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US 4,463,897 AGranted
Cooling control system apparatus and method
AssigneeThe Garrett Corporation
InventorsJames A. Denneny, Jr., Charles M. Rowland
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cooling control system including a valve device controlling a flow of cooling medium to an enclosure in response to a control signal; and a control apparatus generating the control signal as a function of both the temperature and the pressure within the enclosure.
Claims10
The method of carrying heat away from heat-generating apparatus which is disposed within a compartment of an aircraft to thereby limit the operating temperature thereof, said compartment communicating with the atmosphere, said method comprising the steps of:
- flowing pressurized cooling air sequentially through a throttling flow-control valve and through said compartment to the atmosphere while maintaining the pressure within said compartment substantially equal to atmospheric pressure;
- simultaneously sensing the temperature and pressure within said compartment;
- generating a control signal indicative of the heat carrying capacity of said flow of cooling air in response to said sensed temperature and pressure;
- using said control signal to modulate said flow-control valve to control the rate of said cooling air flow;
- said step of simultaneously sensing the temperature and pressure within said compartment including the steps of:
- (a) providing a closed variable-volume chamber having a predetermined quantity of an elastic medium therein, said elastic medium expanding and contracting in response to both temperature and pressure variations;
- (b) exposing said variable-volume chamber to the interior of said compartment in simultaneous heat-transfer and pressure-transmitting relation with said cooling air flow so that the volume of said variable-volume chamber is a function of both temperature and pressure within said compartment;
- said step of generating a control signal indicative of the heat carrying capacity of said flow of cooling air including the steps of:
- (c) flowing pressurized control fluid sequentially through a throttling valve and through a flow-restricting orifice to maintain a fluid pressure control signal therebetween:
- (d) modulating said control valve according to the volume of said variable volume chamber so that said control signal fluid pressure is a function of both the temperature and the pressure within said compartment;
- said modulating step further including coupling a movable portion of said variable-volume chamber with a valve element of said control valve while sealingly isolating said control signal fluid pressure from said compartment interior.
8 more elements
Temperature control apparatus for controlling the flow rate of a gaseous temperature conditioning fluid through an enclosure in response to the relative heat carrying capacity of said fluid, said apparatus comprising:
- means for controlling said fluid flow rate in response to a control signal;
- means for simultaneously sensing the temperature and pressure of said temperature conditioning fluid, said sensing means including a body substantially defining a single closed variable-volume cavity therein, a predetermined quantity of elastic temperature and pressure responsive medium disposed within said cavity, said body being exposed to the interior of said enclosure in pressure-transmitting relation with said fluid therein, and said body placing said medium in heat-transfer relation with said fluid, said body comprising a bellows member, said body further including an elongate stem member having a flange portion at one end thereof, said bellows member being of elongate annular configuration having open ends, one of said ends of said bellows member sealingly coupling with said flange portion at the perimeter thereof, said bellows member and said flange portion cooperating to bound said cavity;
- means responsive to said sensing means for generating said control signal in response to said sensed temperature and pressure, said generating means including a housing defining a flow path therethrough and a valve element movably disposed within said housing, said valve element shifting between a first position engaging said housing to close communication through said flow path and a second position spaced from said housing to open communication through said flow path, and means for drivingly coupling said stem member with said valve element to move the latter between said first and said second positions.
Temperature control apparatus for controlling the flow rate of a gaseous temperature conditioning fluid through an enclosure in response to the relative heat carrying capacity of said fluid, said apparatus comprising:
- means for controlling said fluid flow rate in response to a control signal;
- means for simultaneously sensing the temperature and pressure of said temperature conditioning fluid, said sensing means including a body substantially defining a closed variable-volume cavity therein, a predetermined quantity of elastic temperature and pressure responsive medium disposed within said cavity, said body being exposed to the interior of said enclosure in pressure-transmitting relation with said fluid therein, and said body placing said medium in heat-transfer relation with said fluid;
- means responsive to said sensing means for generating said control signal in response to said sensed temperature and pressure;
- and
- said body comprising a bellows member, said body further including an elongate stem member having a flange portion at one end thereof, said bellows member and said flange portion cooperating to bound said cavity.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.