Method and system for air management of aircraft systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364831-B2
Application number	US-201514609964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A method and system for an air management system (AMS) is provided. The AMS includes a jet pump assembly including a motive air inlet, a plurality of suction inlets, and a single outlet. The AMS also includes a supply piping arrangement including a conduit configured to channel relatively higher pressure air from a compressor to the motive air inlet, a conduit configured to channel relatively higher pressure air from the compressor to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets through a shutoff valve, and a conduit configured to channel relatively lower pressure air from the compressor to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets. The AMS further includes an outlet piping arrangement configured to channel outlet air from said jet pump assembly to a distribution system. A pressure regulation strategy of the motive jet pump flow allows optimization of engine fuel burn and/or thrust, depending on which is most important to the aircraft during any flight phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft air management system (AMS) comprising:
a first pressurized fluid source of relatively higher pressure air;
a second pressurized fluid source of relatively lower pressure air than the first pressurized fluid source; and
a jet pump assembly comprising a motive air inlet, a plurality of suction inlets, and a single outlet;
a supply source comprising:
a first conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air through a jet pump shutoff valve (JPSOV) to the motive air inlet;
a second conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets through a high-pressure shutoff valve (HPSOV); and
a third conduit configured to channel the relatively lower pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets;
an outlet channeling outlet air from said jet pump assembly to a downstream AMS; and
a controller configured to receive a pressure feedback signal from a pressure sensor positioned downstream of the JPSOV, said controller configured to maintain a predetermined pressure in said conduit.

2. The AMS of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor positioned in the first conduit between the first pressurized fluid source and the motive air inlet and downstream of the JPSOV, said pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure feedback signal.

3. The AMS of claim 2 , further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to said pressure sensor and the JPSOV, said controller configured to generate a control signal that maintains a pressure at the motive air inlet constant.

4. The AMS of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to receive a flow signal from a flow sensor configured to determine an amount of flow of relatively higher pressure air admitted into the AMS.

5. The AMS of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
receive an indication of at least one of a pressure, a temperature, and a flow of the relatively higher pressure air;
receive an indication of at least one of a pressure, a temperature, and a flow of the relatively lower pressure air;
determine an efficiency of the AMS using the received indications;
receive a demand signal from at least one of an engine associated with the aircraft-and the aircraft associated with the AMS; and
modify the efficiency in response to the received demand signal.

6. A method of operating an integrated air management system (AMS) comprising:
a first pressurized fluid source of relatively higher pressure air;
a second pressurized fluid source of relatively lower pressure air than the first pressurized fluid source; and
a jet pump assembly comprising a motive air inlet, a plurality of suction inlets, and a single outlet;
a supply source comprising:
a first conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air through a jet pump shutoff valve (JPSOV) to the motive air inlet;
a second conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets through a high-pressure shutoff valve (HPSOV); and
a third conduit configured to channel the relatively lower pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets; and
an outlet channeling outlet air from said jet pump assembly to a downstream AMS, said method comprising:
generating a flow of distribution air using at least one of a flow of relatively higher pressure air and a flow of relatively lower pressure air;
channeling the flow of distribution air to the supply source;
controlling a relative flow of the relatively higher pressure air with respect to the flow of relatively lower pressure air to maintain an efficiency of the integrated AMS at a first efficiency level using the JPSOV and HPSOV;
receiving a demand signal; and
controlling the relative flow of the relatively higher pressure air flow with respect to the flow of relatively lower pressure air to maintain an efficiency of the integrated AMS at a second efficiency level using the JPSOV and HPSOV based on the received demand signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising controlling the relative flow of the relatively higher pressure air flow with respect to the flow of relatively lower pressure air to maintain a predetermined temperature of distribution air.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein generating a flow of distribution air using at least one of a flow of relatively higher pressure air and a flow of relatively lower pressure air in a jet pump assembly comprises generating a flow of distribution air using one of a first operating mode, a second operating mode, and a third operating mode, the first operating mode generates the flow of distribution air using the flow of relatively lower pressure air in the jet pump assembly, the second operating mode generates the flow of distribution air using the flow of relatively higher pressure air in the jet pump assembly, and the third operating mode generates the flow of distribution air using a mixed flow of relatively lower pressure air and of relatively higher pressure air.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising channeling the flow of relatively higher pressure air from a high pressure source to a suction inlet of the jet pump assembly.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising modulating the flow of relatively higher pressure air using the JPSOV coupled between the high pressure source and a supply inlet of the jet pump assembly.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein modulating the flow of relatively higher pressure air comprises modulating the flow of relatively higher pressure air based on a pressure feedback from a pressure sensor positioned between the JPSOV and the supply inlet of the jet pump assembly.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
channeling the flow of relatively higher pressure air to a supply inlet of the jet pump assembly; and
channeling the flow of relatively lower pressure air to at least one suction inlet of the jet pump assembly.

13. An aircraft having a fuselage, a wing, a gas turbine engine, and an air management system (AMS), said AMS comprising:
a first pressurized fluid source of relatively higher pressure air;
a second pressurized fluid source of relatively lower pressure air than the first pressurized fluid source; and
a jet pump assembly comprising a motive air inlet, a plurality of suction inlets, and a single outlet;
a supply source comprising:
a first conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air through a jet pump shutoff valve (JPSOV) to the motive air inlet;
a second conduit configured to channel the relatively higher pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets through a high-pressure shutoff valve (HPSOV); and
a third conduit configured to channel the relatively lower pressure air to at least one of the plurality of suction inlets;
an outlet channeling outlet air from said jet pump assembly to a downstream AMS; and
a controller communicatively coupled to a pressure sensor and said JPSOV, said controller configured to generate a control signal that maintains a pressure at the motive air inlet constant.

14. The aircraft of Claim 13 , wherein said controller is configured to match an output of said jet pump assembly to a demand for air of said aircraft using said plurality of controlled operation valves to permit a reduced size aircraft air pre-cooler.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Mason Jeffrey Lee
• Schofield Ronald Bruce
• Ray Seth Michael
• Schumacher Benjamin James
• Bonar James Fitzgerald
• Moore George Elliott

Classifications

• Y02E20/14

  Combined heat and power generation [CHP] · CPC title

• F02C9/16

  Control of working fluid flow (F02C9/48 takes precedence; control of air-intake flow F02C7/057) · CPC title

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64D13/04 Primary

  Automatic control of pressure · CPC title

• F04F5/16 Primary

  displacing elastic fluids · CPC title