Aircraft and method for thermal management
AssigneeGE Aviation Systems LLC
InventorRonald Jacob Rightnowar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft with a thermal management system and method of operating the thermal management system within an aircraft includes an avionics unit adapted to store at least one heat generating component, a first interface operably coupled to the avionics unit and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating component; and a plurality of heat pipes, wherein a first end of the plurality of heat pipes is coupled to the first interface, defining a hot interface, and a second end of the heat pipes is coupled to the at least one of the fuselage, the wing, the skin, or the support structure.
Claims19
An aircraft, comprising:
- at least one of a fuselage, a wing, a skin, or a support structure;
- an avionics unit adapted to store at least one heat generating component, wherein the avionics unit comprises an electronics chassis having an exterior and defining an interior for housing the at least one heat generating component;
- a first interface operably coupled to the avionics unit and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating component;
- a heat spreader having a body located within the interior;
- a heatsink located within the interior;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes, wherein a first end of the plurality of heat pipes is coupled to the first interface, defining a hot interface, and a second end of the heat pipes is coupled to the at least one of the fuselage, the wing, the skin, or the support structure;
- wherein the first interface comprises a cold plate operably coupled to the electronics chassis and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating component;
- and
- wherein the heat spreader further comprises a set of embedded heat pipes with a hot end of the set of embedded heat pipes thermally coupled to the heat generating component via the heatsink.
A thermal management system, comprising:
- an avionics unit defining an interior configured to house at least one heat generating component;
- a heat spreader having a body located within the interior;
- a heatsink located within the interior;
- and
- a first plurality of heat pipes, wherein a first end of the first plurality of heat pipes is coupled to the avionics unit, and defines a hot interface, and a second end of the first plurality of heat pipes is coupled to a structural portion of an aircraft that is thermally coupled to an external environment outside the aircraft;
- and
- a second plurality of heat pipes, wherein a hot end of the second plurality of heat pipes is thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating component via the heatsink and a cold end of the second plurality of heat pipes is thermally coupled to a cold plate of the hot interface;
- the cold plate is operably coupled to the avionics unit;
- and
- the body of the heat spreader is located thermally between the cold end of the second plurality of heat pipes and the cold plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.