Helicopter air distribution and energy gradient utilization system

Abstract

The invention belongs to an aircraft air distribution system, and discloses a helicopter air distribution and energy gradient utilization system which comprises an air inlet unit, a distribution unit, an air outlet heat dissipation unit and an air return unit. The air inlet unit introduces air from the outside or the inside, adjusts the temperature and then conveys the air to the distribution unit. The distribution unit distributes air in the cabin; the air outlet heat dissipation unit sucks air from the cabin to dissipate heat of equipment in the equipment cabin and then discharges the heat to the outside; the air return unit recovers air from the cabin and conveys the recovered air to the air inlet unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to an aircraft air distribution system, and in particular relates to a helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system. Background Art

[0002] When a helicopter is in flight, the cabin may become very hot due to the strong airflow generated by the high-speed rotating main rotor and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the fuselage. In order to ensure the comfort and safety of the crew, helicopters are usually equipped with an air conditioning system to adjust the temperature in the cabin.

[0003] Traditional helicopter air conditioning systems generally use air distribution to achieve temperature control. The basic working process is as follows: outside air is introduced into the system through the air inlet, the introduced air is cooled by a cooling device, and then sent into the cabin to reduce the cabin air temperature. After heat exchange, it is discharged to the outside of the cabin through the exhaust port in the cabin.

[0004] However, in some designs, part or all of the air used for cooling is directly discharged out of the cabin without being effectively utilized before or after entering the cabin, resulting in energy waste, system inefficiency, and reduced comfort. Summary of the invention

[0005] Purpose of the invention: To propose a helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system. Through a carefully planned system layout, the air circuits of cabin heating, cooling, ventilation, drainage, oxygen supply, circulation mode switching, condenser heat dissipation, equipment heat dissipation, etc. are integrated into one design. The different cabin structures of the fuselage are used as components of the air duct, making full use of the existing space of the fuselage structure and greatly reducing the use of pipelines and the occupation of space inside the aircraft.

[0006] Technical Solution

[0007] A helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system, comprising an air intake unit, a distribution unit, an air outlet heat dissipation unit and an air return unit;

[0008] The air intake unit draws air from the outside or inside and adjusts the temperature before delivering it to the distribution unit; the distribution unit distributes the air in the cabin; the air outlet heat dissipation unit draws air from the cabin to dissipate the heat for the equipment in the cabin and then discharges it to the outside;

[0009] The return air unit recovers air from the cabin and delivers the recovered air to the intake air unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the air intake unit includes: an air source switching valve, an evaporator, an air intake fan, an ejector, a mixing pipeline, and a relay;

[0011] The two air inlet ports of the air source switching valve are connected to the outside and the air return unit respectively; the common end of the air source switching valve is connected to the evaporator and the air inlet fan and then connected to the mixing pipeline;

[0012] One end of the ejector is connected to the engine air source, and the other end is connected to the mixing pipeline; the relay is used to control the on and off of the ejector;

[0013] The air is mixed in the mixing line and then delivered to the distribution unit.

[0014] Further, a temperature sensor is provided in the mixing pipeline;

[0015] When it is detected that the air in the mixing pipeline is over-temperature, the control relay shuts off the ejector.

[0016] Furthermore, a drain port is provided in the mixing pipeline to discharge the water generated by the evaporator to the outside.

[0017] Further, the distribution unit includes: an air distribution valve and an air outlet;

[0018] The air inlet of the air distribution valve is connected to the air inlet unit, and the multiple air outlets are respectively connected to an air outlet;

[0019] The air outlets are arranged in the front cockpit and the rear cockpit.

[0020] Furthermore, the air return unit leads the air of the front cockpit and the rear cockpit to the air intake unit through two air return pipelines.

[0021] Furthermore, the air outlet heat dissipation unit includes: a return air pipeline, a condenser, and an axial flow fan;

[0022] The return air duct entrance is equipped with a front cockpit air inlet, a rear cockpit air inlet and a belly air inlet. The air entering the return air duct is cooled by the condenser and then dissipated by the equipment in the equipment compartment. The exhaust outlet of the equipment compartment is equipped with an axial flow fan to drive the air flow.

[0023] Further, the system also includes: an oxygen production unit;

[0024] The air inlet of the oxygen concentrator is arranged at the air inlet of the front cockpit of the return air duct, and the air outlet of the oxygen concentrator is arranged in the return air duct. The oxygen concentrator draws air from the front cockpit to make oxygen and then discharges the waste to the return air duct.

[0025] The prepared oxygen is supplied to the crew members in the front and rear cockpits through oxygen masks.

[0026] Furthermore, an air outlet temperature sensor is also provided at the front end of the axial flow fan.

[0027] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0028] 1. The air distribution and management system described in the present invention realizes a high degree of integration of circulation mode switching, cooling function, ventilation function, heating function, temperature adjustment function, pipeline drainage function, outlet direction switching function, air volume adjustment function, cabin oxygen supply function, and molecular sieve oxygen generator heat dissipation function, and is designed in an integrated manner in an air distribution system, which significantly reduces the space occupation and weight burden in the cabin;

[0029] 2. The air with a relatively suitable temperature (22℃~27℃) discharged from the front cabin is used for the heat dissipation of the condenser to achieve energy reuse. When the refrigeration system is working, the evaporator absorbs the heat in the cabin and discharges it to the outside of the cabin through the condenser. The gas after the cabin is cooled is used for the heat dissipation of the condenser, realizing the reuse of the low-temperature air discharged from the cabin, and the low-temperature air is not wasted;

[0030] 3. Use the air with a relatively suitable temperature (22℃~27℃) discharged from the rear cabin to dissipate heat for the integrated equipment cabinet;

[0031] 4. Since the air distribution system of the present invention highly integrates the functions that previously required multiple independent systems to achieve, compared with conventional designs, the evaporator and ventilation and heating share one axial flow fan, the molecular sieve oxygen generator, the condenser, and the integrated equipment cabinet share one fan, and the ventilation and heating and refrigeration share one set of air pipelines. The left equipment compartment space is used as the return air pipeline to save one set of return air pipelines, which can greatly reduce the weight of the entire system compared with the traditional air distribution system;

[0032] 5. Since the air distribution system described in the present invention makes full use of the front and rear cabins, the air with a relatively suitable temperature (22°C to 27°C) is discharged to dissipate heat for the condenser and the integrated equipment cabinet, thus avoiding the waste of directly discharging air into the atmosphere. At the same time, the heat exchange temperature difference is expanded, thereby increasing the refrigeration coefficient COP by 1.48 to 2.34. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the comparison of the pressure-enthalpy diagram of the refrigeration cycle.

[0035] 1. Air source switching valve; 2. Evaporator; 3. Axial flow fan; 4. Ejector; 5. Mixing temperature sensor; 6. Mixing temperature relay; 7. Air distribution valve; 8. Air outlet; 9. Oxygen mask; 10. Molecular sieve oxygen generator; 11. Belly air inlet; 12. Condenser; 13. Integrated equipment cabinet; 14. Axial flow fan; 15. Left return air outlet of rear cabin; 16. Return air outlet at the bottom of rear cabin; 17. Return air outlet of front cabin; 18. Left side control panel; 19. Drain outlet; 20. Air outlet temperature sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] A helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system, comprising:

[0037] 1. The air source switching valve 1 can switch the air source. If the fresh air outside the machine is selected, the whole system is in the external circulation mode. If the return air inside the machine is selected, the whole system is in the internal circulation mode. The power of air circulation comes from the axial flow fan 3. The axial flow fan 3 is provided with 9 gears for adjusting the total air volume;

[0038] 2. The air from the air source switching valve 1 will pass through the evaporator 2, the axial flow fan 3, the ejector 4 in sequence, and then enter the air distribution valve 7 in the front and rear cockpits. The air distributed by the air distribution valve 7 enters the two cabins through multiple air-conditioning outlets 8;

[0039] 3. The air distribution valve 7 can switch between different air outlet modes such as upper air outlet, lower air outlet, and defogger;

[0040] 4. In ventilation mode, the evaporator 2 and the ejector 4 are closed, and the axial flow fan 3 draws air from the air source switching valve 1 and sends it into the cabin to realize the cabin ventilation function;

[0041] 5. In the heating mode, the evaporator 2 is closed, and the ejector 4 introduces high-temperature and high-pressure air from the engine into the air distribution pipeline, and mixes it with the air sucked from the air source switching valve 1 by the axial flow fan 3, and then the air is sent into the cabin after the temperature is increased to realize the cabin heating function;

[0042] 6. In cooling mode, the ejector 4 is closed, the evaporator 2 is opened, and the air sucked in by the axial flow fan 3 from the air source switching valve 1 is cooled by the evaporator 2 and then sent into the cabin after the temperature is reduced to realize the cabin cooling function;

[0043] 7. The mixed temperature sensor 5 and the mixed temperature relay 6 are arranged on the air distribution pipeline at the bifurcation of the front and rear cockpit pipelines. The mixed temperature sensor 5 can monitor the temperature of the air entering the cabin and feed back to the temperature control system for adjusting the cabin temperature. The mixed temperature relay 6 can determine whether the system should enter the emergency shutdown condition in the event of failure of the mixed temperature sensor 5;

[0044] 8. A front cabin return air vent 17 is arranged on the left side of the rear part of the front cockpit so that the air in the cabin can enter the left equipment compartment;

[0045] 9. The air supply duct entering the front cockpit is concealed inside the left control panel 18. The driver cannot see the duct, ensuring the cabin is beautiful and tidy;

[0046] 10. The water vapor in the ambient air sucked from the air source switching valve 1 and the liquid water produced by the evaporator 3 are discharged to the outside of the machine through the drain port 19;

[0047] 11. The air supply duct entering the rear cockpit is concealed in the footstep area of ​​the rear cockpit. The left return air outlet 16 of the rear cabin is arranged inside the left control panel 18. The driver cannot see the duct, ensuring that the cabin is beautiful and tidy, so that the air in the cabin can enter the left equipment compartment;

[0048] 12. In addition to accommodating the air source switching valve 1, evaporator 2, axial flow fan 3, ejector 4, mixed temperature sensor 5, mixed temperature relay 6 and air pipeline, the entire internal space of the left equipment compartment also serves as an air duct. The return air from the front and rear cockpits enters the left equipment compartment and returns. In the return air mode, it can be sucked into the air duct again through the air source switching valve 1 to realize the air circulation in the cabin;

[0049] 13. The axial flow fan 14 arranged in the bottom equipment cabin draws air from the front and rear cockpits and the outside air, passes through the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10, the belly air inlet 11, and the rear cabin bottom return air outlet 15 in sequence, realizes the heat dissipation of the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10, the condenser 12 and the integrated equipment cabinet 13, and finally discharges it outside the aircraft;

[0050] 14. The axial flow fan 14 arranged in the bottom equipment compartment can automatically adjust the air volume according to the air outlet temperature sensor 20;

[0051] 15. The molecular sieve oxygen generator 10 introduces air with a relatively suitable temperature (22°C to 27°C) from the front cabin, and after separation of nitrogen and oxygen, supplies the enriched oxygen to the front and rear cockpit pilots through the oxygen masks 9, respectively, and adjusts the oxygen content of the inhaled air. The generated waste hot air is discharged to the air duct of the bottom equipment cabin; the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10 uses the front cabin air intake to ensure that the intake air is clean and at a suitable temperature, and the heat dissipation used for the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10 can be used as the first level of air energy level;

[0052] 16. The waste heat air from the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10 is mixed with the ambient air entering through the belly air inlet 11 to further dissipate heat for the condenser 12. The main heat of the condenser 12 comes from the heat absorbed in the evaporator 2. The condensation temperature of the condenser 12 is relatively high, and there is a sufficient temperature difference with the waste heat air generated by the molecular sieve oxygen generator 10. Therefore, this link is used as the second level of air energy level, which increases the refrigeration coefficient COP by 1.48 to 2.34. See Table 1 for detailed analysis;

[0053] 17. The air passing through the condenser 12 is mixed with the air with a relatively suitable temperature (22°C to 27°C) introduced from the rear cabin through the rear cabin bottom return air port 15 to achieve heat dissipation for the integrated equipment cabinet 13. This link is used as the third level of air energy level;

[0054] 18. In the above air distribution system, the space of the front and rear cockpits is also regarded as part of the air duct, which is not only the space for conditioned air, but also the air distribution node in the whole air distribution system.

[0055] The present invention also involves the cascade utilization of energy. The temperature in the cabin is generally 22°C to 27°C. According to the law of conservation of mass, the air flow in and out of the cabin is equivalent. In conventional designs, the cabin air is directly discharged outside the machine. In the present invention, the air discharged from the cabin passes through the molecular sieve oxygen generator, condenser, and integrated equipment cabinet in turn before being discharged outside the machine. This process gradually improves the energy level. In summer, compared with the condenser using 40°C air cooling outside the machine, there is a temperature difference of 13 to 18°C. The refrigeration capacity can be expanded while reducing the power consumption of the refrigeration compressor, and the refrigeration coefficient COP is increased by 1.48 to 2.34. See Table 1 for comparison. The energy of the ambient air entering the system gradually decreases. After meeting the cabin temperature control requirements, the exhausted air is discharged from the cabin through multi-layer heat exchange. This scene is similar to the counterweight in the elevator design. Since there is no waste of energy, the system only needs to pay a small price to achieve the corresponding function. This is a typical energy cascade utilization process. In winter, cabin air is used to cool multiple devices, which also avoids the problem of equipment crashing due to low-temperature air outside the aircraft, and ensures the stable operation of the molecular sieve oxygen generator and equipment in the integrated equipment cabinet.

[0056] Table 1 Refrigeration coefficient comparison table

[0057]

[0058] Compared with the previous air distribution system design, the present invention not only focuses on the distribution of air flow direction and the utilization of the body structure, but also focuses on the air duct reuse, function reuse, equipment integration and energy cascade utilization of the whole system. In a limited space, the helicopter structure partition frame is fully utilized for layout, so that the air distribution related equipment can be arranged in the air duct in an orderly manner, thereby realizing the maximum reuse of the air duct. In addition, the fan designed in the present invention can provide air circulation power for multiple devices, realize function reuse, effectively improve the overall efficiency of the system, reduce the energy consumption and weight cost of the whole system, and promote the development of helicopters in a more green and environmentally friendly direction.

Claims

1. A helicopter air distribution and energy cascade utilization system, characterized in that: It includes an air intake unit, a distribution unit, an air outlet heat dissipation unit and an air return unit; The air intake unit draws air from the outside or inside and adjusts the temperature before delivering it to the distribution unit; the distribution unit distributes the air in the cabin; the air outlet heat dissipation unit draws air from the cabin to dissipate the heat for the equipment in the cabin and then discharges it to the outside; The return air unit recovers air from the cabin and delivers the recovered air to the intake air unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake unit includes: air source switching valve, evaporator, air intake fan, ejector, mixing pipeline, and relay; The two air inlet ports of the air source switching valve are connected to the outside and the air return unit respectively; the common end of the air source switching valve is connected to the evaporator and the air inlet fan and then connected to the mixing pipeline; One end of the ejector is connected to the engine air source, and the other end is connected to the mixing pipeline; the relay is used to control the on and off of the ejector; The air is mixed in the mixing line and then delivered to the distribution unit.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A temperature sensor is provided in the mixing pipeline; When it is detected that the air in the mixing pipeline is over-temperature, the control relay shuts off the ejector.

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A drain port is also provided in the mixing pipeline to discharge the water produced by the evaporator to the outside.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distribution unit includes: an air distribution valve and an air outlet; The air inlet of the air distribution valve is connected to the air inlet unit, and the multiple air outlets are respectively connected to an air outlet; The air outlets are arranged in the front cockpit and the rear cockpit.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The return air unit leads the air from the front cockpit and the rear cockpit to the air intake unit through two return air pipes.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air outlet heat dissipation unit includes: return air pipeline, condenser, and axial flow fan; The return air duct entrance is equipped with a front cockpit air inlet, a rear cockpit air inlet and a belly air inlet. The air entering the return air duct is cooled by the condenser and then dissipated by the equipment in the equipment compartment. The exhaust outlet of the equipment compartment is equipped with an axial flow fan to drive the air flow.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The system also includes: an oxygen production unit; The air inlet of the oxygen concentrator is arranged at the air inlet of the front cockpit of the return air duct, and the air outlet of the oxygen concentrator is arranged in the return air duct. The oxygen concentrator draws air from the front cockpit to make oxygen and then discharges the waste to the return air duct. The prepared oxygen is supplied to the crew members in the front and rear cockpits through oxygen masks.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that: An air outlet temperature sensor is also provided at the front end of the axial flow fan.

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