Aircraft Air Duct Cooling With Liquid Nitrogen Backup Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft cooling systems face challenges in efficiently managing transient conditions and variable operating parameters, often resulting in excessive power consumption and inadequate cooling, especially when ambient temperatures exceed design limits.
Innovation Solution
A modular cooling system that integrates a main cooling system with a supplementary liquid nitrogen injection system, where liquid nitrogen is evaporated in air ducts to enhance cooling capacity, supported by temperature sensors and control units to adjust flow rates and ensure adequate cooling across various conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a main cooling system is designed to handle maximum heat load over complete flight envelope, then cooling reliability is improved, but power consumption and device complexity increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into a main cooling system for handling maximum heat load and a supplementary cooling system for transient conditions. The supplementary system uses liquid nitrogen reservoirs that can be independently activated only when additional cooling is needed, avoiding continuous operation of high-power components and reducing overall power consumption while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between main cooling system operation and supplementary liquid nitrogen cooling based on real-time thermal conditions. Temperature sensors trigger the supplementary system only when ambient temperatures exceed design limits or during transient high-heat conditions, optimizing power consumption while ensuring cooling reliability is maintained when needed.
2Power
If cooling system is expanded to meet additional cooling capabilities, then cooling capacity is improved, but device complexity and redesign requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The supplementary cooling system is implemented as separate, modular units with liquid nitrogen reservoirs, injection ports, and control mechanisms that can be added to existing aircraft without redesigning the entire cooling system. This segmentation allows incremental capacity expansion while minimizing complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid nitrogen injection system serves multiple functions: it provides supplemental cooling during transient conditions, handles ambient temperature exceedances, and can be activated in various operational scenarios. This multi-functionality allows a single supplementary system to address multiple cooling challenges without requiring separate systems for each condition.
3Power
If liquid nitrogen is injected into air ducts for supplemental cooling, then cooling capacity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid nitrogen reservoirs are designed to automatically inject nitrogen into the air ducts when temperature sensors detect excessive heat conditions. The system uses the existing air flow and pressure differential to drive nitrogen injection without requiring additional pumps or complex control mechanisms, thereby improving cooling capacity while minimizing the increase in system complexity.
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 system provides flexible, efficient, and power-efficient cooling, capable of maintaining interior space temperatures within safe limits for electronic devices and mechanical components during flight and on the ground, with minimal power demand and easy retrofitting.
Implementation Method 1
The reservoir for liquid nitrogen is couplable with the injection port of the at least one air duct via the valve on demand for injecting and evaporating nitrogen in the at least one air duct
Implementation Method 2
injecting and evaporating nitrogen in the at least one air duct
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system for an interior space of a vehicle comprises a main cooling system coupled with an air inlet for receiving air and coupled with the interior space for providing cooled air to the interior space, at least one air duct arranged between the air inlet and the interior space, a reservoir for liquid nitrogen having a nitrogen outlet and a valve arranged between the outlet and an injection port of the at least one air duct. The reservoir is couplable with the injection port of the at least one air duct via the valve on demand for evaporating nitrogen in the at least one air duct. With the injection of liquid nitrogen the main cooling system is supported in case it is not able to provide a sufficient cooling power.