North Haven, CT (October 27th, 2021) – Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I program from the Navy for the development of a frangible coating that offers to significantly extend the maintenance and overhaul interval for critical “last chance” filters and other small passages in aircraft engines. This coating is set to reduce maintenance costs, enhance reliability, and improve Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for aircraft engines.
PCI’s frangible coating is designed to both prevent the deposition of carbonaceous by-products that can obstruct vital fuel passages while also sloughing off accumulated deposits. By its lubricity and by preventing the accumulation of carbon by-product deposits that can obstruct vital fuel passages, the coating enhances fuel flow and combustion efficiency.
The key objective of Phase I of this program is to optimize the coating, ensuring it achieves the proposed operational target. PCI will carefully evaluate various coating concepts and combinations during this phase and will continue with the most promising results. Rigorous assessments of cyclic and lifetime durability will be conducted to determine the coating’s long-term performance with the goal of increasing the Mean Time Between Overhauls (MTBO) to 5 times longer than the current standard.
PCI’s frangible coating is not limited to last-chance screens; the company plans to extend its application to other critical components in the refueling system, including fuel nozzles. The coating composition and procedure will be subjected to the same rigorous test and operating conditions, ensuring enhanced performance and longevity throughout the entire fuel system.
Kevin Burns, PCI President, says, “PCI’s nanostructured coatings can provide a variety of performance advances, in this case for the Navy offering substantial value by reducing engine maintenance costs and lengthening overhaul intervals. We look forward to working with the Navy to provide substantial cost savings while simultaneously improving reliability and fuel system performance.”
Precision Combustion, Inc. is a clean energy and environmental technology company developing new reactors and systems for energy and environmental sector applications.
For more information, contact:
Anthony Anderson
Director, Marketing and Business Development
Email: aanderson@precision-combustion.com
