STTR Phase I: Deposition Technology for Thermal Barrier Coatings with Increased Toughness

The Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will develop a new deposition technology to enable the production of novel Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) compositions having increased performance. TBC coatings are widely used in jet aircraft engines to increase the durability and temperature tolerance of hot-section engine components such as turbine blades, thereby improving the performance, use time and readiness of these engines. Recently, new TBC material compositions have been discovered that are anticipated to lead to greatly improved coating durability, however, they also pose fundamental challenges for application onto turbine engine components using conventional deposition techniques. The key issue arises from the fact that current application technology does not enable the compositional control required to achieve the desired performance benefits. The proposed deposition technique is a unique approach to circumvent these challenges and enable the implementation of TBC compositions that would otherwise remain unexploited. Thermal Barrier Coatings are widely used to increase the durability and performance of gas turbine engines. Much greater jet engine performance benefits, specific fuel consumption reduction or up to several percent thrust improvement, is possible if the full potential of these coatings are realized. Such improvements can only be exploited if the reliability of these coatings is such that they can be guaranteed not to cause engine failure. The implementation of more durable TBC coatings may therefore enable a significant fuel consumption reduction. These advances will benefit commercial aero gas turbine engines and industrial gas turbines as well as military turbine engines. The innovative approach proposed here will reduce the time and expense for refurbishing and repairing engines, thus reducing the cost of maintaining commercial aircraft and gas turbines in power plants as well as improving military readiness. In addition, under the Kyoto Protocol, there is a responsibility for control of emissions that affect climate change. Accordingly, methods to control emissions that can affect climate have today a primary focus on carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of CO2 from any turbine are directly related to fuel consumption.