Aircraft tail region with a cooling system installed in aircraft tail region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10316693-B2
Application number	US-201314035585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2013
Priority date	Mar 25, 2011
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An aircraft tail region including a cooling system installed in the aircraft tail region. The cooling system comprises a cooler, which forms a section of an outer skin of the aircraft tail region, and includes coolant channels allowing a flow of ambient air therethrough, and extending from a first surface of the cooler to a second surface of the cooler. The cooling system also includes a fan system, which is adapted to convey ambient air through the coolant channels of the cooler at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system, and a first opening, which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, and which allows, in conveying operation of the fan system, ambient air which is supplied through the coolant channels of the cooler into an interior of the aircraft tail region to be discharged back into the aircraft environment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft tail region with a cooling system installed in the aircraft tail region, the cooling system comprising:
a cooler forming a section of an outer skin of the aircraft tail region, and including coolant channels allowing a flow of ambient air therethrough, from the aircraft environment into an interior of the aircraft tail region, and extending from a first surface of the cooler to a second surface of the cooler,
a fan system adapted to convey ambient air through the coolant channels of the cooler at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system,
a first opening formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, and which allows, in conveying operation of the fan system, ambient air which is supplied through the coolant channels of the cooler into the interior of the aircraft tail region, to be discharged back into the aircraft environment,
wherein said section of the outer skin of the aircraft tail region is arranged at a first distance from a transom of the aircraft tail region, and the fan system is arranged at a second distance from the transom of the aircraft tail region, the second distance being less than the first distance, wherein the fan system includes a radial fan and
wherein the first opening is arranged at the same distance from the transom than the fan system and the first opening being positioned radially relative to the radial fan of the fan system.

2. The aircraft tail region according to claim 1 , wherein the cooler and the first opening which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region are positioned relative to each other so that at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system, ambient air is supplied through the first opening into the interior of the aircraft tail region, and discharged back through the coolant channels of the cooler into the aircraft environment, driven by differential pressure.

3. The aircraft tail region according to claim 1 , wherein the cooler and the first opening which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region are positioned relative to each other so that at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system, ambient air is supplied through the first opening into the interior of the aircraft tail region, and discharged back through the coolant channels of the cooler into the aircraft environment, driven by differential pressure and wherein in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, at least one second opening is formed, and ambient air is supplied through said at least one second opening to a driving device for driving the fan system for cooling.

4. The aircraft tail region according to claim 1 , wherein in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, at least one second opening is formed, and ambient air is supplied through said at least one second opening to a driving device for driving the fan system for cooling.

5. The aircraft tail region according to claim 3 , wherein in the region of at least one of the first and second openings formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, multiple lamellae, which essentially extend parallel to each other, are provided, the lamellae being adjustable in one of steps or continuously, between a closed position in which they define a closed surface and at least one open position in which they define a surface allowing to be flowed through via corresponding through-flow slits.

6. The aircraft tail region according to claim 5 , wherein the lamellae are integrated into at least one of a flap or an outer skin contour of the aircraft tail region in the region of at least one of the first or second openings formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, the flap being adjustable in one of steps or continuously, between a closed position in which the flap seals at least one of the first or second openings formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, and an open position in which the flap releases the at least one of the first or second openings formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region.

7. The aircraft tail region according to claim 5 , wherein the lamellae are adjustable into one of a first open position or a second open position, according to choice, wherein in the first open position of the lamellae, an inner surface of the lamellae, which in the closed position of the lamellae faces an interior of the aircraft tail region, is adapted to be impinged by an airflow, which flows around the outer skin of the aircraft tail region in flying operation of the aircraft, and wherein in the second open position of the lamellae, an outer surface of the lamellae, which in the closed position of the lamellae faces away from an interior of the aircraft tail region, is adapted to be impinged by an airflow, which flows around the outer skin of the aircraft tail region in flying operation of the aircraft.

8. The aircraft tail region according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving device to drive the radial fan extending from the radial fan in the direction of the transom of the aircraft tail region.

9. The aircraft tail region according to claim 1 , wherein a fuel tank of a fuel cell system is positioned between the cooler and the fan system.

10. A method for operating a cooling system installed in an aircraft tail region, providing a cooler which forms a section of an outer skin of the aircraft tail region and includes coolant channels allowing a flow of ambient air therethrough, and extending from a first surface of the cooler to a second surface of the cooler, a fan system, and a first opening which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, wherein said section of the outer skin of the aircraft tail region is arranged at a first distance from a transom of the aircraft tail region, and the fan system is arranged at a second distance from the transom of the aircraft tail region, the second distance being less than the first distance, wherein the fan system includes a radial fan and wherein the first opening is arranged at the same distance from the transom than the fan system and the first opening being positioned radially relative to the radial fan of the fan system, and wherein, in the method for operating the cooling system installed in the aircraft tail region, the fan system, at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system, performs the steps of:
conveying ambient air through the coolant channels of the cooler from the aircraft environment into an interior of the aircraft tail region, and
discharging the ambient air, which is supplied through the coolant channels of the cooler into the interior of the aircraft tail region in conveying operation of the fan system, back into the aircraft environment through the first opening, which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein at least in specified operating phases of the cooling system, ambient air is supplied through the first opening into the interior of the aircraft tail region, and discharged back through the coolant channels of the cooler into the aircraft environment, driven by differential pressure, and wherein ambient air is supplied through at least one second opening, which is formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, to a driving device for driving the fan system for cooling.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein in the region of at least one of the first and second openings formed in the outer skin of the aircraft tail region, multiple lamellae, which extend essentially parallel to each other, are provided, the lamellae being adjusted, depending on the operating state of the cooling system, in one of steps or continuously,

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Stolte Ralf-Henning
• Krause Udo
• Stefes Bruno
• Mueller Christian
• Elken Florian
• Wollrab Uwe

Classifications

• F01D25/12 Primary

  Cooling · CPC title

• Y02T90/36

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64D33/10 Primary

  Radiator arrangement · CPC title

• B64D2041/005

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title