Air cycle machines and methods of communicating fluid through air cycle machines
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsDarryl A. Colson, Roberto J. Perez, Beakal T. Woldemariam
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Abstract
An air cycle machine includes a housing having an exterior wall and an interior wall, a scavenging turbine supported for rotation within the housing, and an ambient air fan. The ambient air fan is supported for rotation within the housing and is operably associated with the scavenging turbine. The interior wall defines therethrough a turbine-fan port that fluidly couples the ambient air fan to the scavenging turbine for communication of an overboard air flow to an ambient air flow without external ducting. Environmental control systems and methods of flowing fluid through air cycle machines are also described.
Claims17
An air cycle machine, comprising:
- a housing having an exterior wall and an interior wall wherein the exterior wall defines a fan chamber having a fan inlet port and a fan outlet port;
- a scavenging turbine supported for rotation within the housing, the savaging turbine having a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet;
- and
- an ambient air fan supported for rotation within the fan chamber and that moves air from the fan inlet port to the fan outlet port and operably associated with the scavenging turbine, wherein the interior wall defines therethrough a turbine-fan port fluidly coupling the ambient air fan to the outlet of scavenging turbine so that air exiting the turbine outlet mixes with air in the fan chamber and exits the air cycle machine through the fan outlet port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.