Aircraft galley chiller system

• US 20050076661A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• 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: Christians, Douglas L., Bruno, Louis J., Zywiak, Thomas, Drew, Diane
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/244
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/04 Galleys
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/06 the air being conditioned pressurising B64D13/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0614 with subsystems for cooling avionics
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0629 with subsystems for cooling food, catering or special loads
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/10 with multi-stage compression with cascade operation F25B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/047 Water-cooled condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/075 with parallel compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/112 of evaporator fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2511 Evaporator distribution valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21173 at the outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/22 between evaporator and compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 47/022 hot gas defrosting
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 62/05 Aircraft cooling

Abstract

A galley chiller system for an aircraft includes at least one condenser having a refrigerant fluid. The fluid within the condenser rejects heat to a first surrounding environment. To more efficiently use the condenser of the galley chiller system and reduce the requirement on other cooling systems within an aircraft, the condenser may reject its heat to a desired location using a heat exchanger. The galley chiller system includes at least one evaporator that receives fluid from the condenser. A first evaporator absorbs heat from a galley, which may include a bank of carts. The first evaporator is arranged in ducting that carries cooled air to the carts. A second evaporator may absorb heat from a cabin recirculation air duct of the aircraft cooling system. In this manner, the evaporators of the inventive galley chilling system cools not only the galley carts but also provides supplemental cooling to the aircraft cooling system thereby reducing its cooling requirements.

Claims

1. A galley chiller system for an aircraft comprising:

at least one condenser having a fluid, said fluid in said at least one condenser rejecting heat to a first surrounding environment; and

at least one evaporator receiving said fluid from at least one condenser, said fluid in said evaporator absorbing heat from a second surrounding environment including a galley cart and a third surrounding environment including an air duct of an aircraft cooling system.

2. The galley chiller system according to claim 1, comprising a first evaporator absorbing heat from said second surrounding environment, and a second evaporator absorbing heat from said third surrounding environment.

3. The galley chiller system according to claim 1, wherein said air duct is a cabin recirculation air duct.

4. The galley chiller system according to claim 1, wherein said galley chiller system includes at least two evaporators, at least two condensers, and at least one compressor, said condensers fluidly connected to each of said evaporators and said at least one compressor fluidly connected to said condensers.

5. The galley chiller system according to claim 4, wherein said galley chiller system includes first and second galley refrigerant units respectively including one of said at least two evaporators and condensers and another of said at least two evaporators and condensers.

6. The galley chiller system according to claim 5, wherein a liquid cooling loop is provided between said at least two evaporators and at least two galley heat exchangers.

7. The galley chiller system according to claim 6, wherein said at least two evaporators and said at least two galley heat exchangers are connected in series.

8. The galley chiller system according to claim 6, wherein a recirculation air heat exchanger is connected to said liquid cooling loop, said recirculation heat exchanger arranged in a recirculation air duct.

9. The galley chiller system according to claim 1, comprising a heat exchanger arranged in a galley duct, said heat exchanger including a liquid cooling loop between said heat exchanger and said evaporator, said liquid cooling at least partially defining said third surrounding environment.

10. The galley chiller system according to claim 9, wherein the air duct is a cabin recirculation air duct.

11. A galley chiller system for an aircraft comprising:

at least one condenser having a fluid, said fluid in said at least one condenser rejecting heat to a first surrounding environment;

at least one evaporator receiving said fluid from at least one condenser, said fluid in said evaporator absorbing heat from a second surrounding environment; and

ducting defining at least a portion of said second surrounding environment, said ducting carrying cooled air in said ducting to a galley cart.

12. The galley chiller system according to claim 11, comprising a galley having multiple galley carts, said ducting carrying said cooled air to said multiple galley carts.

13. The galley chiller system according to claim 12, comprising multiple galleys with said ducting carrying said cooled air to said multiple galleys.

14. The galley chiller system according to claim 13, comprising multiple liquid heat exchangers associated with said multiple galleys, said multiple liquid heat exchangers connecting in a liquid cooling loop with said at least one evaporator.

15. The galley chiller system according to claim 14, wherein said liquid loop includes a recirculation air heat exchanger arranged in a recirculation air duct.

16. The galley chiller system according to claim 14, wherein said multiple liquid heat exchangers and said at least one evaporators are connected in series.