Modular environmental air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9598175-B2
Application number	US-201514696179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

An Environmental Control System (ECS) is disclosed for providing conditioned air to a conditioned air space. The ECS includes one or more first modules, each with a turbofan engine or Auxiliary Power Un it (APU), a first heat exchanger, a first turbine, a first water collector, and a first auxiliary fan powered by the first turbine. The ECS also includes one or more second modules. Each second module includes a mixing manifold, a second heat exchanger, an optional second water collector, and a second auxiliary fan powered by a second turbine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An environmental air conditioning system for providing conditioned air to a conditioned air space, comprising:
a first module comprising:
a turbofan engine or an auxiliary power unit (APU);
a first heat exchanger having a heat rejection side with an inlet and an outlet, with the inlet in fluid communication with compressed air bled from the turbofan engine or the APU;
a first turbine having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the heat rejection side of the first heat exchanger;
a first water collector having an inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the first turbine, a water outlet, and an air outlet;
a first airflow path having an inlet and an outlet, with the inlet in fluid communication with an air source, and with a heat absorption side of the first heat exchanger disposed in the airflow path;
a first module auxiliary fan that promotes airflow along the first airflow path; and
a power transfer path that transfers power from the first turbine to the first module auxiliary fan; and

a second module comprising:
a mixing manifold having a first inlet in fluid communication with a flow of conditioned air from the conditioned air space, a second inlet in fluid communication with the air outlet of the first water collector, and an outlet;
a second turbine having an inlet in controllable fluid communication with either or both of the conditioned air space and the air outlet of the first water collector;
a second heat exchanger having a heat rejection side with an inlet and an outlet, with the heat rejection side inlet in fluid communication with the mixing manifold outlet, and a heat absorption side with an inlet and an outlet, with the heat absorption side inlet in fluid communication with the second turbine outlet; and
a second module fan that promotes airflow along a second airflow path from the mixing manifold past the heat rejection side of the second heat exchanger to the conditioned air space
a power transfer path that transfers power from the second turbine to the second module fan.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first module comprises the turbofan engine.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the air source is a fan bypass of the turbofan engine, and the first auxiliary fan promotes return of air from the first airflow path to the fan bypass of the turbofan engine.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first module comprises the APU.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the air source is a fan bypass of the APU, an APU-powered fan that directs non-bypass air to the first airflow path inlet, or an electric-powered fan that directs non-bypass air to the first airflow path inlet.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said second modules.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of second modules is independently controlled based on conditions in a different zone of the conditioned space.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to be operated in a first mode with all of the plurality of second modules or in a second mode with fewer than all of the plurality of second modules.

9. The system of claim 6 , comprising a plurality of first modules operatively connected to the plurality of second modules.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the system is configured to be operated with either all of the plurality of first modules or in a second mode with fewer than all of the plurality of first modules.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second module further comprises a second water collector having an inlet in fluid communication with the second heat exchanger heat absorption side outlet, a water outlet, and an air outlet in fluid communication with the conditioned air space.

12. An aircraft comprising the system of claim 1 , wherein the second turbine inlet is in fluid communication with the conditioned airspace at high altitude and is in fluid communication with the air outlet of the first water collector on the ground.

13. An aircraft comprising the system of claim 1 , wherein the heat absorption side outlet of the second heat exchanger is in fluid communication with an inlet to the conditioned air space on the ground, and exhausts to atmosphere at high altitude.

14. A method of conditioning air, comprising:
cooling compressed air from a turbofan engine or an auxiliary power unit (APU) in a heat rejection side of a first heat exchanger having a heat absorption side in fluid communication with air from an air source to produce cooled compressed air;
driving a first turbine with the cooled compressed air and then delivering the cooled compressed air to a first water collector to produce dried cooled compressed air;
driving an auxiliary fan with power from the first turbine to supplement the air source;
delivering at least a portion of the dried cooled compressed air to one or more modular air conditioners by mixing the dried cooled compressed air with air from a conditioned space in a mixing manifold of the modular air conditioner to produce a pre-conditioned air mixture;
cooling the pre-conditioned air mixture in a heat rejection side of a second heat exchanger to produce a cooled pre-conditioned air mixture;
driving a second turbine with air from the conditioned space or with a portion of the dried cooled compressed air, and delivering exhaust from the turbine to a heat absorption side of the second heat exchanger; and
driving a module fan with power from the second turbine to promote airflow from the mixing manifold past the heat rejection side of the second heat exchanger to the conditioned space.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising driving the second turbine with a portion of the dried, cooled compressed air on the ground and driving the second turbine with air from the conditioned space at high altitude.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising exhausting the heat absorption side of the second heat exchanger to atmosphere at high altitude, and delivering output from the heat absorption side of the second heat exchanger to the conditioned space on the ground.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising drying the cooled pre-conditioned air mixture in a second water collector to produce conditioned air for the conditioned space.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Devalve Timothy D

Classifications

• B64D2013/0648

  with energy recovery means, e.g. using turbines · CPC title

• F25B11/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, using turbines, e.g. gas turbines · CPC title

• B64D2013/0611

  combined with auxiliary power units (APU's) · CPC title

• B64D2013/0603

  Environmental Control Systems · CPC title

• B64D13/06 Primary

  the air being conditioned (pressurising B64D13/02) · CPC title