Temperature control of a circulation fluid system by thermally optimised operation of a circulation pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9657954-B2
Application number	US-201213539592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2012
Priority date	Jun 30, 2011
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A thermally optimised circulation fluid system is proposed which comprises a circulation line, a circulation pump unit and a control unit. The circulation pump unit and the circulation line together form a circulation circuit. The circulation pump unit is configured for transferring an amount of thermal energy directly or indirectly to a fluid located in the circulation line. The control unit is configured for adjusting the amount of thermal energy which is transferrable to the fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft having a drinking water circulation system comprising:
a circulation line comprising pipes, wherein the pipes pass in such a vicinity of an outer skin of the aircraft that heat sinks occur in respective regions of the circulation line;
a circulation pump unit comprising a pump having a bypass conduit between a pump inlet and a pump outlet, a first valve in the bypass conduit, a motor for operating the pump and a frequency converter, wherein the circulation pump unit and the circulation line together form a circulation circuit and the circulation pump unit is configured to transfer an amount of thermal energy at least one of directly and indirectly to a fluid in the form of drinking water located in the circulation line such that a system temperature is kept above a freezing temperature of the fluid and below 16° Celsius; and
a control unit configured to adjust the amount of thermal energy transferrable as waste heat to the fluid by controlling the efficiency of the circulation pump unit according to at least one of the following:
adjusting the electric efficiency of the motor;
actuating the frequency converter in such a way that the frequency converter produces a transferable amount of thermal energy; and
controlling the first valve to adjust a bypass fluid flow rate through the bypass conduit;

wherein the control unit adjusts a transferrable amount of thermal energy by operating the circulation pump unit in at least one of a hydraulically or electrically suboptimal range to affect a heating of the circulation pump unit, which heating is transferred as waste heat to the fluid.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit adjusts a temperature of the fluid to a predeterminable temperature setpoint value via an adjustable amount of thermal energy.

3. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein the circulation fluid system further comprises:
a temperature sensor that determines a current temperature value of the fluid.

4. The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit compares the current temperature value with the predeterminable temperature setpoint value.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein a heat exchanger is also provided in the circulation pump unit, and the heat exchanger transmits the transferrable amount of thermal energy from the frequency converter to the fluid.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second valve provided in the circulation line,
wherein the control unit adjusts the transferrable amount of thermal energy by controlling a rotational speed of the pump at a constant set pressure of the fluid through the second valve.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second valve provided in the circulation line,
wherein the control unit adjusts the transferrable amount of thermal energy by controlling a flow rate of the fluid through the second valve at a constant rotational speed of the pump.

8. The aircraft according to claim 1 further comprising:
a fluid holding tank;
wherein the fluid holding tank, the circulation pump unit and the circulation line together form the circulation circuit.

9. A method for thermal optimization of a drinking water circulation fluid system in an aircraft including a circulation line having pipes that pass in the vicinity of an outer skin of the aircraft, the method comprising:
determining a current temperature value of a fluid located in a circulation fluid system;
comparing the current temperature value with a predeterminable temperature setpoint value; and
adjusting an amount of thermal energy which is transferrable to the fluid by a circulation pump unit on the basis of a deviation of the current temperature value from the temperature setpoint value, wherein a control unit is configured to control the efficiency of the circulation pump unit for adjusting a transferrable amount of thermal energy generated by the circulation pump unit according to at least one of the following:
adjusting the electric efficiency of a motor operating a pump of the circulation pump unit;
actuating a frequency converter provided in the circulation pump unit such that the frequency converter produces the transferable amount of thermal energy; and
controlling a rotational speed of the pump by adjusting a first valve provided in a bypass conduit such that a first quantity of fluid from the circulation circuit is carried in a bypass circuit directly from a pump outlet to a pump inlet;

operating the circulation pump unit with the control unit in at least one of a hydraulically or electrically suboptimal range for heating the circulation pump unit; and
transferring heat from the circulation pump unit as waste heat to the fluid.

10. An aircraft having a drinking water circulation system comprising:
a circulation line comprising pipes, wherein the pipes pass in such a vicinity of an outer skin of the aircraft that heat sinks occur in respective regions of the circulation line;
a circulation pump unit comprising a pump having a bypass conduit between a pump inlet and a pump outlet, a first valve in the bypass conduit, a motor for operating the pump and a frequency converter, wherein the circulation pump unit and the circulation line together form a circulation circuit and the circulation pump unit is configured to transfer an amount of thermal energy at least one of directly and indirectly to a fluid in the form of drinking water located in the circulation line; and
a control unit configured to adjust the amount of thermal energy transferrable as waste heat to the fluid by controlling the efficiency of the circulation pump unit according to at least one of the following:
adjusting the electric efficiency of the motor;
actuating the frequency converter in such a way that the frequency converter produces a transferable amount of thermal energy; and
controlling the first valve to adjust a bypass fluid flow rate through the bypass conduit, and

wherein the control unit adjusts a transferrable amount of thermal energy by operating the circulation pump unit in at least one of a hydraulically or electrically suboptimal range to affect a heating of the circulation pump unit, which heating is transferred as waste heat to the fluid.

Assignees

• Flashaar Sebastian
• Schreiner Axel
• Rempe Michael
• Sander Erika Lourdes
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Flashaar Sebastian
• Schreiner Axel
• Rempe Michael
• Sander Erika Lourdes

Classifications

• Y02B30/745

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F24D19/1012

  by regulating the speed of a pump · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• Y10T137/6855

  Vehicle · CPC title

• F24D2200/29

  Electrical devices, e.g. computers, servers · CPC title