Independent compartment temperature control for single-pack operation
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsDiane G. Drew, Douglas L. Christians
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dual-pack, aircraft environmental control system has each pack dedicated to providing a temperature-controlled air supply to a corresponding compartment, either the crew or passenger, of the aircraft. Each refrigeration pack is fed hot, compressed bleed air from an associated turbine engine on the aircraft. During normal operation, the pack associated with a particular compartment on the aircraft provides the air supply with independent temperature control to that compartment. However, during failure of one of the refrigeration packs and the resulting operation of the other pack, the environmental control system is able to provide independent temperature control of the air supplied to each compartment.
Claims21
An aircraft environmental control system for conditioning and controlling air supplied to two or more compartments on the aircraft, the environmental control system comprising:
- a. a first source of air;
- b. a second source of air;
- c. first refrigeration pack means for conditioning the air from the first source of air and for supplying an amount of first conditioned air at a predetermined temperature at a first entrance duct to a first compartment on the aircraft;
- d. second refrigeration pack means for conditioning the air from the second source of air and for supplying an amount of second conditioned air at a predetermined temperature at a second entrance duct to a second compartment on the aircraft;
- e. first valve means for regulating the amount of the air from the first source provided in a first valve duct and input to the first refrigeration pack means;
- f. second valve means for regulating the amount of the air from the second source provided in a second valve duct and input to the second refrigeration pack means;
- g. first crossover duct means for intermixing the first conditioned air from the first refrigeration pack means with the second conditioned air from the second refrigeration pack means prior to the first conditioned air being supplied in the first entrance duct to the first compartment on the aircraft and prior to the second conditioned air being supplied in the second entrance duct to the second compartment on the aircraft;
- h. first temperature controller means for controlling the predetermined temperature of the first conditioned air supplied to the first compartment on the aircraft independent of the predetermined temperature of the second conditioned air supplied to the second compartment on the aircraft;
- i. second temperature controller means for controlling the predetermined temperature of the second conditioned air supplied to the second compartment on the aircraft independent of the predetermined temperature of the first conditioned air supplied to the first compartment on the aircraft;
- j. wherein in an event of inoperability of the first refrigeration pack means and operability of the second refrigeration pack means, the first temperature controller means comprises means for controlling the first valve means for regulating the amount of air from the second source and providing the regulated air to the first entrance duct where it mixes with the second conditioned air and is provided to the first compartment on the aircraft;
- and
- k. wherein in an event of inoperability of the second refrigeration pack means and operability of the first refrigeration pack means, the second temperature controller means comprises means for controlling the second valve means for regulating the amount of air from the first source and providing the regulated air to the first entrance duct where it mixes with the second conditioned air and is provided to the first compartment on the aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.