Aircraft heat exchanger
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsJames F. Wiedenhoefer, Russell J. Bergman, Patrick M. Hart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat exchanger plate provides heat transfer between a first flow along a first flowpath and a second flow along a second flowpath. The heat exchanger plate has a substrate having: a first face and a second face opposite the first face; a leading edge along the second flowpath and a trailing edge along the second flowpath; a proximal portion having a plurality of inlet ports along the first flowpath and a plurality of outlet ports along the first flowpath; and a plurality of passageways along the first flowpath. Each passageway extends between a respective associated said inlet port of the plate and a respective associated said outlet port of the plate.
Claims22
A heat exchanger for providing heat transfer between a first flow along a first flowpath and a second flow along a second flowpath, the heat exchanger comprising
- at least one plate bank comprising a plurality of heat exchanger plates for providing heat transfer between the first flow along the first flowpath and the second flow along the second flowpath, each of the plurality of heat exchanger plates comprising a substrate having:
- a first face and a second face opposite the first face;
- a leading edge along the second flowpath and a trailing edge along the second flowpath;
- a proximal portion having a plurality of inlet ports along the first flowpath and a plurality of outlet ports along the first flowpath, wherein:
- the inlet ports are closer to the first face than are the outlet ports;
- and
- the outlet ports are closer to the second face than are the inlet ports;
- and
- a plurality of passageways along the first flowpath, each passageway extending between a respective associated said inlet port of the plate and a respective associated said outlet port of the plate;
- and
- a manifold structure comprising:
- an inlet manifold having at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port;
- and
- an outlet manifold having at least one outlet port and at least one inlet port, the first flowpath passing from the at least one inlet port of the inlet manifold, through the at least one passageway of each of the plurality of heat exchanger plates, and through the at least one outlet port of the outlet manifold,
- wherein:
- the inlet manifold encloses an inlet plenum having a plurality of legs;
- the outlet manifold encloses an outlet plenum having a plurality of legs interdigitated with the legs of the inlet plenum;
- one of the legs of the inlet plenum feeds inlet ports of exactly one of the plates;
- a remainder of the legs of the inlet plenum feed inlet ports of exactly two of the plates;
- one of the legs of the outlet plenum receives flow from exactly one of the plates;
- and
- a remainder of the legs of the outlet plenum receive flow from exactly two of the plates.
A heat exchanger for providing heat transfer between a first flow along a first flowpath and a second flow along a second flowpath, the heat exchanger comprising:
- at least one plate bank comprising a plurality of heat exchanger plates for providing heat transfer between the first flow along the first flowpath and the second flow along the second flowpath, each of the plurality of heat exchanger plates comprising a substrate having:
- a first face and a second face opposite the first face;
- a leading edge along the second flowpath and a trailing edge along the second flowpath;
- a proximal portion having a plurality of inlet ports along the first flowpath and a plurality of outlet ports along the first flowpath, wherein:
- the inlet ports are closer to the first face than are the outlet ports;
- and
- the outlet ports are closer to the second face than are the inlet ports;
- and
- a plurality of passageways along the first flowpath, each passageway extending between a respective associated said inlet port of the plate and a respective associated said outlet port of the plate;
- and
- a manifold structure comprising:
- an inlet manifold having at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port;
- and
- an outlet manifold having at least one outlet port and at least one inlet port, the first flowpath passing from the at least one inlet port of the inlet manifold, through the at least one passageway of each of the plurality of heat exchanger plates, and through the at least one outlet port of the outlet manifold,
- wherein:
- the inlet manifold encloses an inlet plenum having a plurality of legs;
- the outlet manifold encloses an outlet plenum having a plurality of legs interdigitated with the legs of the inlet plenum;
- and
- for each said passageway, the heat exchanger plate inlet port is closer to the trailing edge than is the associated heat exchanger plate outlet port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.