US 2019/0100318 A1 · AEROSPACE VEHICLE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM

Abstract

An Environmental Control Systems (ECS) for an aerospace vehicle comprises an air supply airflow path inputting, monitoring, and conditioning air from external to the vehicle, and a recirculation airflow path inputting, monitoring, filtering, and moving air from one portion of the interior of the vehicle to another portion. The air supply airflow can include a dynamically controlled VOC/ozone converter, which can be operated when the aerospace vehicle is on the ground. The recirculation airflow path can include a dynamically controlled regenerative gas contaminant filter and/or VOC/CO2 removal device. The filter/adsorption media of the controlled regenerative gas contaminant filter and/or VOC/CO2 removal device can be regenerated by suppling hot air or a vacuum, and gaseous contaminants can be broken down for removal from the regenerative gas contaminant filter by controlling UV irradiation. The controller can alert a flight crew if air quality falls outside predetermined or programmable parameters.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An aerospace vehicle system, comprising:

an external air supply device operative to selectively provide external air into an interior volume of an aerospace vehicle having the interior volume comprising at least a first interior volume portion and a second interior volume portion;
a recirculation device operative to selectively move air between the first and second interior volume portions of the interior volume;
a regenerative gas contaminant filter operative to remove gas contaminants from air;
a plurality of bypass valves, each operative to selectively direct some or all of an airflow directed through the bypass valve either into or around a downstream component;
one or more air quality sensors;
and
a controller operatively connected to the external air supply device, recirculation device, regenerative gas contaminant filter, bypass valves, and air quality sensors, and operative to control one or more of the external air supply device, recirculation device, regenerative gas contaminant filter, and bypass valves in response to air quality deduced from the air quality sensors.

4 more elements

A method of controlling air quality in an interior of an aerospace vehicle having an interior volume comprising at least a first interior volume portion and a second interior volume portion, an external air supply device operative to selectively provide external air into the interior volume, a recirculation device operative to selectively move air between the first and second portions of the interior volume, and a plurality of bypass valves, each operative to selectively direct some or all of an airflow directed through the bypass valve either into or around a downstream component, the method comprising:

monitoring air quality by reading one or more air quality sensors disposed within the interior volume of the aerospace vehicle;
and
in response to the monitored air quality, controlling the external air supply device and recirculation device to control a mix of fresh and recirculated air in at least the first interior volume portion of the interior volume of the aerospace vehicle;
and
also in response to the monitored air quality, controlling one or more bypass valves to route a selected portion of recirculated air through one or more regenerative gas contaminant filters operative to remove gas contaminants from air.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Aerospace vehicle environmental control system

Life of this patent

Aerospace vehicle environmental control system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20