Combined environmental control and power system for aircraft
Combined environmental control and power system for aircraft
Keywords British Aerospace, Power devices, Patents
In GB Patent 2340890 British Aerospace PLC describes a combined environmental control and power system for an aircraft. Bleed air from the engine is cooled by a heat exchanger and supplied to an expansion turbine where it expands to generate mechanical power and cools to a temperature appropriate for cooling the cockpit and/or avionics equipment. The power generated by the turbine is supplied to the aircraft gearbox where it is combined with that obtained from a power take off which takes mechanical power directly from the engine and is then available to drive various pumps and generators. The turbine air outlet temperature is controlled by a variable ram air inlet to the heat exchanger. Fuel may be used to cool hydraulic fluid and a lubricant heat exchanger. Boiling of fuel is prevented by first being passed through ram air coolers. The intercooler and compressor of a conventional cold air unit are not required.
