Rotorcraft powerplant cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12522370-B2
Application number	US-202418417011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2024
Priority date	Jan 19, 2024
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

An assembly is provided for a rotorcraft. This rotorcraft assembly includes a fuselage, a tail boom, an air system and a cooling system. The tail boom projects longitudinally along a centerline out from the fuselage. The air system includes an air flowpath. The air flowpath passes from the fuselage into the tail boom and extends longitudinally within the tail boom. The cooling system includes a first heat exchanger and a coolant flowpath extending through the first heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger is arranged with the tail boom. The first heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat energy between system air flowing in the air flowpath and coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An assembly for a rotorcraft, comprising:
a fuselage; a tail boom projecting longitudinally along a centerline out from the fuselage; an air system comprising an air flowpath, the air flowpath passing from the fuselage into the tail boom and extending longitudinally within the tail boom; and a cooling system including a first heat exchanger and a coolant flowpath extending through the first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger arranged to extend longitudinally along the centerline with the tail boom, and the first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat energy between system air flowing in the air flowpath within the tail boom and coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath.

2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger includes
a plurality of internal passages forming a section of the coolant flowpath within the first heat exchanger; and a plurality of cooling elements, each of the plurality of cooling elements projecting into the air flowpath within the tail boom.

3 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger extends circumferentially about the air flowpath and the centerline.

4 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is disposed in the air flowpath within the tail boom.

5 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger forms an outer peripheral side of the air flowpath within the tail boom.

6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to transfer additional heat energy between ambient air outside of the tail boom and the coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath.

7 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is integrated into a structure of the tail boom.

8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the tail boom comprises an exterior surface; and the first heat exchanger forms a portion of the exterior surface.

9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured as an anti-torque system for the rotorcraft.

10 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tail boom includes
a sidewall extending longitudinally along the centerline and circumferentially around the air flowpath; and a slot extending longitudinally in the sidewall, the slot projecting through the sidewall to fluidly couple the air flowpath to an environment external to the tail boom.

11 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the tail boom projects longitudinally along the centerline out from the fuselage to a distal tail end of the tail boom; and the air flowpath extends longitudinally within the tail boom to an outlet located at the distal tail end of the tail boom.

12 . The assembly of claim 11 , wherein
the tail boom includes a variable tail thruster arranged at the distal tail end of the tail boom; the variable tail thruster comprises the outlet and is rotatable about an axis.

13 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tail boom is configured without a rotorcraft tail rotor.

14 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a powerplant comprising a heat engine; the cooling system configured to receive the heat energy from the heat engine, and the first heat exchanger configured to transfer the heat energy out of the coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath and into the system air flowing in the air flowpath.

15 . The assembly of claim 14 , further comprising:
a second heat exchanger arranged upstream of the first heat exchanger along the air flowpath; the powerplant further comprising a powerplant flowpath extending through the second heat exchanger and the heat engine.

16 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the heat engine comprises a rotary engine.

17 . An assembly for a rotorcraft, comprising:
a fuselage; a tail boom projecting longitudinally along a centerline out from the fuselage; a powerplant comprising a heat engine arranged in the fuselage; and a cooling system including a first heat exchanger and a coolant flowpath, the first heat exchanger arranged to extend longitudinally along the centerline within the tail boom, and the coolant flowpath extending through the heat engine and the first heat exchanger.

18 . The assembly of claim 17 , further comprising:
an air system comprising an air flowpath; the air flowpath passing from the fuselage into the tail boom and extending longitudinally within the tail boom; and the first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat energy from liquid coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath into system air flowing in the air flowpath within the tail boom.

19 . The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat energy between ambient air outside of the tail boom and liquid coolant flowing in the coolant flowpath.

20 . A rotorcraft configured without a tail rotor, the rotorcraft comprising:
a fuselage; a tail boom connected to and projecting longitudinally along a centerline out from the fuselage; a rotorcraft rotor above the fuselage; a powerplant configured to drive rotation of the rotorcraft rotor, the powerplant comprising a heat engine within the fuselage; and a heat exchange system for the powerplant, the heat exchange system comprising a heat exchanger arranged to extend longitudinally along the centerline within the tail boom.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Tomes Nathan

Classifications

• B64C27/82

  characterised by the provision of an auxiliary rotor or fluid-jet device for counter-balancing lifting rotor torque or changing direction of rotorcraft · CPC title

• B64D33/10

  Radiator arrangement · CPC title

• B64C27/04

  Helicopters · CPC title

• B64D33/08 Primary

  of power plant cooling systems · CPC title