Aircraft Cooling Device Using Phase Change Heat Exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling devices for flight vehicles require separate controllers to manage temperature and pressure, increasing fabrication costs and space requirements, and are affected by external environmental changes.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device comprising a heat exchanger that vaporizes refrigerant to cool high-temperature fluid, a compressor to compress the fluid, a turbine to expand it, and a phase change heat exchanger to control temperature using phase change materials, eliminating the need for a separate controller and minimizing environmental influence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate controller is employed to control temperature or pressure of supplied vapor, then the cooling device can manage temperature within a specific range according to application environments, but the fabrication cost increases and installation space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device uses self-regulating mechanisms where the expansion valve automatically adjusts refrigerant flow based on temperature differential between evaporator inlet and outlet, and the controller adjusts engine bleed air supply based on discharge temperature feedback, eliminating the need for separate external controllers
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control where temperature sensors monitor the discharge temperature of the cooling device and adjust the controller's operation accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that maintains temperature within specific ranges without requiring separate control devices
2Reliability
If a separate controller is employed to control temperature or pressure of supplied vapor, then the cooling device can manage temperature within a specific range according to application environments, but the installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control function is merged into the existing cooling device structure, where the controller is integrated with the expansion valve and heat exchanger components rather than being a separate external unit, thereby reducing overall installation space while maintaining temperature control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves multiple functions by regulating both refrigerant flow through the expansion valve and adjusting engine bleed air supply based on temperature feedback, eliminating the need for separate control devices and reducing installation space requirements
3Productivity
If conventional cooling devices are used, then cooling function is provided, but they are affected by external application environments such as speed, altitude, air temperature and air pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts operating parameters including refrigerant flow rate via the expansion valve and engine bleed air supply based on real-time temperature feedback, allowing the cooling device to maintain effective operation across varying environmental conditions such as speed, altitude, and ambient temperature
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors continuously monitor the discharge temperature and provide feedback to the controller, which adjusts the cooling mechanism accordingly, enabling the system to compensate for external environmental variations and maintain consistent cooling performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively maintains a constant fluid temperature close to the refrigerant's vaporization temperature, reducing the impact of external environments and eliminating the need for a separate controller, thus optimizing space and cost efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
cooling fluid using vaporization heat of a refrigerant to lower temperature of the fluid to be close to vaporization temperature of the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger configured such that fluid is introduced therein to be heat-exchanged with a refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
compressing the temperature-lowered fluid using a compressor
Implementation Method 4
expanding the compressed fluid using a turbine, connected to the compressor, to lower temperature of the compressed fluid
Implementation Method 5
exchanging heat with the fluid discharged out of the turbine, the heat being emitted or absorbed upon the phase change material being phase-changed, thus to maintain a constant temperature of the fluid discharged out of the turbine
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a cooling device (200) for high temperature fluid, a flight vehicle (100) having the same and a cooling method for high temperature fluid, the cooling device (200) including a heat exchanger configured such that fluid is introduced therein to be heat-exchanged with a refrigerant, and configured to vaporize the refrigerant by the heat exchange such that the fluid is discharged at temperature close to vaporization temperature of the refrigerant, a compressor connected to the heat exchanger and configured to compress the fluid discharged out of the heat exchanger, a turbine connected to the compressor and configured to expand the fluid compressed in the compressor to lower temperature of the compressed fluid, and a phase change heat exchanger connected to the turbine, storing a phase change material, and configured to cause heat exchange between the phase change material and the fluid discharged out of the turbine so as to control temperature of the discharged fluid, whereby a cooling device (200) capable of minimizing influences by external environments can be achieved.