The material. Nickel forms a wide range of alloys, valued by the chemical engineering and food-processing industries for their resistance to corrosion and by the makers of furnaces and high temperature equipment for their ability to retain useful strength at temperatures up to 1200° C. Typical of these are the nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) alloys, often containing some iron (Fe) as well. The chromium increases the already good resistance to corrosion and oxidation by creating a surface film of Cr2O3, the same film that makes stainless steel stainless. The data given here is for nickel – chromium alloys. There are separate records for stainless steel and nickel – based superalloys.
Composition
Ni + 10 to 30% Cr + 0 to 10% Fe.
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General properties
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The heating elements of the dryer and toaster are Nichrome, an alloy of nickel and chromium that resists oxidation well.
Ecoproperties: material
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Annual world production |
1.5 X 106 – |
1.6 X 106 |
tonne/yr |
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Reserves |
63 X 106 – |
65 X 106 |
tonne |
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Embodied energy, primary production |
127 – |
140 |
MJ/kg |
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CO2 footprint, primary production |
*7.89 – |
8.82 |
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Water usage |
*134 – |
512 |
l/kg |
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Eco-indicator |
4900 – |
5500 |
millipoints/kg |
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Ecoproperties: processing |
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Casting energy |
*3.68 – |
4.06 |
MJ/kg |
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Casting CO2 |
*0.221 – |
0.243 |
kg/kg |
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Forging, rolling energy |
*2.52 – |
2.78 |
MJ/kg |
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Forging, rolling CO2 |
*0.202 – |
0.222 |
kg/kg |
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Recycling |
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Embodied energy, recycling |
31.8 – |
35 |
MJ/kg |
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CO2 footprint, recycling |
*1.97 – |
2.21 |
kg/kg |
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Recycle fraction in current supply |
22 – |
26 |
% |
Typical uses. Heating elements and furnace windings; bimetallic strips; thermocouples; springs; food-processing equipment; chemical engineering equipment.
