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

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在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。它现在可以用于复杂的热交换器或航空和发电发动机的热截面部件，或用于核应用中的抗辐射衬里。在所有这些应用中，所提出的技术可以降低原始设备成本，同时提高性能和可靠性，或者可以用于降低原始金属基组件的更换成本。当应用于航空或发电时，净效益可以表现为发动机的排放量降低，由于燃料成本和维护成本降低，飞行成本或电力成本降低。由于潜在的制造技术与船体或风力涡轮机等聚合物复合结构的制造技术有很大的重叠，因此在这些传统行业就业的制造人员可以很容易地接受再培训，以制造高附加值的、用于资本货物的热截面部件，如航空和发电用燃气涡轮发动机。这个I-Corps项目侧重于一种相对新型的高温结构材料的潜在应用，即聚合物衍生陶瓷复合材料（PDCC）。PDCC的制造成本不高，因为它涉及与其他聚合物复合结构（如风力涡轮机叶片或船体）类似的制造技术。而PDCC则采用陶瓷纤维和特种树脂。根据陶瓷纤维的选择，目前可用的树脂-纤维组合的最高使用温度在1200摄氏度到1700摄氏度之间。这一最高使用温度远高于普通高温合金的蠕变开始温度。与许多单片陶瓷或替代陶瓷基复合工艺相比，PDCC工艺明显更便宜。此外，在聚合物状态形成过程中使用适当的模具可以导致相对复杂的形状。PDCC吗?S具有其他陶瓷的典型特性，如耐腐蚀或耐辐射。

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.