Integrated power and cooling environmental control system
AssigneeAlliedSignal Inc.
InventorsHenry M. Claeys, Kathrine J. Clarke, Dan S. Matulich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An environmental control system has an air cycle machine that includes a compressor, a cooling turbine, a motor/generator, and a power turbine all mounted on a single shaft. The power turbine receives bleed air from the aircraft's engine and has a variable geometry inlet nozzle that adjusts the air flow rate therethrough without significant throttling. Downstream of the nozzle the power turbine extracts the expansion energy from the bleed air while cooling it. This is used to drive the other components of the air cycle machine, and in particular the motor/generator which generates electricity.
Claims3
An environmental control system for an aircraft having a cabin and at least one engine providing fresh pressurized air, said system comprising:
- a single shaft;
- a power turbine mounted on said shaft and receiving said fresh, pressurized air from said engine, said power turbine having a variable geometry inlet nozzle;
- a motor/generator mounted on said shaft;
- a compressor mounted on said shaft and receiving recirculating air from said cabin;
- a cooling turbine mounted on said shaft and receiving said recirculating air from said compressor;
- and
- a mixing manifold receiving said recirculating air from said cooling turbine and said fresh air from said power turbine and delivering a mixture of the two to said cabin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.