Systems and methods of cooling a galley of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10492603-B2
Application number	US-201514716196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2015
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A galley includes a cart compartment defining a cavity configured to store at least one galley cart. The galley includes a heat exchanger positioned within the cart compartment and a plenum coupled in flow communication with the heat exchanger. The plenum is configured to provide cool air to cool the at least one galley cart.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A galley for an aircraft, the galley comprising:
a cart compartment defined by a plurality of walls in a galley space of the aircraft, the plurality of walls including a top wall, a bottom wall, side walls, and a rear wall opposite a front of the cart compartment defining a cavity configured to store at least one galley cart having a galley cart front and a galley cart rear, the rear wall of the cart compartment located behind the galley cart rear of the at least one galley cart;
a cooling system having a heat exchanger positioned within the cart compartment, the heat exchanger having a front facing the front of the cart compartment and a rear facing the rear wall of the cart compartment; and
an airflow supply system having a plenum coupled in flow communication with the heat exchanger, the plenum having an air supply device having at least one airflow opening at an air discharge location in the cart compartment discharging air either directly into the cart compartment or directly into the at least one galley cart through the at least one airflow opening of the air supply device at the air discharge location, the plenum contained in the cart compartment with the airflow opening of the air supply device located forward of the rear of the heat exchanger and forward of the galley cart rear of the at least one galley cart, the plenum configured to provide cool air to cool the at least one galley cart;
wherein the rear wall of the cart compartment and the cavity of the cart compartment behind the galley cart rear of the at least one galley cart are devoid of the heat exchanger and the airflow supply system.

2. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is positioned between corresponding galley carts.

3. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger extends between the front and rear of the cart compartment, the rear of the heat exchanger abutting the rear of the cart compartment.

4. The galley of claim 1 , further comprising a counter above the cart compartment, the heat exchanger positioned below the counter.

5. A galley for an aircraft, the galley comprising:
a cart compartment defined by a plurality of walls in a galley space of the aircraft, the cart compartment defining a cavity configured to store at least one galley cart having a rear wall behind the at least one galley cart;
a cooling system having a heat exchanger positioned within the cart compartment, the heat exchanger having a front and a rear, the heat exchanger includes an exhaust duct configured to exhaust warmed air into a galley space forward of a front of a galley; and
an airflow supply system having a plenum coupled in flow communication with the heat exchanger, the plenum contained in the cart compartment forward of the rear of the heat exchanger, the plenum configured to provide cool air to cool the at least one galley cart;
wherein the rear wall and the cavity behind the at least one galley cart are devoid of the heat exchanger and the airflow supply system.

6. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the plenum directs air into the cavity for an air-over-cart supply arrangement.

7. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the plenum directs air into the at least one galley cart for an air-through-cart supply arrangement.

8. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a side between the front and the rear, the side facing the cavity and the corresponding at least one galley cart.

9. The galley of claim 8 , wherein the plenum extends through the side.

10. The galley of claim 8 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a second side facing the cavity and the corresponding at least one galley cart, the plenum providing cool air to the cavity at the second side.

11. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the cart compartment includes divider walls dividing the cavity into a plurality of cart chambers, each cart chamber receiving a corresponding galley cart, the heat exchanger supplying cool air to a plurality of the cart chambers.

12. The galley of claim 11 , wherein the plenum extends from the heat exchanger to corresponding cart chambers to supply cool air to the corresponding galley carts in the cart chambers.

13. The galley of claim 1 , further comprising a flow control device having a throttling surface configured to control the flow of cool air through the plenum.

14. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the flow control device is mechanically actuated to control the flow of cool air.

15. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the flow control device is electrically actuated to control the flow of cool air.

16. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the flow control device comprises a louver for throttling an amount of cool air flowing through the plenum.

17. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the flow control device comprises a plate having at least one opening, the plate being moveable to adjust a position of the at least one opening relative to the plenum to control an amount of cool air flowing through the plenum.

18. The galley of claim 1 , wherein the airflow supply system includes at least one supply duct for supplying cooled air to the at least one galley cart.

19. A galley for an aircraft, the galley comprising:
a cart compartment defined by a plurality of walls in a galley space of the aircraft, the cart compartment defining a cavity configured to store at least one galley cart having a rear wall behind the at least one galley cart;
a cooling system having a heat exchanger positioned within the cart compartment, the heat exchanger having a front and a rear, wherein the heat exchanger includes an exhaust at the front of the heat exchanger configured to exhaust warmed air into the galley space forward of a front of the galley; and
an airflow supply system having a plenum coupled in flow communication with the heat exchanger, the plenum having an air supply device having at least one airflow opening at an air discharge location in the cart compartment, the plenum contained in the cart compartment forward of the rear of the heat exchanger, the plenum configured to provide cool air to cool the at least one galley cart;
wherein the rear wall and the cavity behind the at least one galley cart are devoid of the heat exchanger and the airflow supply system.

20. The galley of claim 18 , further comprising a flow control device having a throttling surface configured to control flow of the cooled air through the airflow supply system, the flow control device being configured to control an amount of the cooled air discharged from the at least one supply duct.

21. A galley for an aircraft, the galley comprising:
a cart compartment defined by a plurality of walls in a galley space of the aircraft, the plurality of walls including a top wall, a bottom wall, side walls, and a rear wall opposite a front of the cart compartment defining a cavity configured to store at least one galley cart having a galley cart front, a galley cart rear, and a galley cart side between the galley cart front and the galley cart rear, the rear wall of the cart compartment located behind the galley cart rear of the at least one galley cart;
a cooling system having a heat exchanger positioned within the cart compartment, the heat exchanger having a front facing the front of the cart compartment, a rear facing the rear wall of the cart compartment, and a first side extending between the front and the rear facing the galley cart side of the at least one galley cart; and
an airflow supply system having a supply duct coupled in flow communication with th

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Garcia Emmanuel
• Lee Joshua

Classifications

• B64D11/0007 Primary

  Devices specially adapted for food or beverage distribution services · CPC title

• A47B31/02 Primary

  with heating, cooling or ventilating means · CPC title

• A47B31/06

  adapted to the use in vehicles {(with a set of feet and a part resting on someone's lap A47B23/041; arrangements or adaptations of tables in vehicles B60N3/001)} · CPC title

• A47B2031/023

  being dockable to a stationary refrigeration and heating unit · CPC title

• B64D13/08

  the air being heated or cooled · CPC title