An evaporative cycle refrigeration apparatus and method integrated with a maintenance access

Abstract

The application discloses an evaporative cycle refrigeration device integrated with a maintenance channel, wherein an outlet of a condenser assembly (1) is connected with a refrigerant inlet end of an evaporator assembly (4), a refrigerant outlet end of the evaporator assembly (4) is connected with an inlet end of a compressor (3), and an outlet end of the compressor (3) is connected with an inlet end of the condenser assembly (1); the inlet and outlet of the air end of the evaporator assembly (4) are connected with a return air outlet (7) and a supply air outlet (5) in a cockpit (6) respectively, and the condenser assembly (1) is arranged as a maintenance cover in the maintenance channel at the bottom of an equipment cabin through a hinge (2); the cockpit and the equipment cabin are separated by a cockpit and a floor (8). The application makes full use of the space of the maintenance channel to install the equipment, and uses the space between the frame beam structures as an air duct, so that the layout of the whole evaporative cycle refrigeration system is more compact, and the occupied space is less.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of helicopter environmental control systems, and relates to an evaporative cooling cycle device and method integrated with a maintenance access channel. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous advancement of helicopter technology, the requirements for comfort inside the helicopter cabin have gradually increased, and the number of onboard equipment has increased dramatically. Therefore, the available space and weight on helicopters are extremely limited. As shown in the figure, previous helicopter designs used evaporative cooling systems that occupied a significant amount of onboard space. Each component occupied its own independent space, and the distances between them were considerable, requiring the installation of very long refrigerant pipelines. (See Figure 1) Figure 5 As shown. Furthermore, conventional layouts require large openings on both sides of the fuselage to accommodate air ducts. These openings affect the fuselage's strength and obstruct airflow. Conventional layouts also consume significant space and increase equipment weight, making them unsuitable for future installations with more compact space constraints. Installing cooling systems and arranging air ducts within the limited installation space of a helicopter is extremely difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Objective: To provide an evaporative cooling cycle device and method integrated with a maintenance passage. This invention makes full use of the maintenance passage space for equipment installation and utilizes the space between the frame beams as an air duct, making the layout of the entire evaporative cooling cycle system more compact and occupying less space.

[0004] Technical solution: An evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with a maintenance passage, wherein the outlet of the condenser assembly is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator assembly, the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator assembly is connected to the compressor inlet, and the compressor outlet is connected to the condenser assembly inlet; the air inlet and outlet of the evaporator assembly are respectively connected to the return air vent and the supply air vent in the cockpit, characterized in that the condenser assembly is hinged to a maintenance passage at the bottom of the equipment compartment as a maintenance access cover; the cockpit and the equipment compartment are separated by the cockpit and the floor.

[0005] In the aforementioned evaporative cooling cycle unit integrated with the maintenance channel, the compressor is located close to the hinge side of the condenser assembly.

[0006] In the aforementioned evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance channel, the drain outlet of the evaporator assembly is located above the condenser assembly.

[0007] In the aforementioned evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance passage, fresh air inlets are also provided on both sides of the equipment compartment; during operation, external air enters from the fresh air inlets on both sides and is discharged downwards through the condenser assembly.

[0008] In the aforementioned evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance channel, the evaporator assembly includes an evaporator shell, an evaporator core, an evaporator core support, and a drain outlet. The evaporator core is connected to the evaporator shell via the evaporator core support, and the evaporator core can be quickly disassembled from the bottom of the evaporator shell. Water generated by condensation of the evaporator core flows out through the drain outlet at the bottom of the evaporator shell.

[0009] The aforementioned evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance access is located entirely within the equipment compartment below the cockpit floor.

[0010] In the aforementioned method of using the evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance channel, the condensate drained from the evaporator drain outlet flows to the condenser assembly to dissipate heat.

[0011] The aforementioned method of using the evaporative cooling system integrated with the maintenance passage involves the condensate airflow entering from the fresh air inlets on both sides of the equipment compartment, flowing through the condenser assembly, and then being discharged downwards.

[0012] Beneficial effects: The helicopter evaporative cooling system of this invention features an innovative condenser assembly that serves as a maintenance access cover, hinged to the bottom of the fuselage, occupying almost no internal space. This solves the problem of large condenser space requirements and facilitates maintenance. The condensate airflow enters from both sides of the helicopter fuselage, passes through the condenser, and exits downwards from the bottom of the fuselage, eliminating the need for additional condenser air intake ducts and resulting in low air resistance and high cooling efficiency. By utilizing the helicopter's space, the evaporator assembly is positioned directly above the condenser, allowing condensate to be directly discharged through the condenser while improving heat dissipation. The compressor and refrigeration control box are conveniently located above the hinge side of the condenser assembly, significantly shortening the refrigerant piping by 70% compared to conventional arrangements, reducing weight by over 4 kg. The entire system is located below the cockpit floor, simplifying air return and facilitating air distribution during cooling. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 Front view schematic diagram of the helicopter evaporative cooling cycle unit layout;

[0014] Figure 2 Front view diagram during maintenance of the helicopter evaporative cooling cycle unit;

[0015] Figure 3 Left view schematic diagram of the helicopter evaporative cooling cycle unit layout;

[0016] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of evaporator assembly disassembly;

[0017] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the conventional layout of a helicopter refrigeration unit.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1-Condenser assembly; 2-Hinge; 3-Compressor; 4-Evaporator assembly; 41-Evaporator housing; 42-Evaporator core; 43-Evaporator core mounting bracket; 44-Drain outlet; 5-Air inlet; 6-Cockpit; 7-Return air inlet; 8-Cockpit floor; 9-Fresh air inlet; 10-Heating assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Example 1. An evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with a maintenance channel, participating in... Figures 1-4 The outlet of condenser assembly 1 is connected to the refrigerant inlet of evaporator assembly 4, the refrigerant outlet of evaporator assembly 4 is connected to the inlet of compressor 3, and the outlet of compressor 3 is connected to the inlet of condenser assembly 1; the air inlet and outlet of evaporator assembly 4 are respectively connected to return air vent 7 and supply air vent 5 in the cockpit 6, characterized in that the condenser assembly 1 is arranged at the bottom of the equipment compartment via a maintenance passage as a maintenance cover; the cockpit and the equipment compartment are separated by the cockpit and the floor 8.

[0020] The compressor 3 is located on one side of the hinge 2 of the condenser assembly 1.

[0021] The drain outlet 44 of the evaporator assembly 4 is located above the condenser assembly 1. This structure allows condensate to drip onto the condenser assembly 1, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the condenser assembly 1.

[0022] The aforementioned equipment compartment is also equipped with fresh air inlets 9 on both sides; during operation, external air enters from the fresh air inlets 9 on both sides and is discharged downward through the condenser assembly 1.

[0023] The aforementioned evaporator assembly 4 includes an evaporator housing 41, an evaporator core 42, an evaporator core support 43, and a drain outlet 44. The evaporator core 42 is connected to the evaporator housing 41 through the evaporator core support 43, and the evaporator core can be quickly disassembled from the bottom of the evaporator housing. The water generated by the condensation of the evaporator core 42 flows out through the drain outlet 44 at the bottom of the evaporator housing 41.

[0024] The evaporative cooling system is located in the equipment compartment below the cockpit floor 8.

[0025] The condensate discharged from the aforementioned evaporator drain port 44 flows to the condenser assembly 1 to dissipate heat.

[0026] The condensate flow of the evaporative cooling system enters from the fresh air inlets 9 on both sides of the equipment compartment, flows through the condenser assembly 1, and is discharged downwards.

[0027] Example 2. (As shown) Figure 1As shown, the helicopter evaporative cooling system is located in the space below the floor of the helicopter cockpit 6. The condenser assembly 1 is located at the bottom of the fuselage via a hinge 2 and can also serve as a maintenance access cover for the helicopter, facilitating maintenance.

[0028] like Figure 2 When maintaining the internal equipment, the condenser assembly 1 is opened by hinge, allowing maintenance personnel to enter the maintenance passage to maintain the internal equipment.

[0029] The evaporator assembly 3 is positioned directly above the condenser assembly 1. The condensate in the evaporator assembly 3 can drip onto the condenser assembly 1 through the drain hole under gravity. The condensate absorbs heat and is then discharged outside the machine, eliminating the need for a drain pipe. Furthermore, the condensate is used to cool the refrigerant on the condenser, thus improving refrigeration efficiency.

[0030] The air inlets are located on both sides of the helicopter fuselage, making full use of the landing gear openings. The condensed airflow enters from the fresh air inlets 9 on both sides of the helicopter fuselage, passes through the condenser assembly 1 and is discharged downward from the bottom of the fuselage. The air resistance is small, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the fan, and there is no need to arrange additional air ducts, saving space and cost.

[0031] The compressor 2 is located above the hinge side of the condenser assembly, and the refrigerant pipeline can be directly connected to the evaporator assembly 4, the compressor 3 and the condenser assembly 1, which can greatly shorten the refrigerant pipeline.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, the heating component 10 shares an air distribution pipeline with the refrigeration unit, and the evaporator housing 41 is part of the air distribution pipeline. When the helicopter needs to remove the refrigeration unit for weight reduction, such as Figure 4 As shown, multiple evaporator core mounting brackets 43 are fixed inside the evaporator housing 41. The evaporator core 42 can enter from the mounting port at the bottom of the evaporator housing 41 and be fixed by the evaporator core mounting brackets 43. The refrigerant pipeline interface is arranged at the bottom of the evaporator housing 43, which can realize the quick installation and removal of the evaporator core.

[0033] The principles and implementation methods of this invention are described in this article. It should be noted that several improvements and modifications can be made to this invention without departing from its principles, but these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. An evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with a maintenance channel, characterized in that, The condenser assembly outlet is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator assembly, the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator assembly is connected to the compressor inlet, and the compressor outlet is connected to the condenser assembly inlet. The air inlet and outlet of the evaporator assembly are connected to the return air vent and supply air vent in the cockpit, respectively. The condenser assembly is hinged to the maintenance passage at the bottom of the equipment compartment, serving as a maintenance passage cover. The cockpit and equipment compartment are separated by the cockpit floor. The compressor is located near the hinge side of the condenser assembly. The drain outlet of the evaporator assembly is located above the condenser assembly. Fresh air inlets are also provided on both sides of the equipment compartment. During operation, outside air enters from the fresh air inlets on both sides and is discharged downwards through the condenser assembly. The condensate discharged from the drain outlet of the evaporator assembly flows to the condenser assembly for heat dissipation.

2. The evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with the maintenance channel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator housing, an evaporator core, an evaporator core support, and a drain outlet. The evaporator core is connected to the evaporator housing via the evaporator core support, and the evaporator core can be quickly removed from the bottom of the evaporator housing. Water generated by condensation in the evaporator core flows out through the drain outlet at the bottom of the evaporator housing.

3. The evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with the maintenance channel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporative cooling system is located in the equipment compartment below the cockpit floor.

4. The method of using the evaporative cooling cycle device integrated with the maintenance channel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condensed airflow enters from the fresh air inlets on both sides of the equipment compartment, flows through the condenser assembly, and is discharged downwards.

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