System and method for air filtration with self-cleaning filter medium for an aircraft engine

An air supply system for supplying air to an engine of an aircraft at an air supply flow rate during a flight of the aircraft, the air supply system comprising:

• a dynamic air intake vent that can be closed by a closure member, the closure member being movable between a closed position in which the closure member closes the dynamic air intake vent and an open position in which the closure member does not close the dynamic air intake vent;
• a static air intake vent equipped with a filtration device having a filter medium;
• a controller operable to move the closure member between the closed and open positions;
• a pollution sensor configured to detect for a pollution in the air of an external environment;
• a clogging sensor configured to detect for a clogging of the filter medium;
• and
• wherein the controller, responsive to the aircraft flying over a desert area, moves the closure member to the closed position to implement a filtered operating mode during which air from the external environment situated outside the aircraft is taken in through the static air intake vent, filtered by the filter medium, and supplied to the engine at the air supply flow rate;
• the controller, responsive to the aircraft flying over a non-desert area and during a phase of forward travel of the aircraft, moves the closure member to the open position to implement an unfiltered operating mode during which a flow of air from the external environment is taken in through the dynamic air intake vent at an air intake flow rate higher than a minimum flow rate necessary in order to obtain the air supply flow rate as a result of the forward travel of the aircraft with a first portion of the flow of air being supplied to the engine and a second portion of the flow of air being supplied to the filter medium, the second portion of the flow of air passing through the filter medium to return to the external environment in order to clean the filter medium;
• and
• the controller implements the filtered operating mode whenever the pollution is greater than a pollution threshold regardless of whether the aircraft is flying over the non-desert area.