Aircraft Galley Compartment with Modular Cooling and Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft galleys are inefficient and costly due to the installation of heavy, standalone electrical units like refrigerators, freezers, and ovens, which have specific cooling/heating requirements and insulation needs, leading to unnecessary energy consumption and weight.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft galley compartments equipped with modular temperature adjusting units, such as peltier elements and heat exchangers, connected via ports for flexible temperature control, allowing compartments to be used as refrigerators, freezers, or ovens, with adjustable insulation and size, and waste heat distribution for energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy standalone electrical units (refrigerators, freezers, ovens) are installed in aircraft galley compartments, then reliable temperature control is achieved, but weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature control functionality from heavy standalone units and implements it using lightweight active cooling elements (such as Peltier elements) that can be integrated directly into the compartment structure, eliminating the need for separate refrigerator/freezer/oven units
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal temperature control system that can provide cooling, heating, and ambient temperature maintenance functions using the same basic infrastructure (active cooling elements, insulation, and control system), replacing multiple specialized units with a single multi-functional system
2Temperature
If standalone electrical units with dedicated insulation are installed, then specific temperature requirements are met, but energy consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling, heating, and insulation functions into a single integrated system where the active cooling elements work in conjunction with the compartment insulation and heat exchanger network, eliminating the need for separate insulated units for each temperature requirement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts waste heat from the active cooling elements into a useful resource by directing it through heat exchangers to provide heating functionality, thereby converting what would be wasted energy into a beneficial heating source for the galley compartment
3Reliability
If permanent installation of electrical galley insert units is performed, then functional requirements are met, but flexibility and adaptability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the temperature control functionality into modular active cooling elements that can be independently installed or removed from the compartment, allowing flexible configuration changes without permanently fixing the entire system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the active cooling elements and their associated insulation can be adjusted or reconfigured based on changing operational requirements, allowing the galley compartment to adapt between different temperature control modes (cooling, heating, ambient) as needed
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 solution enables flexible, cost-effective, and energy-efficient use of galley compartments, reducing weight and energy consumption by allowing compartments to be customized for cooling or heating needs, and optimizing energy use through waste heat distribution.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one compartment temperature adjusting unit comprises at least one peltier element
Implementation Method 2
the at least one port provide a connection to at least one of an electric circuit, a communication system and/or a temperature adjusting loop, in which a heat exchanger fluid is circulated
Implementation Method 3
in the closed state, the compartment provides at least one of a refrigerator grade insulation, a freezer grade insulation, and/or an oven grade insulation
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
Aircraft galley compartment (3), comprising: at least one port (13, 15) accessible from the inside of the compartment (3) and configured to connect to a compartment temperature adjusting unit (17). Aircraft galley system (1), comprising: an aircraft galley (25); the aircraft galley compartment (3); a compartment temperature adjusting unit (17) for cooling the inside of the compartment (3) and being connected to the at least one port (13, 15) of the compartment (3); and a waste heat conduct (9) configured to distribute the waste heat from the compartment temperature adjusting unit (17) to at least one specific location of the aircraft galley (25) that is different from the compartment (3). Aircraft (27) comprising the aircraft galley compartment (3) or comprising the aircraft galley system (1).