Aircraft environmental control system with auxiliary power output
AssigneeRockwell International Corporation
InventorWilliam J. Christoff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An environmental control system for a jet aircraft has a single compressor coupled to a cooling turbine and an auxiliary power turbine. The compressor provides air to both turbines. Air to the power turbine is mixed with fuel to form combustion gases to drive the turbine. Air to the cooling turbine is cooled by expansion and used for air conditioning the aircraft cabin. The auxiliary power turbine can be decoupled and the compressor driven by the cooling turbine, which is powered by bleed air from the main engine of the aircraft.
Claims8
An environmental control system for a jet engine propelled aircraft, comprising:
- an air compressor, a cooling turbine, an overrunning clutch, and a power turbine rotatively coupled to the compressor and the cooling turbine, the clutch being located between the power turbine and said other components, means directing compressed air from the compressor to the power turbine, means for mixing fuel with said compressed air and burning said mixture to fuel the power turbine and drive the compressor, means for directing compressed air from the compressor to the cooling turbine, the cooling turbine expanding and cooling the compressed air, and means using the cooled output air of the cooling turbine to air-condition the aircraft.
An integrated air conditioning system for an aircraft propelled by one or more jet engines, comprising:
- a compressor and cooling turbine mechanically coupled for rotation as a unit, an overrunning clutch, an auxiliary power turbine mechanically coupled through said clutch to the compressor for driving the compressor and cooling turbine, means directing a portion of the air from the compressor to the power turbine for use in driving the power turbine, means directing a portion of the air through the cooling turbine to the aircraft interior, and means mixing a further portion of the air from the compressor with the air from the cooling turbine to control the temperature of the air to the aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.