Vehicle Refrigeration Equipment Having a Liquid Heat Rejection System

• US 20150266353A1
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Lu, Qiao, Godecker, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,450,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0007 Devices specially adapted for food or beverage distribution services
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/04 Galleys
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/08 the air being heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0629 with subsystems for cooling food, catering or special loads
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0674 comprising liquid subsystems

Abstract

A refrigeration system includes an air chiller, a liquid coolant line that couples the air chiller with a central liquid coolant cooling system of a vehicle, a storage compartment stowage area having an interior for stowing a plurality of removable storage compartments, and a duct system that circulates chilled air from the air chiller through the storage compartment stowage area. The air chiller includes a compressor, a liquid-cooled condenser, an evaporator, and a tubing to circulate refrigerant. The liquid-cooled condenser transfers heat from the refrigerant to the liquid coolant which is then cooled by the central liquid coolant cooling system of the vehicle. The air chiller is situated parallel to the storage compartment stowage area along a plane perpendicular to a direction in which the removable storage compartments are removed and replaced. The duct system circulates chilled air from the evaporator through the interior of the storage compartment stowage area.

Claims

1. A refrigeration system for cooling removable storage compartments in a vehicle galley, comprising:

an air chiller comprising;

a compressor,

a liquid-cooled condenser,

an evaporator, and

a tubing to circulate refrigerant through the air chiller from the compressor to the liquid-cooled condenser to the evaporator and back to the compressor;

a liquid coolant line that circulates liquid coolant between a central liquid coolant cooling system of a vehicle that cools the liquid coolant and the liquid-cooled condenser that transfers heat from the refrigerant circulating through the tubing to the liquid coolant circulating through the liquid coolant line;

a storage compartment stowage area having an interior for stowing a plurality of removable storage compartments; and

a duct system in fluid communication between the storage compartment stowage area and the air chiller, the air chiller situated parallel to the storage compartment stowage area along a plane perpendicular to a direction in which the removable storage compartments are removed and replaced, the duct system circulating chilled air from the evaporator through the interior of the storage compartment stowage area and returning return air from the interior of the storage compartment stowage area to the evaporator, the duct system not including any ducts behind the removable storage compartments.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air chiller is situated to a side of the storage compartment stowage area.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air chiller outputs the chilled air at a lower portion of the air chiller, the chilled air enters the storage compartment stowage area at a lower region of the storage compartment stowage area, the return air exits the storage compartment stowage area at an upper region of the storage compartment stowage area, and the return air enters the air chiller at an upper portion of the air chiller.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air chiller operates using three phase alternating current electrical power.

5. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air duct system directs the chilled air to flow below the storage compartments and draws the return air from above the storage compartments in the storage compartment stowage area.

6. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air duct system directs the chilled air to flow into the storage compartments and draws the return air from within the storage compartments in the storage compartment stowage area.

7. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the air chiller further comprises a fan that draws the chilled air downward from the evaporator disposed in an upper portion of the air chiller and outputs the chilled air downward through a chiller air outlet in a lower portion of the air chiller.

8. A method of cooling removable storage compartments in a vehicle galley, the method comprising:

circulating refrigerant through a tubing between a compressor, a liquid-cooled condenser, and an evaporator of an air chiller;

circulating liquid coolant through a liquid coolant line between a central liquid coolant cooling system of a vehicle that cools the liquid coolant and the liquid-cooled condenser;

transferring heat from the refrigerant circulating through the tubing to the liquid coolant circulating through the liquid coolant line;

circulating air through a duct system between an evaporator of the air chiller and a storage compartment stowage area having an interior for stowing a plurality of removable storage compartments, the air chiller situated parallel to the storage compartment stowage area along a plane perpendicular to a direction in which the removable storage compartments are removed and replaced, the air not circulating through any ducts behind the removable storage compartments relative to a front side of the storage compartment stowage area through which the removable storage compartments are removed and replaced; and

chilling the air by the evaporator of the air chiller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the circulating air through the duct system comprises circulating the air between the storage compartment stowage area and the evaporator of the air chiller, the air chiller situated to a side of the storage compartment stowage area.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the air chiller outputting the chilled air at a lower portion of the air chiller, the chilled air entering the storage compartment stowage area at a lower region of the storage compartment stowage area, the return air exiting the storage compartment stowage area at an upper region of the storage compartment stowage area, and the return air entering the air chiller at an upper portion of the air chiller.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating the air chiller using three phase alternating current electrical power.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising directing the chilled air by the duct system to flow below the storage compartments and drawing the return air from above the storage compartments in the storage compartment stowage area by the duct system.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising directing the chilled air to flow into the storage compartments by the duct system and drawing the return air from within the storage compartments in the storage compartment stowage area by the duct system.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising drawing the chilled air downward from the evaporator disposed in an upper portion of the air chiller by a fan and outputting the chilled air downward through a chiller air outlet in a lower portion of the air chiller by the fan.