DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE, LOW COST, CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NANOSCALE SILICON CARBIDE

ADVANCED ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS THAT ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT MUST GENERATE HIGH GAS TEMPERATURES TO IMPROVE CYCLE EFFICIENCIES AND MINIMIZE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT. THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REQUIRE THE USE OF CERAMIC MATERIALS IN ALL OR PART OF THE SYSTEM. SILICON CARBIDE (SIC) IS THE CERAMIC BEST SUITED TO MEET THIS NEED. HOWER, LARGE GRAIN SIZES IN COMMERCIAL SIC MATERIALS MAKE COMPONENT FABRICATION COSTLY AND ENERGY INTENSIVE. BY REDUCING THE GRAINS TO THE NANOSCALE (10(-9)METER) RANGE, MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND FLEXIBLE PROCESSING MAY BECOME FEASIBLE. IN PHASE I, A NOVEL, HIGH TEMPERATURE, CONTINUOUS AEROSOL METHOD FOR PRODUCING NANOSCALE SIC POWDERS IN A FLOW REACTOR WILL BE INVESTIGATED. BY SPRAYING A REACTIVE MIXTURE INTO A HIGH TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENT, IT IS BELIEVED THAT NANOSCALE SIC CAN BE PRODUCED WITHOUT AGGLOMERATION OR CONTAMINATION. PHASE I WILL FOCUS ON THE PRODUCTION OF NANOSCALE SIC POWDER USING INEXPENSIVE PRECURSORS TO DEMONSTRATE PROCESS FEASIBILITY. IN PHASE II, LARGE QUANTITIES OF SIC WILL BE PRODUCED. DETAILED SINTERING AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES TESTING WILL THEN BE CONDUCTED TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPROVED PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH NANOSCALE SIC.