Aircraft hybrid cooling system
AssigneeKitty Hawk Corporation
InventorsJohn Melack, Thomas P. Muniz, Eric Allison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft hybrid cooling system is disclosed. The aircraft hybrid cooling system includes a conduit through an aircraft that is configured to allow airflow through the conduit. The aircraft hybrid cooling system additionally includes a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation. In some embodiments, the battery in the battery assembly is cooled via airflow in the event the aircraft is in flight and is cooled via an applied cooling medium in the event the aircraft is grounded.
Claims12
An aircraft hybrid cooling system, comprising:
- a conduit through an aircraft fuselage, configured to allow airflow through the conduit, the conduit including a first end positioned at or adjacent to an underside of the aircraft fuselage and a second end positioned at or adjacent to a top side of the aircraft fuselage;
- a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation in which airflow enters the conduit at the first end and exits at the second end and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation in which the cooling medium enters the conduit at the second end, flows through the conduit at least in part due to the force of gravity, and exists at the first end;
- wherein a source of the cooling medium is aligned with an opening of the conduit in the second mode of operation and wherein the source of the cooling medium comprises a covering that forms a seal with the opening of the conduit.
An aircraft hybrid cooling system, comprising:
- a conduit through an aircraft fuselage, configured to allow airflow through the conduit, the conduit including a first end positioned at or adjacent to an underside of the aircraft fuselage and a second end positioned at or adjacent to a top side of the aircraft fuselage;
- a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation in which airflow enters the conduit at the first end and exits at the second end and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation in which the cooling medium enters the conduit at the second end, flows through the conduit at least in part due to the force of gravity, and exists at the first end;
- wherein the cooling medium comprises water or oil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.