Nickel and Nickel Alloys

Of all the metals used in modern daily life, nickel might well be the most underappreciated. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as “the hidden metal” due to the widespread lack of recognition for this vital element.

Nickel has been used since ancient times. Weapons and bronzes that date back to 3500 BC have been tested and reveal significant amounts of nickel content. According to the Nickel Institute, the use of nickel has grown in recent years until it is used is more than 300,000 applications today. Here are just a few of those uses:

Food and beverage production

Electromagnetic shielding

Waste water treatment plants

Aircraft engines

Medical instruments and hospital facilities

Nuclear power stations

Clean coal production

Storage batteries, such as nickel-cadmium batteries

Jet engine turbines

Mobile phone manufacture

Although nickel is sometimes used directly, such as by adding it to glass to make green-colored glass, by far the biggest use of this metal is in nickel alloys.

When nickel is added to metals, it increases their corrosion resistance and their strength at high temperatures. There are many industrial as well as residential uses that benefit from these qualities – from a factory where metal tools must be able to resist high heats when in use, to a home kitchen with stainless steel cookware that comes with a lifetime guarantee due to the strength and corrosion resistance of nickel alloys. Some nickel alloys are also resistant to electricity and are used in instruments that measure or regulate electricity.

The most popular nickel alloys are the stainless steel alloys. In fact, 60 percent of all nickel is used to make stainless steel, an alloy renowned for its versatility and beauty. Stainless steel is used in every walk of life, from one of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry’s swirling stainless steel buildings, to a tanker carrying orange juice, lined with this nickel alloy because of its resistance to the corrosion in acidic foods. It’s not valued only for corrosion resistance in home and professional kitchens; research proves that stainless steel is ten times more hygienic than any other surfaces used in food preparation.

One of the most exciting developments with nickel alloys is the recent focus on using these metals to help improve the quality of the environment. Nickel is a key element in the technology used to produce cleaner energy, and nickel alloys are sometimes called “enviro metals.” Alternative forms of energy, such as wind turbines and solar power, depend on nickel alloys. Nickel is added to the iron that wind turbines are made of, in order to keep the metal from becoming too brittle. According to the Nickel Institute, a single wind turbine uses 500 kg of nickel. Stainless steel, the world’s most popular nickel alloy, is a key component in both the equipment that stores solar energy and the technology that delivers the stored solar power. Nickel alloys have also helped coal—the world’s largest source of energy for electricity — become cleaner. When burned, coal produces significant air pollution. Stainless steel and other nickel alloys are crucial components in eradicating those pollutants. Nickel is needed in the
systems that eliminate or reduce the mercury, sulphur and carbon emissions of coal based energy.

Certainly, nickel alloys help us in an amazing variety of ways. The versatility and uses of these metals are truly mind boggling.

About the Author:
Robin Tackett is Co-owner of Slice of Stainless, Inc., a Cincinnati, Ohio based distributor of specialty stainless steel, nickel alloys, and small quantity metal orders.