Temperature compensation system and method

• US 8,850,830 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Doughty, Kurt J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M
• Application Number:
  US13/494,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20130327071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 621/14, 621/85, 622/02, 62/56, 621/29, 621/57
• US Class Current: 62/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3245 using a level monitoring device G01M3/3272 takes precedence

Abstract

A cooling system includes a cooling loop that includes a reservoir. The reservoir has a level sensor that is configured to provide a level signal indicative of a coolant level within the reservoir. A temperature sensor is in communication with the cooling loop and is configured to provide a temperature signal. A controller is in communication with the level sensor and the temperature sensor. The controller has a coolant density data. The controller is configured to correct the level signal based upon the temperature signal and detect a leakage condition of the cooling system. A method of determining a coolant amount within a cooling system includes the steps of determining an amount of coolant having a temperature-variable density, determining a coolant temperature, correcting the coolant amount based upon the coolant temperature, and comparing the corrected coolant amount to a desired coolant amount to detect a coolant leakage condition.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

a cooling loop including a reservoir, the reservoir having a level sensor configured to provide a level signal indicative of a coolant level within the reservoir;

a temperature sensor in communication with the cooling loop and configured to provide a temperature signal; and

a controller in communication with the level sensor and the temperature sensor, the controller having coolant density data, the controller configured to correct the level signal based upon the temperature signal and the coolant density data in order to detect a leakage condition of the cooling system.

2. The system according to claim 1, comprising a heat load in communication with the cooling loop and configured to reject heat to the cooling loop, and a heat exchanger in communication with the cooling loop and configured to reject heat from the cooling loop.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the heat load is a power electronics device.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the heat load is an aircraft galley chiller.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the heat exchanger is a ram air heat exchanger arranged in a ram air duct.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling loop includes a propylene glycol coolant.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the corrected level signal includes a calculated coolant amount.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the controller compares the corrected level signal to a desired coolant amount to detect the leakage condition.

9. A cooling system comprising:

a cooling loop including a reservoir, the reservoir having a level sensor configured to provide a level signal indicative of a coolant level within the reservoir, wherein the cooling loop includes multiple segments each having a temperature differential throughout various operating conditions;

a temperature sensor in communication with the cooling loop and configured to provide a temperature signal, the temperature sensor arranged in the segment with a larger temperature differential as compared to at least half of the multiple segments; and

a controller in communication with the level sensor and the temperature sensor, the controller having coolant density data, the controller configured to correct the level signal based upon the temperature signal and the coolant density data in order to detect a leakage condition of the cooling system.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the operating conditions correspond to at least one of a heat load amount and an aircraft altitude temperature.

11. The system according to claim 9, comprising a heat load in communication with the cooling loop and configured to reject heat to the cooling loop, and a heat exchanger in communication with the cooling loop and configured to reject heat from the cooling loop, wherein the heat load is a power electronics device.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the heat load is an aircraft galley chiller.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the heat exchanger is a ram air heat exchanger arranged in a ram air duct.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the cooling loop includes a propylene glycol coolant.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the corrected level signal includes a calculated coolant amount, wherein the controller compares the corrected level signal to a desired coolant amount to detect the leakage condition.

16. A method of determining a coolant amount within a cooling system comprising the steps of:

determining an amount of coolant having a temperature-variable density;

determining a coolant temperature;

correcting the coolant amount based upon the coolant temperature; and

comparing the corrected coolant amount to a desired coolant amount in order to detect a coolant leakage condition.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the coolant amount determining step includes determining a coolant level within the reservoir.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the corrected coolant amount includes a calculated coolant amount.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the coolant is propylene glycol.

20. A method of determining a coolant amount within a cooling system that includes a coolant loop with multiple segments each having a temperature differential throughout various operating conditions, the method comprising the steps of:

determining an amount of coolant having a temperature-variable density;

determining a coolant temperature at the segment with a larger temperature differential as compared to at least half of the multiple segments;

correcting the coolant amount based upon the coolant temperature; and

comparing the corrected coolant amount to a desired coolant amount in order to detect a coolant leakage condition.