Structurally integrated thermal management system for aerospace vehicles
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDavid E. Blanding, Arun Muley, Jeffrey C. Coffman, Doug Van Affelen
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Abstract
Disclosed embodiments include a structurally integrated thermal management system that uses the structure of an aerospace vehicle as part of the heat dissipation system. In this system, structural elements of the aerospace vehicle function as a thermal bus, and are thermally connected with heat-generating electrical components, so that heat from those components is directed away from the component by the structure of the vehicle itself, into lower temperature surfaces of the vehicle.
Claims20
An aerospace vehicle, comprising:
- a thermal bus (20) comprising a structural element of the aerospace vehicle;
- and
- a thermally active element (16) in thermal communication with the thermal bus (20) to dissipate heat from the thermally active element (16) into the thermal bus (20).
A method of aerospace vehicle cooling, the method comprising:
- mounting (900) a thermally active element (16) to a structural element (20);
- and
- conducting (910) heat from the thermally active element (16) through the structural element (20) to a dissipating element (14, 26);
- and
- dissipating (920) the heat.
A thermal management system (10) for an aerospace vehicle, comprising:
- a thermally conductive boss (18), attached to a structural element (20) of the aerospace vehicle;
- a thermally active device (16), attached to the thermal boss (18);
- a heat transport element (24) in thermal communication with the thermally conductive boss (18).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.