“We were actually looking for even better superalloys for new blades,” he says. But Hasselqvist, who studied mechanical engineering, works as a specialist in ‘Life Assessment of Hot Part’ at the gas turbine plant and therefore knows exactly what the customers need most urgently – a new superalloy for repairing damaged components. The inventor initiated an off-shot on the development of new superalloys, rolled up his sleeves and got to work on it. His approach was as simple as it was successful: “I thought about where the components, such as blades, suffer the greatest damage and what properties the superalloys need at these locations,” explains Hasselqvist.

The primary criterion for determining the suitability of superalloys for new gas turbine components is usually their “creep strength,” which means their resistance to deformation during operation at high temperatures and pressure. “At the damaged locations on the turbines, however, the metal used for the repair needn’t have a particularly high creep strength,” says Hasselqvist. Much more important are good oxidation protection and, above all, good welding properties. Based on these criteria, a number of potential new alloys, all of them derivatives of the prototype alloy in the blade alloy development project which was also initiated by Hasselqvist,  were tested in the laboratory of the Finspång plant. Hasselqvist began his research into superalloys as filler alloys just three years ago. He says it was possible to achieve top results in this relatively short period of time because he had all the experts on site. “This enabled me to quickly coordinate with blade designers, have the welding work performed in the production facility, and to consult with materials experts,” says Hasselqvist. Collaboration is much, much easier if you only have to go to another building to discuss a technical problem confidentially with another person. Hasselqvist has already registered ten inventions as a result of his research into nickel-base superalloys. Based on these inventions seven IPR families have been awarded. At the moment there are 39 patent applications pending in 15 different countries. One patent was already granted in Sweden.