Polymer-derived ceramics based fuel atomizers

We describe the design of novel fuel atomizers with a unique internal spiral-conical structure for turbine engines and other propulsion systems. The atomizers are developed using a unique combination of two recently developed technologies: polymer-derived ceramics and an invert microstereolithography process. The polymer-derived ceramics are stable up to high temperatures (1500similar to1800degreesC) and have excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Thus, fuel atomizers made from these materials can be used at high temperatures and have higher corrosion resistance. Invert microstereolithography is a recently developed 3-D microfabrication process that enables complex 3-D structures to be built with high dimensional precision (1mum). The resulting atomizers have many advantages, including stability at high temperatures, high resistance to corrosion, a unique structure for efficient sprays, low cost and amenability to batch manufacturing. With the success of our earlier investigation and recent development, we are able to develop novel atomizers that will fill an immediate need for propulsion systems and many other high-temperature applications. In the future, we will integrate the atomizers into combustion systems and perform physical demonstration of the complete fuel injection system on a representative engine platform for a range of operating conditions.