CLADDING MODULE WITH THERMOELECTRIC COOLER

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] The embodiments related to an environmental control system (ECS) of an aircraft and more specifically to an ECS having trim modules, each of which is configured with a thermoelectric cooler.

[0002] An air cycle machine (ACM) is the refrigeration unit of the environmental control system (ECS) used in pressurized aircraft. Normally an aircraft has two or more ACMs. Each ACM and its components are often referred to as an air conditioning pack, or AC pack. On most jetliners, the AC packs are located in the wing-to-body fairing (aerodynamic structure) between the two wings beneath the fuselage.

[0003] In the case of gas turbine aircraft, the air cycle cooling process is achieved primarily by expanding compressed engine air through an ACM cooling turbine with the cooled output air from the process being used directly for cabin ventilation or for cooling electronic equipment. Some or all of the AC pack exhaust air can be ducted into the pressurized fuselage and is typically mixed with filtered air from the ECS's recirculation fans, and fed into a mix manifold. On most modern jetliners, the airflow in the mix manifold is approximately half outside air and half filtered air. Air from the mix manifold is directed to overhead distribution nozzles in the various zones of the aircraft.

[0004] Temperature in each zone is typically adjusted by adding small amounts of high temperature trim air that is tapped off the AC pack air supply and regulated to be slightly higher than the cabin pressure. To transfer trim air to the zone ducting from the AC pack, a conventional aircraft utilizes a system of pressure regulating valves, pressure sensors, trim valves, check valves, mufflers, bulkhead shrouds, structural penetrations and structural reinforcement doublers. Such systems for transferring trim air to zone ducting, generically referred to herein as a trim system, also includes ducts, along with duct couplings, hangers and supports, and trim injectors. As used herein, trimming air means conditioning air, i.e., trimming up means to raise temperature of an airflow and trimming down means to lower temperature of an airflow. US 2021 / 318036 relates to an air distribution system which, according to its abstract, associates a thermocouple device with a respective air distribution subsystem that delivers conditioned air to a respective zone in order to provide for individual temperature control within different zones of an aircraft. In another example, a climate control device is configured to allow individualized temperature control of the air discharged through a vent by associating a thermocouple device with the respective vent, thereby allowing for individual temperature control for a passenger onboard the aircraft. EP 3 330 181 relates to an air distribution manifold. US 5 584 183 relates to a thermoelectric heat exchanger. EP 3 333 078 relates to an air distribution system.BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0005] Disclosed is an aircraft environmental control system as defined in appended claim 1. The system comprises a mix manifold having an inlet and a plurality of outlets, a recirculation fan and an air conditioning pack fluidly coupled to the inlet, as well as a plurality of trim modules of equal configuration, located at the mix manifold and fluidly coupled to respective ones of the outlets of the mix manifold, each of the trim modules being located at the mix manifold and comprising: a first heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet; a second heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet; and a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) module thermally coupled between the first and second heat exchangers; a mix manifold conduit fluidly coupled to the inlet of the first heat exchanger; a zone supply conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the first heat exchanger; an exhaust conduit fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger, wherein, for each TEC module: the TEC module is configured to operate in a first mode or a second mode, depending on a temperature within the zone supply conduit and a target temperature, and wherein: in the first mode, the TEC module is configured to transfer thermal energy from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger; and in the second mode the TEC module is configured to transfer thermal energy from the second heat exchanger to the first heat exchanger; a temperature sensor in the zone supply conduit, wherein the TEC module is configured to operate in the first mode or the second mode depending on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the target temperature; an exhaust fan fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger and the exhaust conduit to draw air from an ambient environment around the mix manifold into the inlet of the second heat exchanger; wherein: the plurality of outlets of the mix manifold are fluidly coupled to the mix manifold conduit of respective ones of the plurality of trim modules; and an exhaust manifold fluidly coupled to the exhaust conduit of the second heat exchanger.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed aspects of the trim module, or as an alternate, the TEC module includes a plurality of thermoelectric coolers configured as a circuit.

[0007] Further disclosed is an aircraft including: a cabin including a zone, the zone including a zone duct; a bay located below the cabin; and an environmental control system as disclosed above disposed in the bay, wherein: the zone supply conduit of the first heat exchanger is fluidly coupled to the zone duct of the zone.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed aspects of the aircraft, or as an alternate, the TEC module includes a plurality of thermoelectric coolers configured as a circuit.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed aspects of the aircraft, or as an alternate, the plurality of thermoelectric coolers are electrically coupled in series or parallel.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the above disclosed aspects of the aircraft, or as an alternate, the plurality of thermoelectric coolers are thermally coupled in series or parallel.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike: FIG. 1 shows an air distribution system of an aircraft; and FIG. 2 shows details of a trim module of the system shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

[0013] Turning to FIG. 1, an aircraft 100 has a cabin 110 that is divided into different zones 120, e.g., first and second zones 120A, 120B. A bay 130 of the aircraft 100 has an ECS (or system) 140. The bay 130 is typically located below the cabin 110.

[0014] The system 140 includes a centralized mix manifold 150 that has at least one inlet 160 to receive cabin air from the cabin 110. As shown by way of example, the manifold includes first and second inlets 160A, 160B but these could be a single inlet. The at least one inlet 160 is fluidly coupled to at least one inlet duct 165. In the example shown in FIG. 1, in which the mix manifold 150 has first and second inlets 160A, 160B, first and second inlet ducts 165A, 165B are fluidly coupled to the first and second inlets 160A, 160B.

[0015] At least one recirculation fan 170 draws air from the cabin 110 to the mix manifold 150 via the at least one inlet duct 165. In the example shown in FIG. 1, in which the mix manifold 150 has first and second inlet ducts 165A, 165B,first and second recirculation fans 170A, 170B are provided which draw air from the cabin 110 into the inlets.

[0016] Cabin return air typically flows from vents located near the intersection of the fuselage and the cabin floor. The return flow moves into a cheek area of the cargo bay from which the recirculation fans 170A, 170B and thermoelectric coolers (TECs), discussed below, draw in the return flow. The cabin air is mixed with conditioned bleed air that is processed through first and second AC packs 180A, 180B. The ECS packs 180A, 180B are typically located in outside of the aircraft pressure vessel in an unpressurized bay. As shown in FIG. 1, the first and second AC packs 180A, 180B are fluidly coupled with the first and second inlet ducts 165A, 165B, between the first and second recirculation fans 170A, 170B and the mix manifold 150. The mix manifold 150 has outlets 190, e.g., first and second outlets 190A, 190B. The outlets 190 of the mix manifold 150 are fluidly coupled with the first and second zones 120A, 120B via zone ducts 200, e.g., first and second zone ducts 200A, 200B.

[0017] To accommodate different preferences in the zones 120A, 120B, air exiting the mix manifold 150 may need further conditioning by being heated or cooled by, e.g., 10 degrees Celsius, as a non-limiting example. According to the embodiments, to provide such further conditioning, trim modules, e.g., first and second trim modules 210, 212, are provided such that each of the zone ducts 200A, 200B is fluidly coupled to one of the trim modules 210, 212. Each of the trim modules 210, 212 may have a same configuration as each other so that further reference will be to the trim module 210.

[0018] Turning to FIG. 2, details of the trim module 210 are shown. The trim module 210 includes at least two heat exchangers 220, e.g., a first heat exchanger (a zone air heat exchanger) 220A and a second heat exchanger (a cabin return air heat exchanger) 220B. A thermoelectric cooler (TEC) module 230 is interposed and thermally coupled between the first and second heat exchangers 220A, 220B. The TEC modules can be Peltier devices that utilize the Peltier effect to create a heat flux at the junction of two different types of materials. A Peltier device (cooler, heater, or thermoelectric heat pump) is a solid-state active device which transfers heat from one side of the device to the other based on application of a voltage across the device. The direction of heat flow is based on the polarity of the voltage as will be understood by the skilled.

[0019] The TEC module 230 is operationally coupled to the system 140, e.g., via leads 230A that receive power (e.g., supply voltage) and control signals from a system control 140A. As can be appreciated, voltage magnitude and polarity to the TEC module 230 will control its direction and magnitude of heat transfer, e.g., from the first heat exchanger 220A to the second heat exchanger 220B and vice versa. The TEC module 230 may include a plurality of TECs, 232, 234 configured as a circuit 236. The plurality of TECs 232, 234 may be electrically coupled in series or parallel, thermally coupled in series or parallel, or for either coupling, as a combination of series and parallel, and may be organized as a stack, to achieve a desired thermal effect, improve fault tolerances and increase heat transfer capacity. To increase heat transfer via the TEC module 230, the heat exchangers 220A, 220B, may be manufactured from aluminum.

[0020] The trim module 210 may include various conduits 240. For example, a mix manifold conduit 240A is fluidly coupled between an inlet 220A1 of the first heat exchanger 220A and, e.g., the first outlet 190A (FIG. 1) of the mix manifold 150. A zone supply conduit 240B is fluidly coupled between an outlet 220A2 of the first heat exchanger 220A and, e.g., the first zone duct 200A (FIG. 1) that is fluidly coupled to the first zone 120A. The heat exchanger 220B is intended to draw cabin return air from the ambient environment surrounding the mix manifold 150 into an inlet 220B1 using the exhaust fan 270 (discussed below). An exhaust conduit 240E is fluidly coupled between an outlet 220B2 of the second heat exchanger 220B and a low-pressure TEC exhaust (overboard) manifold 255 (or exhaust manifold, for simplicity) of the system 140.

[0021] The trim module 210 may include a temperature sensor 260 located in the zone supply conduit 240B. An exhaust fan 270 may be fluidly coupled between the outlet 220B2 of the second heat exchanger 220B and the exhaust conduit 240E. The exhaust fan 270 may create negative pressure that draws air from bay 130 into the inlet 220B1 of the second heat exchanger 220B. This enables mixing of air from bay 130 and the cabin 110 within the second heat exchanger 220B when conditioning air from the mix manifold 150. The exhaust fan 270 is operationally coupled to the system 140, e.g., via leads 230B, to receive power (e.g., supply voltage) and control signals. As can be appreciated, the supply voltage and control signals to the exhaust fan 270 may differ from the supply voltage and control signals to the TEC module 230. That is, while the TEC module 230 may be controlled to alternatively direct heat transfer between the first and second heat exchangers 220A, 220B, the exhaust fan 270 is configured to exhaust waste air in one direction, i.e., away from the second heat exchanger 220B. The magnitude of the supply voltage to the exhaust fan 270 may be controlled to change the flow rate of air across the second heat exchanger 220B, depending on cooling or heating requirements. With the exhaust fan 270, waste air can be directed overboard from the exhaust manifold 255, or used for another purpose such as a driving a power turbine of an air cycle machine (ACM). Directing the exhaust air to the exhaust manifold 255 from the trim module 210 avoids adding unwanted heating and cooling of the aircraft cabin 130.

[0022] The TEC module 230 is configured to operate in a first mode or a second mode, depending on a temperature within the zone supply conduit 240B and a target temperature. In the first mode, the TEC module 230 is configured to transfer thermal energy from the first heat exchanger 220A to the second heat exchanger 220B. In the second mode, the TEC module 230 is configured to transfer thermal energy from the second heat exchanger 220B to the first heat exchanger 220A. Thus, during operation, a voltage magnitude and polarity to the TEC module 230 may be utilized to regulate the outlet temperatures of heat exchangers 220A, 220B to raise or lower the temperature of the mix manifold 150 by approximately 10 degrees Celsius, as indicated. That is, the trim module 210 provides for a heating and cooling capability of a zone 120 by varying the magnitude and polarity of voltage applied to the TEC module 230. When operating in either mode, as indicated above, the magnitude of the voltage to the exhaust fan 270 may be controlled to change the flow rate of air across the second heat exchanger 220B, depending on cooling or heating requirements.

[0023] With the above embodiments, a heating and cooling capability of the TEC module 230 enables optionally running the ECS 140 at a higher outlet temperature, which may translate into extra system capacity. Alternatively, a smaller ECS may be utilized. Locating the trim module 210 at the mix manifold 150 enables a low integration cost and weight for the trim module 210 because the system wiring and the exhaust manifold 255 are confined to the bay 130. As each trim module 210 is configured the same, there is a reduction in recurring manufacturing costs.

[0024] In addition to the above identified benefits, the configuration enables an elimination of, e.g., diverter valves, which enables the ability to provide steady exhaust flow for other uses. Conventional pneumatic zone trim valves, trim injectors, mufflers, ducting, couplings and its associated mounting hardware is also eliminated.

[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and / or groups thereof.

[0026] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from said scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An environmental control system for an aircraft, comprising: a mix manifold (150) having an inlet and a plurality of outlets; a recirculation fan and an air conditioning pack fluidly coupled to the inlet; a plurality of trim modules (210), having a same configuration as each other, fluidly coupled to respective ones of the plurality of outlets of the mix manifold, each of the trim modules (210) is located at the mix manifold (150), each trim module comprising: a first heat exchanger (220A) having an inlet and an outlet; a second heat exchanger (220B) having an inlet and an outlet; and a thermoelectric cooler, TEC, module (230) thermally coupled between the first and second heat exchangers (220A, 220B); a mix manifold conduit (240A) fluidly coupled to the inlet of the first heat exchanger; a zone supply conduit (240B) fluidly coupled to the outlet of the first heat exchanger; an exhaust conduit (240E) fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger, wherein, for each TEC module: the TEC module (230) is configured to operate in a first mode or a second mode, depending on a temperature within the zone supply conduit (240B) and a target temperature, and wherein: in the first mode, the TEC module (230) is configured to transfer thermal energy from the first heat exchanger (220A) to the second heat exchanger (220B); and in the second mode the TEC module (230) is configured to transfer thermal energy from the second heat exchanger (220B) to the first heat exchanger (220A); a temperature sensor (260) in the zone supply conduit (240B), wherein the TEC module (230) is configured to operate in the first mode or the second mode depending on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor (260) and the target temperature; an exhaust fan (270) fluidly coupled to the outlet of the second heat exchanger (220B) and the exhaust conduit (240E) to draw air from an ambient environment around the mix manifold (150) into the inlet (220B1) of the second heat exchanger; wherein: the plurality of outlets of the mix manifold (150) are fluidly coupled to the mix manifold conduit (240A) of respective ones of the plurality of trim modules (210); and an exhaust manifold (255) fluidly coupled to the exhaust conduit (240E) of the second heat exchanger.

2. The environmental control system of claim 1, wherein: the TEC module (230) includes a plurality of thermoelectric coolers configured as a circuit.

3. An aircraft comprising: a cabin (110) including a zone, the zone including a zone duct; a bay (130) located below the cabin (110); and the environmental control system of claim 1 disposed in the bay, wherein the zone supply conduit of the first heat exchanger is fluidly coupled to the zone duct of the zone.

4. The aircraft of claim 3, wherein: the TEC module (230) includes a plurality of thermoelectric coolers configured as a circuit.

5. The aircraft of claim 4, wherein: the plurality of thermoelectric coolers are electrically coupled in series or parallel; or wherein: the plurality of thermoelectric coolers are thermally coupled in series or parallel.