Aircraft with wheel well between heat exchangers of engine assembly

An assembly for an aircraft having a propeller, the assembly comprising:

• a nose nacelle;
• a wheel well defined in the nose nacelle and configured for receiving a retracted landing gear;
• first and second cooling ducts integrated to the nose nacelle and in fluid communication with an environment of the aircraft;
• and
• an engine assembly received in the nose nacelle and including:
• a rotary internal combustion engine in driving engagement with an engine shaft, the engine shaft configured for driving engagement with the propeller, the rotary internal combustion engine configured for circulation of a liquid coolant therethrough,
• a turbine having an inlet in fluid communication with an exhaust of the rotary internal combustion engine, the turbine including a turbine shaft configured to compound power with the engine shaft,
• a first heat exchanger in fluid communication with the rotary internal combustion engine for circulation of the liquid coolant therethrough, the first heat exchanger positioned and configured for receiving a first cooling airflow from the first cooling duct for cooling the liquid coolant, and
• a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with a lubricant circulation system of the engine assembly, the second heat exchanger positioned and configured for receiving a second cooling airflow from the second cooling duct for cooling the lubricant, the wheel well located between the first and second heat exchangers, the first and second heat exchangers mounted in the nose nacelle on opposed sides of the wheel well.

A method of cooling a lubricant and a liquid coolant of an engine assembly in an aircraft having a nose propeller driven by the engine assembly received in a nose nacelle having a wheel well for receiving a retractable landing gear, the method comprising:

• circulating a first airflow through a first cooling duct and a second airflow through a second cooling duct integrated to the nose nacelle, including circulating the first and second airflows through first and second heat exchangers mounted on opposed sides of the wheel well inside the nose nacelle;
• with the first airflow, cooling at least the liquid coolant;
• and
• with the second airflow, cooling at least the lubricant.