Materials can be subjected to severe wear and corrosion due to high temperature, high pressure and mechanical loads when used in components for the production of geothermal power. In an effort to increase the lifetime of these components and thus decrease cost due to maintenance High-Entropy Alloy Coatings (HEACs) were developed with different coating techniques for anti-wear properties. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of CoCrFeNiMo_x (at% x = 20, 27) HEACs deposited by three different technologies—high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF), laser cladding (LC) and electro-spark deposition (ESD)—are presented in this study. The relationship between surface morphology and microstructural properties of the as-deposited coatings and their friction and wear behavior is assessed to evaluate their candidacy as coatings for the geothermal environment. The wear rates were lower for the HVOF coatings compared to LC and ESD-produced coatings. Similarly, a higher hardness (445 ± 51 HV) was observed for the HVOF HEACs. The mixed FCC, BCC structure and the extent of σ + µ nano precipitates are considered responsible for the increased hardness and improved tribological performance of the HEACs. The findings from the study are valuable for the development of wear-resistant HEAC for geothermal energy industry applications where high wear is encountered.

The selection of electroless nickel-phosphorus plating (ENP) has been inclined towards their properties and advantages with complex geometry applications. These properties include coating uniformity, low surface roughness, low wettability, high hardness, lubricity, and corrosion- and wear-resistance. Materials used in geothermal environments are exposed to harsh conditions such as high loads, temperature, and corrosive fluids, causing corrosion, scaling, erosion and wear of components. To improve the corrosion- and wear-resistance and anti-scaling properties of materials for geothermal environment, a ENP duplex coating with PTFE nanoparticles was developed and deposited on mild steel within the H2020 EU Geo-Coat project. ENP thin adhesive layer and ENP+PTFE top functional layer form the duplex structure of the coating. The objective of this study was to test the mechanical and tribological properties of the developed ENP-PTFE coatings with varying PTFE content. The microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of the as-deposited coating with increasing PTFE content in the top functional layer in the order: ENP1, ENP2 and ENP3 were evaluated. The results showed maximum wear protection of the substrates at the lowest load; however, increasing load and sliding cycles increased the wear rates, and 79% increased lubrication was recorded for the ENP2 duplex coating. The wear performance of ENP3 greatly improved with a wear resistance of 8.3 × 10⁴ m/mm³ compared to 6.9 × 10⁴ m/mm³ for ENP2 and 2.1 × 10⁴ m/mm³ for ENP1. The results are applicable in developing low friction, hydrophobic or wear-resistive surfaces for geothermal application.