Aircraft outer skin heat exchanger, aircraft cooling system and method for operating an aircraft outer skin heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011362-B2
Application number	US-201313893973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2013
Priority date	Nov 16, 2010
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft outer skin heat exchanger includes a first cooling air inlet and a first cooling air duct section, in which a first heat carrier fluid duct section is arranged. A cooling air conveying device is configured to convey a cooling air stream in such a way through the first cooling air inlet and the first cooling air duct section that the cooling air stream is subdivided by a first heat carrier fluid duct section, arranged in the first cooling air duct section, into two partial air streams which flow through the first cooling air duct section substantially parallel to one another and in the same direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft outer skin heat exchanger comprising:
a first cooling air inlet disposed in an aircraft fuselage outer skin,
a first cooling air duct section comprising a first duct portion and a second duct portion parallel to the first duct portion,
a first heat carrier fluid duct section, arranged in the first cooling air duct section, and
a cooling air conveyor which is configured to convey a cooling air stream through the first cooling air inlet and the first cooling air duct section such that the cooling air stream includes a first cooling air stream which flows through the first duct portion of the first cooling air duct section and a second cooling air stream which flows through the second duct portion of the first cooling air duct section, the first and second air streams flowing, in the respective first and second duct portions of the first cooling air duct section, parallel to one another in the same direction and toward a cooling air discharge duct,
wherein an outer surface of the first cooling air duct section is formed by an outer skin of an aircraft and an inner surface of the first cooling air duct section is formed by an inner wall of the aircraft outer skin heat exchanger, the inner wall facing an interior space of the aircraft, and
wherein the first cooling air stream flows through the first duct portion of the first cooling air duct section between the outer skin and the first heat carrier fluid duct section and the second cooling air stream flows through the second duct portion of the first cooling air duct section between the first heat carrier fluid duct section and the inner wall.

2. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second cooling air inlet disposed in an aircraft fuselage outer skin,
a second cooling air duct section comprising a first duct portion and a second duct portion parallel to the first duct portion, and
a second heat carrier fluid duct section, arranged in the second cooling air duct section, the cooling air conveyor being configured to convey a cooling air stream through the second cooling air inlet and the second cooling air duct section such that the cooling air stream is subdivided by the second heat carrier fluid duct section, arranged in the second cooling air duct section, into two partial cooling air streams which flow through the second cooling air duct section substantially parallel to one another and in the same direction.

3. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first and the second cooling air inlet is of slit-shaped form and extends, in the state of the aircraft outer skin heat exchanger when mounted in an aircraft, in particular parallel to one another, parallel or perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

4. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the second cooling air duct section is formed by the outer skin of the aircraft and an inner surface of the second cooling air duct section is formed by the inner wall, facing an interior space of the aircraft, of the aircraft outer skin heat exchanger.

5. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , further comprising a heat carrier fluid conveyor configured to convey heat carrier fluid flowing through at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section substantially perpendicularly to the flow direction of the cooling air through the at least one of the first and the second cooling air duct section.

6. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , further comprising a flow duct, formed in at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section, for the heat carrier fluid flow flowing through the at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section, of meander-shaped form and enabling at least a single diversion by 180° of the heat carrier fluid flow flowing through the at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section.

7. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section comprises at least one flat pipe which is provided on its outer surfaces with cooling ribs which extend in particular substantially parallel to the flow direction of the cooling air through the at least one of the first and the second cooling air duct section.

8. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of bearing devices structured to support at least one of the first and the second heat carrier fluid duct section on a structural component of the aircraft, only one of the bearing devices being configured as a fixed bearing and the other bearing devices being configured as movable bearings, the bearing device configured as a fixed bearing.

9. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein the first cooling air duct section and the second cooling air duct section are connected to the cooling air discharge duct.

10. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second cooling air streams are physically separated from one another.

11. The aircraft outer skin heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein substantially all air from the first cooling air inlet is configured to be conveyed through the cooling air conveyor.

12. An aircraft cooling system, comprising an aircraft outer skin heat exchanger comprising:
a first cooling air inlet disposed in an aircraft fuselage outer skin,
a first cooling air duct section comprising a first duct portion and a second duct portion parallel to the first duct portion,
a first heat carrier fluid duct section, arranged in the first cooling air duct section, and
a cooling air conveyor which is configured to convey a cooling air stream through the first cooling air inlet and the first cooling air duct section such that the cooling air stream includes a first cooling air stream which flows through the first duct portion of the first cooling air duct section and a second cooling air stream which flows through the second duct portion of the first cooling air duct section, the first and second air streams flowing, in the respective first and second duct portions of the first cooling air duct section, parallel to one another in the same direction and toward a cooling air discharge duct,
wherein an outer surface of the first cooling air duct section is formed by an outer skin of an aircraft and an inner surface of the first cooling air duct section is formed by an inner wall of the aircraft outer skin heat exchanger, the inner wall facing an interior space of the aircraft, and
wherein the first cooling air stream flows through the first duct portion of the first cooling air duct section between the outer skin and the first heat carrier fluid duct section and the second cooling air stream flows through the second duct portion of the first cooling air duct section between the first heat carrier fluid duct section and the inner wall.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Piesker Markus

Classifications

• F28F1/02

  Tubular elements of cross-section which is non-circular (F28F1/08, F28F1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D13/08 Primary

  the air being heated or cooled · CPC title

• Y02T50/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64D13/00 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of air-treatment apparatus for aircraft crew or passengers, or freight space · CPC title

• F28F1/022

  with multiple channels · CPC title