SMART HYBRID ELECTRIC AND BLEED ARCHITECTURE

• US 20090326737A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: DEROUINEAU, JEAN-LUC, JONQUERES, MICHEL A., PEARSON, WAYNE T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/06 the air being conditioned pressurising B64D13/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0618 with arrangements for reducing or managing bleed air, using another air source, e.g. ram air
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0644 including electric motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

An aircraft architecture may be designed to create an optimal balance between electric power and bleed power in order to match or improve current more electric architecture (MEA) performance while simplifying power extraction from the engines as well as simplifying the electrical system. Conventional aircraft architectures may use electric only ECS and cabin pressurization systems (so-called “no bleed” systems). Alternatively, older conventional aircraft may use strictly engine bleed air to provide power for ECS and cabin pressurization systems. The present invention, on the other hand, provides an architecture which may optimize the use of both engine bleed air and MEA designs to provide a system that may be simpler and potentially more reliable and available as compared to conventional aircraft architectures.

Claims

1. A hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle, comprising:

an environmental control system having a pressurization circuit and a cooling circuit, the pressurization circuit providing air near cabin pressure and the cooling circuit rejecting heat and water from the air outside a pressure vessel;

an electric system having at least one engine driven starter-generator, at least one auxiliary power unit driven starter-generator, at least one main AC bus, and at least one variable voltage of variable frequency bus, wherein

the main AC bus receives alternating current from the engine driven starter-generator or the auxiliary power unit driven starter-generator in a generation mode;

the variable voltage of variable frequency bus receives variable voltage of variable frequency either from a DC bus through at least one inverter/motor controller or from the main AC bus through at least one matrix converter, and the variable voltage of variable frequency bus supplies power to start the engine driven starter-generator or the auxiliary power unit driven starter-generator.

2. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric architecture further comprises at least one secondary bus.

3. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the secondary bus receives ground power and is electrically connected to the main AC bus through at least one AC-to-AC power converter.

4. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric architecture further comprises at least one battery.

5. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the battery may either receive or send power to the DC bus via a DC-to-DC power converter.

6. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the main AC bus may be a 230 volt AC bus and the DC bus may be a ±

270 volt (540 volt) DC bus.

7. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the ECS is a motorized air cycle machine that comprises:

a compressor mechanically attached to a turbine;

a motor controlling the rotation of the compressor and the turbine;

a heat exchanger;

a water extraction system; and

a temperature trim air valve.

8. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising bypass circuits allowing the bleed or mixed air to be cooled by the heat exchanger:

i;

without the operation of the motor, compressor and turbine if bleed air pressure is sufficient;

or

ii;

with operation of the compressor, using motor assistance, if bleed pressure is too low.

9. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pressurization circuit receives the engine bleed air from a low pressure bleed from an engine.

10. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a mixer or an ejector, the ejector having fixed or variable geometry, with the required valves to inject bleed air from a high pressure engine bleed in order to increase the pressure of the engine bleed air delivered to the ECS.

11. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a commercial aircraft.

12. An environmental control system integrating into a hybrid electric and bleed architecture of an aircraft, the environmental control system comprising:

a cooling circuit receiving pure bleed or mixed air comprising recirculated cabin air mixed with engine bleed air at or near cabin pressure;

an air cycle machine having a compressor and a turbine and a motor;

the compressor compressing the mixed air;

a heat exchanger receiving the compressed mixed air; and

the turbine cooling the compressed mixed air by expansion cooling.

13. The environmental control system according to claim 12, further comprising bypass circuits allowing the bleed or mixed air to be cooled by the heat exchanger:

i;

without the operation of the motor, compressor and turbine if bleed air pressure is sufficient;

or

ii;

with operation of the compressor, using motor assistance, if bleed pressure is too low.

14. The environmental control system according to claim 12, wherein the engine bleed air is from a low pressure port of an engine.

15. The hybrid electric and bleed system for a vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a mixer or an ejector, the ejector having fixed or variable geometry, with the required valves to inject bleed air from a high pressure engine bleed in order to increase the pressure of the engine bleed air delivered to the ECS.

16. A hybrid electric and bleed system comprising:

an electric architecture, the electric architecture comprising;

a first and at least a second engine, each having at least one engine driven starter-generator;

at least one APU driven starter-generator;

at least one main AC bus;

at least one DC bus; and

at least one VVVF bus, wherein

the main AC bus receives alternating current from the engine driven starter-generator or the APU driven starter-generator in a generation mode;

the DC bus receives direct current from the main AC bus through at least one AC-to-DC power converter; and

the VVVF bus receives variable voltage of variable frequency from the DC bus through at least one inverter/motor controller and the VVVF bus supplies power to start the engine driven starter-generator or the APU driven starter-generator; and

an bleed architecture, the bleed architecture comprising;

an environmental control system having a pressurization circuit and a cooling circuit, the pressurization circuit providing air near cabin pressure and the cooling circuit rejecting heat and water from the air outside a pressure vessel.

17. The hybrid electric and bleed system according to claim 16, wherein:

the first engine has a first engine first starter-generator and a first engine second starter-generator; and

the second engine has a second engine first starter-generator and a second engine second starter-generator.

18. The hybrid electric and bleed system according to claim 17, wherein:

the first engine first starter-generator and the second engine first starter-generator power a left-hand side of the electric architecture; and

the first engine second starter-generator and the second engine second starter-generator power a right-hand side of the electric architecture, thereby providing an electric architecture with high dispatch reliability.

19. The electric system according to claim 16, wherein:

the electric architecture further comprises at least one secondary bus; and

the secondary bus receives ground power and is electrically connected to the main AC bus through at least one AC-to-AC power converter.

20. The electric system according to claim 16, wherein:

the electric architecture further comprises at least one battery; and

the battery may either receive or send power to the DC bus via a DC-to-DC power converter.