus create a unified UK materials and manufacturing supply chain for thick-section boiler and turbine components, in a new generation of world-leading ultrasupercritical steam plant, for a projected annual global market of £15BN. This will meet the buoyant Far Eastern demand for low emission coal, gas and biomass fired plant projected by international agencies into the medium term, and will also meet longer term demand for chemical process plant, high temperature nuclear, and thermal solar energy generation. The conservatively projected 1% UK market share, worth £41M in terms of the net present value of estimated future profits, represents a x25 return on the IMPLANT investment.

IBN1 will also play a key role in Western component replacement markets. Its superior strength will help current fossil plant meet the onerous flexible operation conditions which are required to support increased deployment of intermittent wind and solar generation.

IBN1 is a maturing material technology now close to commercialisation -- but innovation is as vital as ever. IBN1 must compete globally on price, sentiment, quality, experience -- and its crucial technical edge. Provided IBN1 continues to advance, both in metallurgical performance and engineering application, the UK can stay ahead of the competition.

Finally, IMPLANT will undertake over 500,000 machine-hours of high temperature testing to generate long term data for component design. IMPLANT will then take the key final steps to full-scale commercialisation -- IBN1 certification by European authorities, and future US ASME Code approval.