AIRCRAFT AND AIRBORNE ELECTRICAL POWER AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20120248242A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Gagne, Steven, Rodriguez, Rigoberto, Siegel, William L., Arvin, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,967,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/58
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/006 the air being used to cool structural parts of the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/08 the air being heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0614 with subsystems for cooling avionics
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0674 comprising liquid subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/04 of exhaust outlets or jet pipes exhaust outlets for combustion engines in general F01N; jet pipes or nozzles for jet-propulsion plants per se F02K; plants characterised by the form or arrangement of the jet pipe or nozzle F02K ; attitude, flight direction, or altitude control by jet reaction B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/08 of power plant cooling systems cooling of internal-combustion engines per se F01P; cooling of gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants per se F02C, F02K
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 41/00 Power installations for auxiliary purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 41/007 Ram air turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/08 the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/32 Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a unique airborne electrical power and thermal management system. Another embodiment is a unique aircraft. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for aircraft and electrical power and thermal management systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

Claims

1. An airborne electrical power and thermal management system, comprising:

a turbine in fluid communication with a gas turbine engine bleed air source;

a generator powered by the turbine and configured to provide power to an electrical load;

a refrigerant compressor powered by the turbine;

a condenser in fluid communication with the refrigerant compressor; and

at least one evaporator in fluid communication with the condenser, wherein the at least one evaporator is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load includes a directed energy weapon system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat source includes a directed energy weapon system.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a combustor fluidly disposed between the turbine and the bleed air source, wherein the combustor is operative to mix fuel with air received from the bleed air source, combust the mixture, and discharge the combustion products to the turbine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat source is a plurality of heat sources, further comprising a chilled fluid manifold, wherein the at least one evaporator is configured to chill a fluid for delivery to the chilled fluid manifold;

and wherein the chilled fluid manifold is configured to distribute chilled fluid to the plurality of heat sources.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the turbine, the generator, the refrigerant compressor and the condenser are disposed in an aircraft external pod.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a gas turbine engine disposed within the external pod, wherein the turbine is a component of the gas turbine engine.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a refrigerant receiver;

a thermal energy storage system; and

an evaporator in fluid communication with the refrigerant receiver and operative to receive a liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant receiver and extract heat from the thermal energy storage system.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a refrigerant circulation pump configured to pump the liquid refrigerant to the thermal energy storage system.

10. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a wing coupled to the fuselage;

an empennage coupled to at least one of the fuselage and the wing;

a gas turbine engine propulsion system coupled to the aircraft and having a bleed air port;

an external pod coupled to the aircraft; and

an electrical power and thermal management system at least partially disposed in the external pod, wherein the electrical power and thermal management system includes a turbine in fluid communication with the bleed air port;

a generator powered by the turbine and configured to provide power to an aircraft electrical load;

a refrigerant compressor powered by the turbine;

a condenser in fluid communication with the refrigerant compressor; and

at least one evaporator in fluid communication with the condenser, wherein the at least one evaporator is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source.

11. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat source includes components of a directed energy weapon system.

12. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein at least the turbine, the generator and the refrigerant compressor are disposed in the external pod.

13. The aircraft of claim 12, wherein the condenser is disposed in the external pod.

14. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the condenser is configured for cooling with ambient air supplied to the condenser from outside the external pod.

15. The aircraft of claim 14, wherein the condenser is configured for ram-air cooling.

16. The aircraft of claim 10, further comprising a combustor fluidly disposed between the turbine and the bleed air port, wherein the combustor is operative to mix fuel with air received from the bleed air port, combust the mixture, and discharge the combustion products to the turbine.

17. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat source is a plurality of heat sources;

wherein the at least one evaporator is a plurality of evaporators corresponding in number to the plurality of heat sources; and

wherein each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators is configured to extract heat from a corresponding each heat source of the plurality of heat sources.

18. The aircraft of claim 17, further comprising a refrigerant circulation pump configured to pump liquid refrigerant to the plurality of evaporators.

19. The aircraft of claim 18, further comprising a refrigerant receiver fluidly disposed between the condenser and the refrigerant circulation pump, wherein the refrigerant receiver is configured to accumulate liquid refrigerant.

20. The aircraft of claim 19, wherein the refrigerant receiver is configured to separate liquid refrigerant from refrigerant vapor.

21. The aircraft of claim 10, further comprising a gas turbine engine disposed within the external pod, wherein the turbine is a component of the gas turbine engine.

22. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a wing coupled to the fuselage;

an empennage coupled to at least one of the fuselage and the wing;

a gas turbine engine propulsion system having a bleed air port; and

means for providing electrical power and thermal management, wherein the means for providing is in fluid communication with the bleed air port.

23. The aircraft of claim 22, further comprising an external pod, wherein the means for providing is at least partially disposed in the external pod.

24. The aircraft of claim 23, wherein the external pod is configured to appear similar to a conventional external fuel tank pod employed by the aircraft.

25. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a wing coupled to the fuselage;

an empennage coupled to at least one of the fuselage and the wing;

a gas turbine engine propulsion system coupled to the aircraft for providing propulsive thrust to the aircraft;

an external pod coupled to the aircraft; and

an electrical power and thermal management system at least partially disposed in the external pod, wherein the electrical power and thermal management system includes a gas turbine engine disposed in the external pod;

a generator powered by the gas turbine engine and configured to provide power to an aircraft electrical load;

a refrigerant compressor powered by the gas turbine engine;

a condenser in fluid communication with the refrigerant compressor; and

at least one evaporator in fluid communication with the condenser, wherein the at least one evaporator is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source.

26. The aircraft of claim 25, wherein the external pod is configured to appear similar to a conventional external fuel tank pod employed by the aircraft.