Aircraft ram air intake system and control method

Abstract

This invention provides an aircraft ram air intake system and control method. The system includes a ram air intake and an emergency ram air regulating valve. The upstream side of the ram air intake is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side is connected to a heat exchange ram air line and an emergency ram air line. The heat exchange ram air line is arranged to provide heat exchange ram air, and the emergency ram air line is arranged to provide emergency ram air to the aircraft cabin. The emergency ram air regulating valve is arranged in the emergency ram air line to control the on / off state of the emergency ram air line. The aircraft ram air intake system according to this invention is more economical and safer, and also improves the comfort of the aircraft cabin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aviation environmental control systems, and more specifically, to a ram air intake system for commercial aircraft and related control methods. Background Technology

[0002] During flight, both on the ground and in the air, aircraft require a large supply of air to maintain suitable environmental conditions for the crew and passengers. Under normal flight conditions, the cabin air supply is provided by the air conditioning system, which uses high-temperature, high-pressure gas from the upstream air supply system to exchange heat with outside ram air. When the air conditioning system or the upstream air supply system malfunctions during flight and cannot provide the cabin with suitable-temperature air, the aircraft typically descends rapidly and opens the emergency ram air intake for emergency ventilation. Therefore, the air supplied by the aircraft's ram air system serves two different purposes in two scenarios: under normal flight conditions, it is used to exchange heat with high-temperature gas to remove heat; when the air conditioning system fails, it is used to provide emergency ventilation to the cabin.

[0003] Currently, aircraft ram air intake systems are typically divided into ram air intakes and emergency ram air intakes. Both function to provide ram air intake, requiring two independent devices with separate downstream piping. Since these two devices operate in opposite scenarios and do not work simultaneously, this results in redundancy in the equipment and downstream piping, increasing weight. Furthermore, both devices require openings in the aircraft skin, leading to a decrease in the aircraft's aerodynamic performance.

[0004] On the other hand, aircraft are currently typically equipped with only one emergency ram air intake. In order to meet the safety requirements of the aircraft, the reliability requirements for this emergency ram air intake device are high, and the manufacturing cost is correspondingly high.

[0005] Considering that the application scenarios of ram air inlets and emergency ram air inlets do not overlap and they perform the same function, and that aircraft usually have two ram air inlets, a single ram air inlet device and method can be used to achieve both ram air inlet and emergency ram air inlet functions. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an aircraft ram air intake system, the system comprising: a ram air intake, the upstream side of which is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side of which is connected to a heat exchange ram air pipeline and an emergency ram air pipeline, the heat exchange ram air pipeline being arranged to provide heat exchange ram air, and the emergency ram air pipeline being arranged to provide emergency ram air to the aircraft cabin; and an emergency ram air regulating valve, the emergency ram air regulating valve being arranged in the emergency ram air pipeline to control the on / off state of the emergency ram air pipeline.

[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, the heat exchange ram air duct of the system is connected to the air conditioning unit of the aircraft, and the air conditioning unit receives gas from a high-temperature and high-pressure gas source of the aircraft, and the external ram air from the heat exchange ram air duct exchanges heat with the gas from the high-temperature and high-pressure gas source and is then discharged to the outside.

[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, the ram air inlet includes a first ram air inlet and a second ram air inlet, and the air conditioning assembly includes a first air conditioning assembly and a second air conditioning assembly, wherein the first ram air inlet is arranged to provide heat-exchange ram air to the first air conditioning assembly, and the second ram air inlet is arranged to provide heat-exchange ram air to the second air conditioning assembly.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, the emergency ram air regulating valve includes a first emergency ram air regulating valve and a second emergency ram air regulating valve, wherein the first emergency ram air regulating valve is arranged in the emergency ram air pipeline of the first ram air inlet; and the second emergency ram air regulating valve is arranged in the emergency ram air pipeline of the first ram air inlet.

[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, the system further includes a mixing chamber connected to an air conditioning assembly to receive airflow processed by the air conditioning assembly, an outlet of the mixing chamber connected to an aircraft cabin, and the mixing chamber being connected downstream of an emergency ram air regulating valve to an emergency ram air duct through which emergency ram air flows into the mixing chamber.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the system further includes a control device connected to the ram air inlet, the emergency ram air regulating valve, and the air conditioning assembly.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the ram air inlet has an adjustable valve device, and a control device is connected to the valve device and is capable of controlling the opening of the valve device.

[0013] According to another aspect of the invention, the system further includes an emergency damper button for opening the emergency pressurization regulating valve, and the system control device is connected to the emergency damper button.

[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, the emergency press-adjusting valve has an adjustable opening degree, which is automatically adjusted according to changes in ambient temperature.

[0015] In addition, the present invention also provides a method for controlling the ram air intake of an aircraft using an aircraft ram air intake system.

[0016] An aircraft ram air intake system typically includes a first ram air intake device and a second ram air intake device, and further includes a control device. The first ram air intake device includes: a first ram air inlet, the upstream side of which is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side of which is connected to a first heat exchange ram air line and a second emergency ram air line, wherein the first heat exchange ram air line is used to supply outside air to a first air conditioning component; and a first emergency ram air regulating valve, the first ram air inlet being connected to the first emergency ram air line via the first emergency ram air line. The second ram air intake device includes: a second ram air inlet, the upstream side of which is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side of which is connected to a second heat exchange ram air pipeline and a second emergency ram air pipeline, wherein the second heat exchange ram air pipeline is used to supply outside gas to the second air conditioning unit; and a second emergency ram air regulating valve, the second ram air inlet being connected to the second emergency ram air pipeline; the system control device is capable of controlling the first ram air inlet, the second ram air inlet, the first air conditioning unit, the second air conditioning unit, the first emergency ram air regulating valve, and the second emergency ram air regulating valve.

[0017] For the aforementioned aircraft ram air intake system, the method according to the present invention includes at least a first ram air mode, a second ram air mode, and an emergency ram air mode. In the first ram air mode, the control device controls the first emergency ram air regulating valve and the second emergency ram air regulating valve to close. In the second ram air mode, the first air conditioning component is turned off, and the control device controls the first ram air intake and the first emergency ram air regulating valve to close. In the emergency ram air mode, the control device controls the first ram air intake and the second ram air intake to open, and controls the first emergency ram air regulating valve and the second emergency ram air regulating valve to open, while the first air conditioning component and the second air conditioning component are turned off.

[0018] Preferably, when the emergency air damper button 51 is actuated, the emergency ram air mode is activated.

[0019] Because the emergency ram air regulating valve in the system of the present invention is arranged downstream of the ram air inlet through the emergency ram air pipeline, only one air inlet needs to be set on the aircraft skin surface, sharing the downstream pipeline, so as to meet the heat exchange requirements when the air conditioning components are operating normally and the emergency ventilation requirements when the air conditioning components are not working, and also reduce the weight of the aircraft.

[0020] Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the system offers enhanced safety due to the presence of two ram air intakes. Both the first and second ram air intakes provide emergency ram air inlets, acting as backups for each other and increasing the redundancy of the emergency ventilation system, thereby improving aircraft safety. Additionally, the increase in the number of emergency ram air inlets (from one to two) increases the air intake volume and the concentration of fresh air supplied to the cabin, enhancing cabin comfort.

[0021] On the other hand, the emergency ram-pressure regulating valve in this invention has an adjustable opening. The system can automatically adjust the opening of the emergency ram-pressure regulating valve according to changes in ambient temperature. Thus, the emergency ventilation flow supplied to the cabin can be controlled according to different ambient temperatures, thereby achieving automatic control. The driver does not need to judge the closing of the emergency ventilation switch based on the actual cabin temperature, reducing the driver's workload and improving the temperature comfort of the cabin. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To gain a more complete understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the following description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an aircraft ram air intake system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] List of reference numerals

[0025] 10 First ram air intake device

[0026] 11 First ram air inlet

[0027] 12 First Emergency Press Adjustment Valve

[0028] 13 First Emergency Ram Air Line

[0029] 14 First heat exchanger pressurized air pipeline

[0030] 15 First Air Conditioning Component

[0031] 20 Second ram air intake device

[0032] 21 Second ram air inlet

[0033] 22 Second Emergency Stamping Adjustment Valve

[0034] 23 Second emergency ram air line

[0035] 24 Second heat exchanger pressurized air pipeline

[0036] 25 Second air conditioning component

[0037] 30 mixing chambers

[0038] 40-seat cabin

[0039] 50 Control devices

[0040] 51 Emergency Air Damper Button

[0041] 60. External Atmosphere

[0042] 70 High Temperature and High Pressure System Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention, but it is obvious that the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein.

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an aircraft ram air intake system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The aircraft ram air intake system includes two ram air intake devices, namely a first ram air intake device 10 and a second ram air intake device 20, which provide ventilation airflow to two air conditioning components 15 and 25, respectively.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown in the upper part, the first ram air intake device 10 includes a first ram air inlet 11 and a first emergency ram air regulating valve 12. The upstream side of the first ram air inlet 11 is connected to the outside atmosphere 60, and the downstream side of the first ram air inlet 11 is connected to a first heat exchange ram air duct 14 and a first emergency ram air duct 13, respectively. The two ducts 13 and 14 are independent of each other. It should be understood that in actual use, the two ducts 13 and 14 can be connected to the inlet 11 by laying a shared duct. The first heat exchange ram air duct 14 is connected to a first air conditioning unit 15 and is arranged to provide heat exchange ram air to the first air conditioning unit 15. The first emergency ram air duct 13 is arranged to provide emergency ram air to the aircraft cabin 40. The first emergency ram air shut-off valve 12 is arranged in the first emergency ram air duct 13 for controllably shutting off and opening the first emergency ram air duct 13.

[0046] Correspondingly, such as Figure 1As shown in the lower half, the second ram air intake device 20 includes a second ram air inlet 21 and a second emergency ram air regulating valve 22. The upstream side of the second ram air inlet 21 is connected to the outside atmosphere 60, and the downstream side of the second ram air inlet 21 is connected to a second heat exchange ram air duct 24 and a second emergency ram air duct 23, respectively. The two emergency ram air ducts 23 and 24 are independent of each other, and the airflow within them can be controlled individually. The second heat exchange ram air duct 24 is connected to a second air conditioning unit 25 and is arranged to provide heat exchange ram air to the second air conditioning unit 25. The second emergency ram air duct 23 is arranged to provide emergency ram air to the aircraft cabin 40. A second emergency ram air shut-off valve 22 is arranged in the second emergency ram air duct 23 for controllably shutting off and opening the second emergency ram air duct.

[0047] Further as Figure 1 As shown, the aircraft ram air intake system also includes a mixing chamber 30, to which the first air conditioning assembly 15 and the second air conditioning assembly 25 are connected via corresponding pipes. Simultaneously, the first emergency ram air line 13 and the second emergency ram air line 23 are also connected to the mixing chamber 30. The mixing chamber 30 is capable of mixing the airflow from the first air conditioning assembly 15 and the second air conditioning assembly 25 before introducing it into the aircraft cabin 40.

[0048] Emergency ram air lines 13 and 23 are added to the first ram air intake device 10 and the second ram air device 20, respectively, to connect the ram air outlet to the mixing chamber 30. Emergency ram air regulating valves 12 and 22 are added to the emergency ram air lines 13 and 23 to achieve the switching of gas flow modes under different scenarios.

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the emergency ram-pressure regulating valves 12 and 22 have adjustable opening degrees. This system can automatically adjust the opening degrees of the emergency ram-pressure regulating valves according to changes in ambient temperature. When the outside air temperature is low, the opening degrees of the emergency ram-pressure regulating valves 12 and 22 are automatically adjusted to decrease; when the outside air temperature is relatively high, the opening degrees of the emergency ram-pressure regulating valves 12 and 22 are automatically adjusted to increase. Thus, through the automatic adjustment of the opening degrees of the emergency ram-pressure regulating valves 12 and 22, the emergency ventilation flow rate supplied to the cabin is automatically controlled.

[0050] Furthermore, the first air conditioning assembly 15 and the second air conditioning assembly 25 have cold-side flow path inlets and outlets and hot-side flow path inlets and outlets. The cold-side flow path inlets and outlets are respectively connected to the ram air inlets 11 and 21 and the outside atmosphere 60, while the hot-side flow path inlets and outlets are respectively connected to the high-temperature, high-pressure air source 70 in the aircraft and the downstream mixing chamber 30 via pipelines. The high-temperature, high-pressure air source 70 typically includes the aircraft main engine, APU, or a ground-based high-temperature, high-pressure air source. During normal operation of the air conditioning assemblies 15 and 25, the low-temperature airflow passing through the cold-side flow path and the high-temperature airflow passing through the hot-side flow path exchange heat in the first and second air conditioning assemblies 15 and 25. The temperature and pressure of the high-temperature, high-pressure gas in the hot-side flow path are appropriately reduced and sent into the mixing chamber 30, where it is further mixed before being sent into the aircraft cabin 40. At the same time, the airflow in the hot-side flow path is discharged to the outside atmosphere 60 after heat exchange.

[0051] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, the aircraft ram air intake system also includes a control device 50, which is operatively connected to the first and second ram air inlets 11, 21, the first and second emergency ram air regulating valves 12, 22, and the first and second air conditioning units 15, 25. The control device 50 is arranged to adjust the opening of valves adjustable in the first and second ram air inlets 11, 21, thereby controlling the airflow from the ram air inlets 11, 21 into the air conditioning units 15, 25, and consequently controlling the temperature of the air supplied by the air conditioning units 15, 25 to the aircraft cabin 40. The control device 50 is also arranged to control the opening and closing of the two emergency ram air regulating valves 12, 22. The control connection between the control device 50 and the two air conditioning units 15, 25 enables control of the on / off operation of the air conditioning units 15, 25, and also allows receiving the operating status of the air conditioning units 15, 25 to control the operating mode of the ram air intake system accordingly.

[0052] In addition, the aircraft ram air intake system also includes an emergency damper button 51, which is connected to the control device. The emergency damper button 51 is normally operated manually. When the button 51 is activated, the aircraft ram air intake system will enter the emergency ram air mode to provide emergency ram air to the cabin 40.

[0053] The aircraft ram air intake system according to the present invention can select the opening degree of the ram air intake and the opening and closing state of the emergency ram air regulating valve according to various scenarios such as whether the two air conditioning components 15 and 16 are working and whether emergency ventilation needs to be turned on, thus making it suitable for a variety of different scenarios.

[0054] Specifically, adopting according to Figure 1The aircraft ram air intake system shown can be used to perform the following aircraft ram air intake method, which includes the following operating modes: a first ram air mode, a second ram air mode, and an emergency ram air mode. The first ram air mode is a dual-side air conditioning unit operating mode. In this mode, the control device controls the first emergency ram air regulating valve 12 and the second emergency ram air regulating valve 22 to close, while the first ram air intake 11 and the second ram air intake 21 are open, normally supplying outside air to the first air conditioning unit 15 and the second air conditioning unit 25 for heat exchange. The second ram air mode is a single-side air conditioning unit operating mode. In this mode, the first air conditioning unit 15 is closed or in an abnormal operating state, and the control device 50 controls the first ram air intake 11 and the first emergency ram air regulating valve 12 to close. The aircraft cabin 40 is supplied with air only by the second air conditioning unit 25. In the emergency ram air mode, the control device 50 opens the first ram air inlet 11 and the second ram air inlet 21, and opens the first emergency ram air regulating valve 12 and the second emergency ram air regulating valve 22. At this time, the first air conditioning unit and the second air conditioning unit 15 and 25 are in a closed or non-operating state. The emergency ram air enters the mixing chamber 30 through the emergency ram air pipelines 13 and 23, and is further sent into the cabin 40.

[0055] Normally, the emergency ram air mode is triggered by manually activating the emergency air damper button 51.

[0056] The preferred embodiment of the aircraft ram air intake system of the present invention has two ram air intake devices for separately operating and controlling the air ramming of two air conditioning components. It should be understood that, in alternative embodiments, when the aircraft has only one air conditioning component, the system may also include only one ram air intake device; that is, the system includes a single ram air inlet, which is connected via its own piping to the emergency ram pressure regulating valve of the downstream air conditioning component. In this way, only one interface is needed on the aircraft skin surface to share the downstream piping, meeting the heat exchange requirements during normal operation of the air conditioning component and the emergency ventilation requirements when the air conditioning component fails, while also reducing the weight of the aircraft.

[0057] An aircraft ram air intake system with two ram air intake devices 10 and 20, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, provides enhanced safety. Both the first and second ram air intake devices 10 and 20 provide emergency ram air intakes 15 and 25, serving as backups for each other, thus increasing the redundancy of the emergency ventilation system and improving aircraft safety. Furthermore, because the number of emergency ram air intakes has increased from one to two, the air intake volume is increased, resulting in a higher concentration of fresh air supplied to the cabin 40 and improved cabin comfort.

[0058] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any variations and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the scope of the invention, fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An aircraft ram air intake system, comprising: A ram air inlet, the upstream side of which is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side of which is connected to a heat exchange ram air line and an emergency ram air line, the heat exchange ram air line and the emergency ram air line being independent of each other on the downstream side of the ram air inlet; the heat exchange ram air line being arranged to provide heat exchange ram air, and the emergency ram air line being arranged to provide emergency ram air to the aircraft cockpit; and An emergency ram air regulating valve is provided, which is directly connected to the ram air inlet via the emergency ram air pipeline. The emergency ram air regulating valve is located downstream of the ram air inlet to control the opening and closing of the emergency ram air pipeline.

2. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchange ram air duct of the system is connected to the aircraft's air conditioning unit, and the air conditioning unit receives gas from the aircraft's high-temperature, high-pressure air source. The external ram air from the heat exchange ram air pipeline exchanges heat with the gas from the high temperature and high pressure gas source and is then discharged to the outside.

3. The system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ram air intake includes a first ram air intake and a second ram air intake, and the air conditioning assembly includes a first air conditioning assembly and a second air conditioning assembly. The first ram air inlet is configured to provide heat-exchange ram air to the first air conditioning unit, and the second ram air inlet is configured to provide heat-exchange ram air to the second air conditioning unit.

4. The system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The emergency press adjustment valve includes a first emergency press adjustment valve and a second emergency press adjustment valve. The first emergency ram air regulating valve is arranged in the emergency ram air pipeline of the first ram air inlet; The second emergency ram air regulating valve is arranged in the emergency ram air pipeline of the first ram air inlet.

5. The system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The system also includes a mixing chamber connected to the air conditioning unit to receive airflow processed by the air conditioning unit, and an outlet of the mixing chamber connected to the aircraft cabin. The mixing chamber is connected to the emergency ram air pipeline downstream of the emergency ram air regulating valve, and the emergency ram air flows into the mixing chamber through the emergency ram air regulating valve.

6. The system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The system also includes a control device connected to the ram air inlet, the emergency ram air regulating valve, and the air conditioning unit.

7. The system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The ram air inlet has an adjustable valve device, and the control device is connected to the valve device and can control the opening of the valve device.

8. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The emergency pressurization regulating valve has an adjustable opening degree, which is automatically adjusted according to changes in ambient temperature.

9. A method for controlling the ram air intake of an aircraft using its ram air intake system. The aircraft ram air intake system includes: A first ram air intake device, comprising: A first ram air inlet, with its upstream side connected to the outside atmosphere, and its downstream side connected to a first heat exchange ram air line and a first emergency ram air line, which are independent of each other downstream of the first ram air inlet. The first heat exchange ram air line is used to supply outside gas to the first air conditioning unit. The first emergency ram air regulating valve is directly connected to the first ram air inlet through the first emergency ram air pipeline. The first emergency ram air regulating valve is located downstream of the first ram air inlet to control the opening and closing of the first emergency ram air pipeline. The second ram air intake device includes: A second ram air inlet, the upstream side of which is connected to the outside atmosphere, and the downstream side of which is connected to a second heat exchange ram air line and a second emergency ram air line, the second heat exchange ram air line and the second emergency ram air line being independent of each other on the downstream side of the second ram air inlet, wherein the second heat exchange ram air line is used to supply outside gas to the second air conditioning unit; and A second emergency ram air regulating valve, which is directly connected to the second ram air inlet via the second emergency ram air pipeline, is located downstream of the second ram air inlet to control the on / off state of the second emergency ram air pipeline; and A control device configured to control the first ram air inlet, the second ram air inlet, the first air conditioning component, the second air conditioning component, the first emergency ram air regulating valve, and the second emergency ram air regulating valve; The method includes: In the first ram air mode, the control device controls the first emergency ram air regulating valve and the second emergency ram air regulating valve to close. In the second ram air mode, the first air conditioning component is turned off, and the control device controls the first ram air inlet and the first emergency ram air regulating valve to close; and In the emergency ram air mode, the control device controls the opening of the first ram air inlet and the second ram air inlet, and controls the opening of the first emergency ram air regulating valve and the second emergency ram air regulating valve, while the first air conditioning component and the second air conditioning component are turned off.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The aircraft ram air intake system also includes an emergency damper button. When the emergency damper button is activated, the emergency ram air mode is started.

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