Aircraft hybrid cooling system
AssigneeKitty Hawk Corporation
InventorsJohn Melack, Thomas P. Muniz, Eric Allison
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft hybrid cooling system is disclosed. The aircraft hybrid cooling system includes a conduit through an aircraft that is configured to allow airflow through the conduit. The aircraft hybrid cooling system additionally includes a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation. In some embodiments, the battery in the battery assembly is cooled via airflow in the event the aircraft is in flight and is cooled via an applied cooling medium in the event the aircraft is grounded.
Claims20
An aircraft hybrid cooling system, comprising:
- a conduit through an aircraft, configured to allow airflow through the conduit, the conduit including a first end positioned at or adjacent to an underside of the aircraft fuselage and a second end positioned at or adjacent to a top side of the aircraft fuselage;
- and
- a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation in which airflow enters the conduit at the first end and exits at the second end and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation in which the cooling medium enters the conduit at the second end, flows through the conduit at least in part due to the force of gravity, and exists at the first end;
- wherein an opening at the second end of the conduit is configured to receive a quantity of the cooling medium from aligned with a source of the cooling medium in the second mode of operation and wherein during a least a first phase of the second mode of operation the system is further comprises a stopper positioned to prevent the cooling medium from exiting the conduit at the first end.
A method to cool a battery assembly using an aircraft hybrid cooling system comprising a conduit through an aircraft, configured to allow airflow through the conduit, the conduit including a first end positioned at or adjacent to an underside of the aircraft fuselage and a second end positioned at or adjacent to a top side of the aircraft fuselage, and a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation in which airflow enters the conduit at the first end and exits at the second end and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation, the method comprising:
- positioning a stopper to prevent the cooling medium from exiting the conduit at the first end;
- aligning a source of the cooling medium with an opening at the second end of the conduit;
- and
- supplying a quantity of the cooling medium into the conduit via the opening at the second end of the conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.