Bleed air driven vapor cycle system

A method of cooling a heat load, the method comprising:

• cooling a cooling fluid in a vapor cycle system with a heat exchanger;
• measuring an amount of subcool coming out of the heat exchanger and being delivered to the heat load with at least one of a first temperature sensor or a first pressure sensor disposed downstream of the heat exchanger;
• cooling the heat load via the vapor cycle system with the cooling fluid;
• compressing the cooling fluid received from the heat load with a compressor of the vapor cycle system;
• rotating a bleed turbine with bleed air from a gas turbine engine;
• driving the compressor with the rotating bleed turbine;
• and
• adjusting, with a controller, a degree of opening of a throttle valve disposed between the bleed turbine and the gas turbine engine and a flow of a cooling fluid delivered from the compressor to the heat exchanger based on a measurement of at least one of the first temperature sensor or the first pressure sensor.

A system comprising:

• a gas turbine engine;
• a vapor cycle system including
• a compressor connected to a bleed turbine via a shaft,
• a heat exchanger downstream from the compressor,
• a heat load downstream from the heat exchanger and upstream of the compressor,
• an expansion valve disposed between the heat exchanger and the heat load,
• at least one of a first temperature sensor or a first pressure sensor disposed between the heat exchanger and the expansion valve to determine an amount of subcool coming out of the heat exchanger and being delivered to the heat load, and
• at least one of a second temperature sensor or a second pressure sensor disposed between the heat load and the compressor to determine an amount of superheat coming out the heat load;
• a bleed air conduit configured to receive bleed air from the gas turbine engine;
• a throttle valve disposed along the bleed air conduit to control a flow of the bleed air through the bleed air conduit;
• a bleed turbine driven by the bleed air supplied from the bleed air conduit, the bleed turbine configured to drive the compressor of the vapor cycle system;
• and
• a controller configured to control a degree of opening of the throttle valve and a flow of a cooling fluid delivered from the compressor to the heat exchanger based on a measurement of at least one of the first temperature sensor or the first pressure sensor, the controller configured to control a degree of opening of the expansion valve and a pressure of the cooling fluid being delivered to the heat load from the expansion valve based on a measurement of at least one of the second temperature sensor or the second pressure sensor.