VEHICLE SYSTEM

• US 20120247117A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Gagne, Steven, Rodriguez, Rigoberto, Arvin, John R., Siegel, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,534,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/772
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/08 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/04 having a turbine driving a compressor power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/08 the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/20 Adaptations of gas-turbine plants for driving vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/12 Cooling of plants of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/141 of working fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/16 characterised by cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/32 Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/323 for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/50 for auxiliary power units (APU's)
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/76 an electrical generator
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/35 Combustors or associated equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/207 using a phase changing mass, e.g. heat absorbing by melting or boiling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/00 Machines, plants or systems, with a single mode of operation not covered by groups F25B1/00 - F25B21/00, e.g. using selective radiation effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/24 Storage receiver heat
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/005 the high-energy beam being a laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0068 the high-energy beam being of microwave type, e.g. for causing a heating effect in the target
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A system is disclosed one form of which is an aircraft that includes a pod capable of housing a work providing device. The pod can also include a thermal conditioning system and a power generation device that can be powered from the work providing device. The pod can provide thermal conditioning services and power services to a payload aboard the aircraft. In one non-limiting form the payload is a directed energy member that can be cooled using the thermal conditioning system and powered using the power generation device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

vehicle having an internal combustion engine for providing motive force to enable movement of the vehicle;

a work providing device apart from the internal combustion engine and structured to generate electrical power by a change in pressure of a fluid;

a thermal conditioning system powered by the work providing device and having a working fluid and a phase transition material capable of transferring heat with a vehicle component, the working fluid capable of cooling the phase transition material to cause a change in phase of the phase transition material; and

an electrically driven device disposed in the vehicle and configured to receive power from the work providing device, the electrically driven device having a relatively high temperature component in thermal communication with the phase transition material of the thermal conditioning system, the phase transition material at a temperature to cool the relatively high temperature component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an airborne vehicle capable of producing lift, the internal combustion engine is capable of producing at least one of a thrust force and a lift force.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the work providing device is fluid driven and structured to provide work to generate electrical power by a change in pressure of the fluid.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft having an external pod, the work providing device located in the external pod.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, which further includes a second working fluid in thermal communication between the phase transition material and the relatively high temperature component, the second working fluid withdrawing heat from the relatively high temperature component and delivering heat to the phase transition material.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the vehicle includes a second external pod having a second work providing device.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the work providing device is a turbine, and wherein the external pod includes an opening to receive an air, the air in fluid communication with the turbine.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the internal combustion engine is a gas turbine engine, and the air is a bleed air from the gas turbine engine.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an aircraft having one or more propulsion engines and an external pod and including a turbine apart from the one or more propulsion engines, the turbine in power communication with an electrical generator and a heat exchange system that includes a phase change heat exchanger, the aircraft further including an implement in thermal communication with the heat exchange system.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the implement is an electrically driven implement.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the implement is powered by the electrical generator and takes the form of a directed energy device.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the external pod includes an opening for receiving a gas in fluid communication with the turbine.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the turbine is located downstream of a combustor, the heat exchange system includes a first working fluid in thermal communication with the phase change heat exchanger.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, which further includes a pump powered by the turbine, the pump circulating a second working fluid in thermal communication with the implement and the phase change heat exchanger, the first working fluid part of a vapor compression refrigeration system.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the external pod includes coolant supply and coolant return lines as well as an electrical conduit in communication with the implement.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the heat exchange system includes a vapor compression refrigeration system having a working fluid in communication with the phase change heat exchanger.

17. A method comprising:

combusting a fuel in an internal combustion engine to provide motive force for a vehicle;

operating a work providing device to provide power to an electrically driven device aboard the vehicle, the work providing device separate from the internal combustion engine;

elevating a temperature of the electrically driven device;

cooling the electrically driven device, the cooling including;

circulating a working fluid from work provided by the work providing device; and

exchanging heat between the working fluid and a phase transition material.

18. The method of claim 17, which further includes turning an internal combustion engine turbine downstream of the combusting and wherein the work providing device includes a rotatable turbine, the work providing device located in an external compartment of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the internal combustion engine is a turbine and the vehicle is an aircraft, wherein the work providing device is located in an external pod of the aircraft, and which further includes producing a directed electromagnetic beam from the electrically driven device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the circulating includes expanding the working fluid to reduce the temperature thereof and condensing the working fluid by rejecting heat from the working fluid to a relatively low temperature sink, the circulating provided by a compressor.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the exchanging includes reducing the temperature of the phase transition material to cause a change in phase, which further includes halting operating of a directed energy weapon.

22. The method of claim 21, which further includes circulating a second working fluid, the working fluid receiving heat from the phase transition material, the phase transition material receiving heat from the second working fluid, and the second working fluid receiving heat from the electrically driven device.