I-Corps: Ceramic Composite Heat Exchangers and Components for Harsh Environments

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于制造用于恶劣环境的改进结构。核心技术最初是为太空飞行器的廉价隔热板开发的。 它现在可用于复杂的热交换器或航空和发电发动机的热段部件，或用于核应用中的抗辐射衬里。在所有这些应用中，所提出的技术可以在提高性能和可靠性的同时降低原始设备成本，或者可以用于降低原始金属基部件的更换成本。当应用于航空或发电时，净效益可以表现为发动机排放量降低，以及由于燃料成本和维护成本降低而降低的飞行成本或电力成本。由于基本的制造技术与聚合物复合结构如船体或风力涡轮机的制造技术有很大的重叠，因此在这些传统行业中雇用的制造人员可以很容易地接受再培训，以制造高附加值，用于航空和发电的燃气涡轮机发动机等资本货物的热段部件。该I-Corps项目侧重于相对新型的高性能聚合物衍生陶瓷复合材料（PDCC）是一种高温结构材料。PDCC制造是廉价的，因为它涉及与其它聚合物复合结构（如风力涡轮机叶片或船体）类似的制造技术。但PDCC要采用陶瓷纤维和特种树脂。目前可用的树脂纤维组合提供的最高使用温度在1200 C和1700 C之间，这取决于陶瓷纤维的选择。该最高使用温度比普通高温合金的蠕变起始温度高得多。 与许多单片陶瓷或替代陶瓷基复合材料工艺相比，PDCC工艺明显不便宜。 此外，在聚合状态的形成期间使用适当的模具可导致相对复杂的形状。PDCC？陶瓷具有其他陶瓷的典型特性，如耐腐蚀性或耐辐射性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in fabrication of improved structures for use in harsh environments. The core technology was originally developed for inexpensive heat shields for space vehicles. It can now be used for complex heat exchangers or for hot-section components for aviation and power generation engines, or for radiation resistant liners in nuclear applications. In all these applications, the proposed technology can reduce the original equipment cost while improving performance and reliability, or can be used to reduce replacements cost of original metal-based components. When applied to aviation or power generation, the net benefit can in the form of lower emissions from the engines, and lower cost of flying or lower electricity cost due to both lower fuel cost and lower maintenance cost. As the underlying manufacturing technology has significant overlap with that for polymer composite structures such as boat hulls or wind turbines, manufacturing personnel employed in such traditional industries can be easily retrained for manufacturing of high-value added, hot-section components for capital goods such as gas turbine engines for aviation and power generation.This I-Corps Project focuses on potential applications of a relatively new type of high-temperature structural materials, known as Polymer Derived Ceramic Composite (PDCC). PDCC fabrication is inexpensive as it involves similar fabrication techniques as other polymer composite structures like wind turbine blades or boat hulls. However, ceramic fiber and special resin are to be used for PDCC. Currently available resin-fiber combinations offer maximum use temperatures between 1200C and 1700C, depending on the choice of ceramic fibers. This maximum use temperature is much higher than creep-onset temperatures of common high-temperature alloys. The PDCC process is significantly less inexpensive compared to many monolithic ceramics or alternative ceramic matrix composite processes. Also, use of appropriate molds during formation of the polymeric state can lead to relatively complex shapes. PDCC?s share the typical properties of other ceramics, such as corrosion resistance or radiation tolerance.