Catalytic Coatings for Removal of Soot from Gas Turbine Exhausts

This proposed Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I addresses the development of catalytic coatings and a process for applying them to the internal surfaces of gas turbine engines for the purpose of reducing soot and other emissions from turbine exhausts without compromising engine performance (via induced pressure drop). Such coatings will be based on materials discovered at Eltron that possess soot and VOC oxidation activity at moderate temperatures. The materials will be applied to surfaces using plasma and spray deposition techniques. The resulting coatings will add only a few grams of weight to a full scale propulsion platform and produce no additional pressure drop. Phase I will consist of the identification of preferred catalytic coating compositions, including both activity and thermal resistance and the preferred method and conditions for depositing these coatings on appropriate aircraft engine materials. Phase II would optimize both catalyst compositions and deposition process and would lead to the testing of the technology in a commercial off-the-shelf system.