System And Method For Air Conditioning An Aircraft Cabin With Improved Cooling Capacity

• US 20110237173A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Kelnhofer, Jügen, Kiryaman, Ahmet Kayihan, Krakowski, Dariusz
• Granted Patent: US 9,085,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/76
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 13/08 the air being heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0655 with zone or personal climate controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0688 with means for recirculating cabin air

Abstract

A system (10) for air conditioning an aircraft cabin (12) comprises an air conditioning unit (14) connected to a central mixer (16) in order to supply the central mixer (16) with air at a desired low temperature. A first recirculation system (18) is designed to remove exhaust air from a first aircraft cabin region (12a) and is connected to the central mixer (16) in order to lead the exhaust air from the first aircraft cabin region (12a) into the central mixer (16). A second recirculation system (24) is designed to remove exhaust air from a second aircraft cabin region (12b) and is connected to a local mixer (20, 22) in order to lead the exhaust air from the second aircraft cabin (12b) into the local mixer (20, 22). The local mixer (20, 22) is connected to the central mixer (16) in order to supply mixed air from the central mixer (16) into the local mixer (20, 22). The second recirculation system (24) comprises a cooling unit (28) which, in relation to the flow direction of the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region (12b) in the second recirculation system (24), is arranged upstream of the local mixer (20, 22) and is designed to cool the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region (12b) to a desired temperature.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. System for air conditioning an aircraft cabin, having:

an air conditioning unit connected to a central mixer in order to supply the central mixer with air at a desired low temperature,

a first recirculation system which is designed to remove recirculation air from a first aircraft cabin region and is connected to the central mixer in order to lead the recirculation air from the first aircraft cabin region into the central mixer, and

a second recirculation system which is designed to remove recirculation air from a second aircraft cabin region and is connected to a first and a second local mixer in order to lead the recirculation air from the second aircraft cabin region into the first and the second local mixer, the local mixers each being connected to the central mixer in order to supply mixed air from the central mixer into the local mixers,

characterised in that the second recirculation system comprises;

a first recirculation air distribution duct which connects a central recirculation air removal duct, connected to the second aircraft cabin region, to the first local mixer,

a second recirculation air distribution duct which connects the central recirculation air removal duct to the second local mixer, and

at least one cooling unit which is arranged in the first recirculation air distribution duct, in relation to the flow direction of the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region in the second recirculation system, upstream of the first local mixer and/or in the second recirculation air distribution duct, in relation to the flow direction of the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region in the second recirculation system, upstream of the second local mixer and is designed to cool the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region to a desired temperature.

12. Air conditioning system according to claim 11,

characterised in that the cooling unit is designed to be supplied with cooling energy by an existing cooling system of the aircraft or is formed as an independent cooling system.

13. Method for air conditioning an aircraft cabin, having the steps:

producing air at a desired low temperature by means of an air conditioning unit,

supplying the air produced by the air conditioning unit into a central mixer,

removing recirculation air from a first aircraft cabin region by means of a first recirculation system,

leading the air removed from the first aircraft cabin region by the first recirculation system into the central mixer,

removing recirculation air from a second aircraft cabin region by means of a second recirculation system,

leading the air removed from the second aircraft cabin region by the second recirculation system into a first and a second local mixer, and

supplying mixed air from the central mixer into the local mixers,

characterised in that the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region is supplied into the first local mixer through a first recirculation air distribution duct which connects a central recirculation air removal duct, connected to the second aircraft cabin region, to the first local mixer, and is supplied into the second local mixer through a second recirculation air distribution duct which connects the central recirculation air removal duct to the second local mixer, and in that the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region is cooled to a desired temperature by at least one cooling unit of the second recirculation system before it is supplied into the first and/or the second local mixer, which cooling unit is arranged in the first recirculation air distribution duct, in relation to the flow direction of the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region in the second recirculation system, upstream of the first local mixer and/or in the second recirculation air distribution duct, in relation to the flow direction of the recirculation air removed from the second aircraft cabin region in the second recirculation system, upstream of the second local mixer.)

14. Air conditioning method according to claim 13,

characterised in that the cooling unit is supplied with cooling energy by an existing cooling system of the aircraft or is formed as an independent cooling system.