REDUNDANT INTEGRATED LIQUID COOLING SYSTEM FOR AVIONICS

• US 20130277015A1
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: TERZI, Cherif, SCHLL, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,752,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.19
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/00 Arrangements or adaptations of air-treatment apparatus for aircraft crew or passengers, or freight space , or structural parts of the aircraft treatment rooms with artificial climate for medical purposes A61G10/02; respiratory apparatus in general A62B; for vehicles in general B60H
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0614 with subsystems for cooling avionics
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0674 comprising liquid subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements specially adapted for movement F28F5/00

Abstract

A cooling system cools at least one heat producing device provided in a unit of transport, and a method is provided for cooling at least one heat producing device provided in a unit of transport. The cooling system includes at least one first liquid circuit and at least one first heat exchanger assigned to the first liquid circuit, the first liquid circuit, for cooling the at least one first heat producing device, being configured to absorb heat of the first heat producing device via a cooling liquid circulating in the first liquid circuit and dissipate heat to the first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger being coupled in such a manner to a first air-guiding system available on board the unit of transport, that exhaust air extracted from the first air-guiding system can be supplied to the first heat exchanger in order to recool the cooling liquid.

Claims

1. Cooling system for cooling at least one first heat producing device provided in a means of transport, for example in an aircraft, the cooling system comprising:

at least one first liquid circuit, and

at least one first heat exchanger assigned to the first liquid circuit, the first liquid circuit, for cooling the at least one first heat producing device provided on board the means of transport, being configured to absorb heat of the first heat producing device by means of a cooling liquid circulating in the first liquid circuit and dissipate heat to the first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger being coupled in such a manner to a first air-guiding system available on board the means of transport, for example a first exhaust air system available on board the means of transport, that exhaust air extracted from the first air-guiding system, for example the first exhaust air system, is suppliable to the first heat exchanger in order to recool the cooling liquid.

2. Cooling system according to claim 1, the cooling system further comprising:

at least one second liquid circuit, and

at least one second heat exchanger assigned to the second liquid circuit, the second liquid circuit, for cooling at least one second heat producing device provided on board the means of transport, being configured to absorb heat of the second heat producing device by means of a cooling liquid circulating in the second liquid circuit and dissipate heat to the second heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger being coupled in such a manner to a second air-guiding system available on board the means of transport, for example a second exhaust air system available on board the means of transport, that exhaust air extracted from the second air-guiding system, for example the second exhaust air system, is suppliable to the second heat exchanger in order to recool the cooling liquid.

3. Cooling system according to claim 2, the at least one first heat exchanger being arranged in a first region of the means of transport and/or the at least one second heat exchanger being arranged in a second region separated from the first region.

4. Cooling system according to claim 3, the first region comprising a first side of a centre plane running through the longitudinal axis of the means of transport, for example corresponding to this side, and/or the second region comprising a second side of the centre plane running through the longitudinal axis of the means of transport, for example corresponding to this side.

5. Cooling system according to claim 3, at least one of the at least one first liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one first heat producing device, extending at least partially in the first region and/or at least one of the at least one second liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one second heat producing device, extending at least partially in the second region.

6. Cooling system according to claim 3, at least one of the at least one first liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one second heat producing device, extending at least partially in the second region and/or at least one of the at least one second liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one first heat producing device, extending at least partially in the first region.

7. Cooling system according to claim 3, at least one of the at least one first liquid circuit, for cooling all of the at least one first heat producing device, extending at least partially in the first region and/or at least one of the at least one second liquid circuit, for cooling all of the at least one second heat producing device, extending at least partially in the second region.

8. Cooling system according to claim 3, at least one of the at least one first liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one first heat producing device, extending at least partially in the first region and, for cooling at least one of the at least one second heat producing device, extending at least partially in the second region and/or at least one of the at least one second liquid circuit, for cooling at least one of the at least one first heat producing device, extending at least partially in the first region and, for cooling at least one of the at least one second heat producing device, extending at least partially in the second region.

9. Cooling system according to claim 1, the cooling system further comprising one or more fans and/or one or more pressure regulating valves which are each arranged in such a manner in the cooling system and so configured as to extract the exhaust air from the first air-guiding system, for example the first exhaust air system, and/or the second air-guiding system, for example the second exhaust air system, and also one or more pipe arrangements which are each configured to supply the extracted exhaust air to the first and/or the second heat exchanger in order to recool the cooling liquid.

10. Cooling system according to claim 1, the cooling system being so configured that outside air surrounding the means of transport and/or inside air present inside the means of transport and surrounding the cooling system can be supplied to the first and/or the second heat exchanger in order to cool the cooling liquid, and the exhaust air extracted from the first air-guiding system, for example the first exhaust air system, and/or the second air-guiding system, for example the second exhaust air system, can be guided past the first and/or second heat exchanger via one or more bypass arrangements.

11. Cooling system according to claim 10, the cooling system further comprising a valve arrangement and/or a pipe stop arrangement which is configured to isolate the supplied outside air and/or the supplied inside air from the exhaust air guided via the bypass arrangement.

12. Cooling system according to claim 1, the cooling system further comprising one or more thermoelectric cooling elements which are each arranged in such a manner in the first and/or in the second liquid circuit and so configured that the one or more thermoelectric cooling elements absorb heat from the cooling liquid in the inflow of the first and/or of the second liquid circuit and dissipate heat to the cooling liquid in the outflow of the first and/or of the second liquid circuit.

13. Use of the cooling system according to claim 1 for cooling at least one first heat producing device provided in a means of transport, for example in an aircraft.

14. Means of transport, for example aircraft, comprising the cooling system according to claim 1.

15. Method for cooling at least one first heat producing device provided in a means of transport, for example in an aircraft, the method comprising the steps:

cooling the at least one first heat producing device provided on board the means of transport by absorbing heat of the first heat producing device by means of a cooling liquid circulating in a first liquid circuit and dissipating heat from the cooling liquid to at least one first heat exchanger assigned to the first liquid circuit;

extracting exhaust air from a first air-guiding system available on board the means of transport, for example a first exhaust air system available on board the means of transport; and

supplying the extracted exhaust air to the first heat exchanger in order to recool the cooling liquid.