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At least 181 records · Page 10

Modeling Oxidation Induced Stresses in Thermal Barrier Coatings

The use of thermal barrier coatings (TBC's) in gas turbines has increased dramatically in recent years, due mainly to the need for component protection from ever increasing service temperatures. Oxidation of the bond coat has been identified as an important contributing factor to spallation of the ceramic top coat during service. Additional variables found to influence TBC thermal cycle life include bond coat coefficient of thermal expansion, creep behavior of both the ceramic and bond coat layers, and modulus of elasticity. The purpose of this work was to characterize the effects of oxidation on the stress states within the TBC system, as well as to examine the interaction of oxidation with other factors affecting TBC life.

Ferguson, B. L.↗

Feasibility Study of Vapor-Mist Phase Reaction Lubrication Using a Thioether Liquid

A primary technology barrier preventing the operation of gas turbine engines and aircraft gearboxes at higher temperatures is the inability of currently used liquid lubricants to survive at the desired operating conditions over an extended time period. Current state-of-the-art organic liquid lubricants rapidly degrade at temperatures above 300 C; hence, another form of lubrication is necessary. Vapor or mist phase reaction lubrication is a unique, alternative technology for high temperature lubrication. The majority of past studies have employed a liquid phosphate ester that was vaporized or misted, and delivered to bearings or gears where the phosphate ester reacted with the metal surfaces generating a solid lubricious film. This method resulted in acceptable operating temperatures suggesting some good lubrication properties, but the continuous reaction between the phosphate ester and the iron surfaces led to wear rates unacceptable for gas turbine engine or aircraft gearbox applications. In this study, an alternative non-phosphate liquid was used to mist phase lubricate a spur gearbox rig operating at 10,000 rpm under highly loaded conditions. After 21 million shaft revolutions of operation the gears exhibited only minor wear.

Morales, Wilfredo↗

Multilayer Composite Pressure Vessels

A method has been devised to enable the fabrication of lightweight pressure vessels from multilayer composite materials. This method is related to, but not the same as, the method described in gMaking a Metal- Lined Composite-Overwrapped Pressure Vessel h (MFS-31814), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 29, No. 3 (March 2005), page 59. The method is flexible in that it poses no major impediment to changes in tank design and is applicable to a wide range of tank sizes. The figure depicts a finished tank fabricated by this method, showing layers added at various stages of the fabrication process. In the first step of the process, a mandrel that defines the size and shape of the interior of the tank is machined from a polyurethane foam or other suitable lightweight tooling material. The mandrel is outfitted with metallic end fittings on a shaft. Each end fitting includes an outer flange that has a small step to accommodate a thin layer of graphite/epoxy or other suitable composite material. The outer surface of the mandrel (but not the fittings) is covered with a suitable release material. The composite material is filament- wound so as to cover the entire surface of the mandrel from the step on one end fitting to the step on the other end fitting. The composite material is then cured in place. The entire workpiece is cut in half in a plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry at its mid-length point, yielding two composite-material half shells, each containing half of the foam mandrel. The halves of the mandrel are removed from within the composite shells, then the shells are reassembled and bonded together with a belly band of cured composite material. The resulting composite shell becomes a mandrel for the subsequent steps of the fabrication process and remains inside the final tank. The outer surface of the composite shell is covered with a layer of material designed to be impermeable by the pressurized fluid to be contained in the tank. A second step on the outer flange of each end fitting accommodates this layer. Depending on the application, this layer could be, for example, a layer of rubber, a polymer film, or an electrodeposited layer of metal. If the fluid to be contained in the tank is a gas, then the best permeation barrier is electrodeposited metal (typically copper or nickel), which can be effective at a thickness of as little as 0.005 in (.0.13 mm). The electrodeposited metal becomes molecularly bonded to the second step on each metallic end fitting. The permeation-barrier layer is covered with many layers of filament-wound composite material, which could be the same as, or different from, the composite material of the inner shell. Finally, the filament-wound composite material is cured in an ov

DeLay, Tom↗

Ion-Ice Astrochemistry: Barrierless Low-Energy Deposition Pathways to HCOOH, CH3OH, and CO2 on Icy Grain Mantles from Precursor Cations

A new family of very favorable reaction pathways is explored involving the deposition of ions on icy grain mantles with very low energies. Quantum chemical cluster calculations at the MP2/6-31+G** level in 4H2O clusters and at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level in 17H2O clusters indicate that HCO+ and CH3 + are able to react spontaneously with one of the water molecules in the cluster to form protonated formic acid (HCOOH2 +) and protonated methanol (CH3OH2 +), respectively. It is furthermore found that these initial adducts spontaneously transfer their excess protons to the cluster to form neutral formic acid and methanol, plus solvated hydronium, H3O+. In the final case, if a CO molecule is bound to the surface of the cluster, OH+ may react with it to form protonated carbon dioxide (HCO2 +), which then loses its proton to yield CO2 and H3O+. In the present model, all of these processes were found to occur with no barriers. Discussion includes the analogous gas phase processes, which have been considered in previous studies, as well as the competitive abstraction pathway for HCO(+) + H2O.

Woon, David E.↗

Foreign Object Damage in a Yb2Si2O7 Environmental Barrier Coating

Foreign object damage (FOD) is one of the key damage/failure modes in environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) developed for gas turbine engines. A limiting factor of EBC development is the growth of a SiO2 thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer which exacerbates spallation. While there has been extensive research on FOD in metals, ceramics, and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), there is a limited understanding of the effects of FOD in EBC systems. Previous work studied the effects of TGO growth on FOD in NASA’s Generation II Ytterbium Disilicate EBC. Recently, it has been shown that the addition of oxide modifiers to the Ytterbium Disilicate EBC resulted in significant reduction in TGO growth. The present work will compare FOD in a modified Ytterbium Disilicate EBC to that of the baseline Ytterbium Disilicate EBC. FOD testing was conducted on both as-processed and steam cycled samples at room temperature using a 1.59mm steel ball projectile with particle velocities ranging from 50–300 m/s at a normal incidence angle. The impact damage was characterized by optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the cross-sections.

Leland Hoffman↗

Design, Fabrication, and Screening of Environmental‐Thermal Barrier Coatings Prepared by Ultrafast High‐Temperature Sintering

Abstract The demand for more efficient gas turbines relies heavily on the development of new environmental‐thermal barrier coatings (ETBCs). However, there is still uncertainty about which alloys and composites will be used for the next generation of turbine blades, as well as the most promising coating materials. Herein, an ETBCs development strategy is presented by integrating the coating design, synthesis, and screening using an ultrafast high temperature sintering (UHS) technique to accelerate coating improvements. The initial basis for composition selection is their thermal expansion mismatch with the substrate alloys; for which a temperature‐dependent coefficient of thermal expansion database is created. By combining tape casting method with the UHS technique a high‐throughput synthesis of single and multi‐layer coatings are realized with different compositions, layer stacking sequences, and layer thicknesses. To evaluate the coatings, thermal cycling tests from room temperature to 1300 °C are conducted. The approach enabled coatings on objects with complex geometries, multi‐layer ETBCs, and porosity tailoring by using staged UHS that runs with different temperatures and durations. The fast iteration strategy is more cost‐effective for the screening of ETBCs compared to conventional methods and greater throughput which can be further extended for rapid optimization of other materials systems.

Xie, Hua↗

Thermal barrier coatings - Burner rig hot corrosion test results

A Mach 0.3 burner rig test program was conducted to examine the sensitivity of thermal barrier coatings to Na- and V-contaminated combustion gases simulating potential utility gas turbine environments. Coating life of the standard ZrO2-12Y2O3/Ni-16.2Cr-5.6Al-0.6Y (composition in wt %) NASA thermal barrier coating system which was developed for aircraft gas turbines was significantly reduced in such environments. Two thermal barrier coating systems, Ca2SiO4/Ni-16.2Cr-5.6Al-0.6Y and ZrO2-8Y2O3/Ni-16.4Cr-5.1Al-0.15Y and a less insulative cermet coating system, 50 vol % MgO-50 vol % Ni-19.6Cr-17.1Al-0.97Y/Ni-16.2Cr-5.6Al-0.6Y, were identified as having much improved corrosion resistance compared to the standard coating.

Hodge, P. E.↗

Computational design of high-entropy rare earth aluminum garnets for advanced thermal and environmental barrier coatings

To enhance the protection of Ni-based superalloys in gas turbine engines’ high-temperature environments, it’s crucial to develop advanced thermal/environmental barrier coating (T/EBC) materials with a balanced combination of thermal and mechanical properties. This optimization is essential to safeguard against chemical and thermal challenges. Here, in this study, we harness the power of density functional theory (DFT) in conjunction with combinatorial chemistry methodologies to engineer high-performance high-entropy rare earth disilicates of the RE 3 Al 5 O 12 family (where RE denotes Y, Gd, Er, and Yb). These materials are meticulously designed to exhibit superior phase stability, a targeted coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), low lattice thermal conductivity, and robust mechanical properties. The determination of CTE values is accomplished through phonon calculations at various volume settings within the quasi-harmonic approximation, while lattice thermal conductivities are rigorously assessed employing the Debye-Callaway model, accounting for three distinct phonon processes. Our findings highlight the remarkable attributes of the solid solution (Y 1/4 Gd 1/4 Er 1/4 Yb 1/4 ) 3 Al 5 O 12 , which displays a reduction in lattice thermal conductivity compared to its individual constituents while maintaining a favorable range of CTE values. The novel T/EBC material, distinguished by their multifaceted functionalities, are poised to use in substantial enhancements in the performance of engines.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

In-situ optical monitoring of gas turbine blade coatings under operational extreme environments

High temperature material systems consisting of thermal barrier coatings and the underlying superalloys are key to achieving higher gas temperatures which in turn control engine efficiencies and reduce emissions. With engine temperatures in excess of the limits that metallic blades and vanes can endure, advanced monitoring techniques that ensure the integrity and durability of these coatings are paramount to continuous and safe operation. Optical methods have the benefit of being non-invasive and are able to capture data under limited access available for monitoring the hot-section of turbines. Addressing Topic 5 on Advanced Instrumentation, the research and development effort for this project titled “In situ optical monitoring of gas turbine blade coatings under operational extreme environments” was completed by University of Central Florida researchers, including Raghavan (PI) and Ghosh (co-PI). In this project, the research team leveraged intrinsic properties of coatings and rare-earth dopants as active and intelligent “sensors” through their optical properties. The outcomes of this project pave the way for diagnostics of turbine blade coatings, under operating environments, through the development of the sensing thermal barrier coating configurations, calibration and associated instrumentation while ensuring coating integrity and durability goals are concurrently met.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Heat Pipe With Interrupted Slot

Newer version of heat pipe slot interrupted by plug or, if heat pipe is cast, by bridge of heat-pipe material cast integrally across groove. Small barrier assists in priming heat pipe. Vapor and noncondensible gas still accumulates in liquid channel at evaporator before or during startup, but barrier keeps liquid out of small part of slot at bubble. Dry part of slot allows bubble to escape into vapor channel, making room for liquid to move in during startup.

Brown, Richard F.↗

A facility to produce an energetic, ground state atomic oxygen beam for the simulation of the Low-Earth Orbit environment

Because of the continuing commitment to activity in low-Earth orbit (LEO), a facility is under development to produce energetic atmospheric species, particularly atomic oxygen, with energies ranging from 5 to 80 eV. This relatively high flux facility incorporates an ion engine to produce the corresponding specie ion which is charge exchanged to produce a neutral atomic beam. Ion fluxes of around 10(exp 15) sec(exp -1) with energies of 20-70 eV have been achieved. A geometrically augmented inertially tethered charge exchanger (GAITCE) was designed to provide a large column depth of charge exchange gas while reducing the gas load to the low pressure portion of the atomic beam facility. This is accomplished using opposed containment jets which act as collisional barriers to the escape of the dense gas region formed between the jets. Leak rate gains to the pumping system on the order of 10 were achieved for moderate jet mass flows. This system provides an attractive means for the charge exchange of atomic ions with a variety of gases to produce energetic atomic beams.

Ketsdever, Andrew D.↗

Environmental Protection Coating System for Refractory Metal Alloys (EPCS for RMAs)

As part of ARPA-E’s Ultra High Temperature Impervious Materials Advancing Turbine Efficiency (UITIMATE) program, this project aims to develop an environmental protection coating system (EPCS) for refractory metal alloys (RMAs) – which will provide radical improvement in long term protection for ultra-high temperature refractory metal components in harsh gas-turbine environments. The drive for higher fuel efficiency and higher core power of gas turbines used in electric power generation and in aircraft propulsion requires higher peak operation temperatures. The temperature capability of state-of-the-art materials cannot meet the new requirements. Refractory metal alloys have desirable capabilities for achieving the required peak temperatures, but most of them are subject to oxidation in the gas turbine environment. Thus, there is a strong need to develop novel environmental protective coatings that enable the refractory metals to operate in an ultra-high temperature engine environment. This project is composed of four major technical innovations that can provide a potentially transformational solution in providing environmental protection for refractory metal alloys over a wide range of temperature. 1) Multi-layer self-healing environmental barrier coating (EBC) that provides protection against combustion gas environment. 2) Oxidation resistant diffusion barrier (DB) on the alloy surface to enhance coating stability. 3) Synergistic integration of the multi-layer self-healing EBC with the diffusion barrier to extend coating life. 4) Guidance of physics-based modeling to accelerate coating development and optimization. Our team has successfully developed a multi-layer self-healing environmental protection coating system (EPCS) that can provide oxidation protection for commercially available molybdenum based refractory metal alloys over a wide temperature range of up to 1600 °C for fuel-efficient gas turbine applications. The team also developed a multi-layer high temperature coating design tool to accelerate coating development and optimization based on physics-based modeling. The team also engaged RTX business unite, notable Pratt and Whitney, for future commercialization of this technology. The successful completion of this Phase I effort led to the selection of performing Phase II of the program. In Phase II, the team plans to apply the EPCS in the protection of a newly discovered molybdenum-based metal alloy which has the potential of superior high temperature properties to the commercial products. Th coating will be evaluated under test conditions and environment that mimic gas turbine operation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling Study of Reduced Tubing Size Effects on Flow in Depleted Reservoir Natural Gas Storage Wells

This report explores the effects of tubing size reductions on natural gas flow from representative depleted reservoir underground storage wells and fields using basic models for coupled reservoir and pipe flow. This work was motivated by interest at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in evaluating the effects of tubing and packer as a potential safety upgrade to implement double-barrier systems to existing underground natural gas storage wells. Reservoir and well flow models were developed from widely accepted industry equations, verified against a commercial process simulator model, and validated against field data. The study utilized U.S. operator survey data to provide context and assure that modeling parameters including aver age deliverability rates for wells and fields, operating pressures, well depths, and storage capacities were all carefully considered to keep the modeling relevant to the known range of U.S. operations. The models generally found that wells and fields with inherently low deliverability were relatively insensitive to reductions in tubing diameter, primarily because the hydraulics in those cases were controlled by reservoir properties. For the high-producing wells and fields, the models found that reducing tubing diameter could produce significant reductions in deliverability, both at the field- and well-level. When put into context with occurrence data regarding average deliverability of fields and wells, it appears that most wells and most fields across the U.S. would experience deliverability reductions on the low end of what was simulated here, generally below 20%. For fields with moderate to high deliverability, reductions were generally larger, and could reach as high as 60% for the highest-producing wells and fields.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Metallic thermal seal

Thermal barrier, constructed of U-shaped metal strips and room temperature-vulcanized silicon rubber, prevents hot gas from escaping through gaps. In application metallic barrier could be used to prevent heat from escaping through gaps around door, windows, partitions, and similar structures.

Bellavia, J.↗

Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coating Development for Advanced Propulsion Engine Systems

Ceramic thermal and environmental barrier coatings (TEBCs) are used in gas turbine engines to protect engine hot-section components in the harsh combustion environments, and extend component lifetimes. Advanced TEBCs that have significantly lower thermal conductivity, better thermal stability and higher toughness than current coatings will be beneficial for future low emission and high performance propulsion engine systems. In this paper, ceramic coating design and testing considerations will be described for turbine engine high temperature and high-heat-flux applications. Thermal barrier coatings for metallic turbine airfoils and thermal/environmental barrier coatings for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components for future supersonic aircraft propulsion engines will be emphasized. Further coating capability and durability improvements for the engine hot-section component applications can be expected by utilizing advanced modeling and design tools.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels, A Primer

Due to the extensive amount of detailed information that has been published on composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs), this document has been written to serve as a primer for those who desire an elementary knowledge of COPVs and the factors affecting composite safety. In this application, the word "composite" simply refers to a matrix of continuous fibers contained within a resin and wrapped over a pressure barrier to form a vessel for gas or liquid containment. COPVs are currently used at NASA to contain high pressure fluids in propulsion, science experiments, and life support applications. They have a significant weight advantage over all metal vessels but require unique design, manufacturing, and test requirements. COPVs also involve a much more complex mechanical understanding due to the interplay between the composite overwrap and the inner liner. A metallic liner is typically used in a COPV as a fluid permeation barrier. The liner design concepts and requirements have been borrowed from all-metal vessels. However, application of metallic vessel design standards to a very thin liner is not straightforward. Different failure modes exist for COPVs than for all-metal vessels, and understanding of these failure modes is at a much more rudimentary level than for metal vessels.

McLaughlan, Pat B.↗

Thermal Barrier Coatings

In order to reduce heat transfer between a hot gas heat source and a metallic engine component, a thermal insulating layer of material is placed between them. This thermal barrier coating is applied by plasma spray processing the thin films. The coating has been successfully employed in aerospace applications for many years. Lewis Research Center, a leader in the development engine components coating technology, has assisted Caterpillar, Inc. in applying ceramic thermal barrier coatings on engines. Because these large engines use heavy fuels containing vanadium, engine valve life is sharply decreased. The barrier coating controls temperatures, extends valve life and reduces operating cost. Additional applications are currently under development.

Source record↗

Investigation of the end-gas autoignition process in natural gas engines and evaluation of the methane number index

Engine knock and misfire are barriers to pathways leading to high-efficiency Spark-Ignited (SI) Natural Gas (NG) engines. The general tendency to knock is highly dependent on engine operating conditions and the fuel reactivity. The problem is further complicated by the wide range of chemical reactivity in pipeline quality NG, represented by the Methane Number (MN) (65< MN<95). Understanding the underlying phenomena responsible for engine knock can support the development of predictive tools capable of identifying knock onset/intensity as well as a fuel’s propensity to knock, allowing engine manufacturers to expand the knock envelope and design more efficient/robust SI NG engines. Additionally, there is an opportunity for increased efficiency by controlling levels of end-gas autoignition if this can be predicted and controlled. This work focuses on the development of a novel methodology to understand/predict a fuel’s propensity to knock. This methodology is based on the charge fraction undergoing autoignition, namely fractional end-gas autoignition (F-EGAI), and was developed based on first order laminar flame speeds and ignition delay analysis combined with a 0-D homogeneous batch reactor model. This methodology proved to be suitable to predict a fuel’s propensity to knock, even under conditions when light knock was observed. The simple modeling approach was used to explain the results from a series of MN tests with multiple NG compositions exhibiting a wide range of reactivity compositions and providing insight on why fuels of very different chemical compositions can have the same MN. Finally, a CFD model was developed was used to confirm the methodology capability and provide further insights in the physical and chemical phenomena behind end gas autoignition.

42 ENGINEERING↗