Coating system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018154383-A1
Application number	US-201615368242-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 7, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods that provide or restore a coating to a component are provided. The systems and methods utilized an atomizing spray device. A slurry that comprises a fluid and ceramic particles, and a gas are supplied to the atomizing spray device. The slurry and gas are discharged from the spray device to form two-phase droplets. The fluid within the droplets evaporates to prevent the fluid from becoming part of the coating as the droplets traverse through the air and prior to impacting the surface of the component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a fluid reservoir containing a fluid that promotes evaporation when the fluid is exposed to gas; and a spray device having one or more hollow chambers having one or more conduits disposed therethrough that are fluidly connected to the first reservoir to receive a slurry containing the fluid and a mix of ceramic particles and the gas; wherein said one or more conduits extend from a conduit inlet to a conduit outlet where the slurry is discharged to form droplets containing the fluid such that, based on a discharged amount of fluid in the droplets, the fluid promotes evaporation when the fluid is exposed to a gas, as the droplets traverse from the spray device toward an article.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid contained in the droplets at least partially evaporates prior to impacting the surface of the article being coated.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is an alcohol.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid contained in the droplets at least partially evaporates based on slurry temperature at the chamber outlet.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein, as the fluid flows through the spray device, the temperature of the fluid is increased to promote evaporation of the fluid as the fluid travels toward the component.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir increases the temperature of the fluid to promote evaporation of the fluid as the fluid travels toward the component.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir has a fluid outlet located adjacent a bottom of the fluid reservoir to prevent evaporation from the fluid from being received within the conduit.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a gas reservoir containing the gas and fluidly connected to a chamber inlet of the hollow chamber such that the hollow chamber receives the gas.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the gas flows through the spray device from the chamber inlet to a chamber outlet and the gas is discharged from the spray device at the chamber outlet to mix with the slurry discharged from the conduit outlet to form the droplets.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the gas flows through the spray device from the chamber inlet to a chamber outlet and the gas mixes with the slurry inside the conduit before being discharged from the spray device at the chamber outlet.

11 . The system of claim 1 , where the gas includes one or more of air, nitrogen, or argon.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a secondary coating is discharged from the conduit outlet to provide at least one of, removal of loose particles from the article, removal of overspray from cooling holes, or coating thickness control.

13 . A spray device comprising:
a housing; one or more hollow chambers disposed through the housing from one or more chamber inlets to one or more chamber outlets; said one or more hollow chambers configured to direct gas received into the one or more hollow chambers away from the center axis of the hollow chamber upon being discharged from the chamber outlet; a conduit disposed through and centrally located within the hollow chamber from a conduit inlet to a conduit outlet and receiving a slurry; said conduit configured to direct the slurry away from the center axis of the hollow chamber upon being discharged from the conduit outlet.

14 . The spray device of claim 13 further comprising: one or more target surfaces disposed in the chamber outlet and secured to the conduit such that one or more edges of the one or more target surfaces atomize the gas and slurry flowing past the one or more edges to provide a uniform coating of a slurry and gas droplet formed by the spray device onto an article.

15 . The spray device of claim 14 wherein the one or more target surfaces have a converging shape adjacent the chamber outlet that tapers outwardly away from a center axis of the hollow chamber and toward the chamber outlet.

16 . The spray device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more target surfaces are secured to the conduit such that one or more center axes of the one or more target surfaces are off set from the center axis of the hollow chamber at the chamber outlet.

17 . The spray device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more target surfaces are secured to the conduit such that a center axis of the one or more target surfaces align with the center axis of the hollow chamber at the chamber outlet.

18 . The spray device of claim 13 , wherein at least one section of the hollow chamber is helically shaped, extending around the center axis of the hollow chamber from the inlet to the outlet.

19 . A method of applying a coating to an article, the method comprising:
supplying a slurry comprising a fluid and ceramic particles to a spray device; discharging the slurry from the spray device to form droplets containing the fluid and the ceramic particles that are directed toward the component; wherein as the droplets traverse from the spray device toward the component the fluid contained in the droplets at least partially evaporates prior to the ceramic particles impacting the component.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the fluid at least partially evaporates prior to the ceramic particles impacting the component.

21 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising increasing a temperature of the slurry prior to discharging the slurry from the spray device.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Kulkarni Ambarish
• Pritchard Byron
• Sivaramakrishnan Shankar
• Lesnicki Krzysztof
• Keshavan Hrishikesh
• Bewlay Bernard Patrick
• Dede Mehmet
• Rosenzweig Larry
• Morgan Jay

Classifications

• B05B7/1431

  comprising means for supplying an additional liquid (B05B7/1418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B7/1686 Primary

  involving vaporisation of the material to be sprayed or of an atomising-fluid-generating product · CPC title

• B05D1/12

  Applying particulate materials (B05D1/06, B05D1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05D5/005 Primary

  Repairing damaged coatings · CPC title

• F01D5/288 Primary

  Protective coatings for blades · CPC title