Expendable Heat Sink Cooling for Peak Aircraft Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft components such as propeller motors and batteries generate excessive heat during operation, which can lead to overheating, electrical fires, equipment damage, and performance degradation if not properly managed, necessitating effective thermal management systems.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system utilizing expendable media that includes a main coolant loop and a supplemental coolant path with a higher specific heat capacity coolant, allowing selective release and redirection of coolants to manage peak heat loads, reducing the design requirements for components by using conventional cooling during normal operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are designed to handle peak heat loads, then components can manage maximum temperature requirements, but the system becomes larger and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces expendable coolant panels that are consumed during peak heat loads. These panels contain coolant that evaporates to absorb heat, then solidifies and is discarded. This disposable approach allows the main cooling system to be sized for normal operations only, reducing overall system weight while still handling peak loads effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is divided into two segments: a permanent cooling system sized for normal operations and temporary expendable coolant panels for peak heat loads. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the permanent system being lighter since it doesn't need to handle maximum peak loads alone.
2Reliability
If components are designed to accommodate peak heat loads, then thermal safety is ensured, but component size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Expendable coolant panels provide a simple, low-complexity solution for peak heat loads. The panels are pre-filled with coolant and require no active control or complex infrastructure. When deployed, they passively absorb heat through evaporation and are then discarded, maintaining thermal safety without adding system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The expendable coolant panels are self-contained units that automatically perform their cooling function without external control. The coolant evaporates when exposed to heat, absorbing thermal energy, then solidifies and can be manually removed. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex control systems, pumps, or reservoirs for peak load handling.
3Weight of stationary object
If expendable coolant is used during peak heat loads, then conventional cooling system size is reduced, but additional coolant handling infrastructure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The expendable coolant panels are designed as single-use, pre-filled units that eliminate the need for complex coolant storage, transfer, and recovery infrastructure. Each panel is self-contained with its own coolant supply, requiring only simple insertion and removal operations. This approach reduces infrastructure complexity compared to systems that would need to recycle and repressurize coolant continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a simple discard-and-replace mechanism for coolant panels. When a panel is consumed during peak heat loads, it is removed and replaced with a fresh panel. This straightforward process avoids the complexity of coolant recovery, filtration, and recharging systems that would be required for reusable coolant loops.
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 effectively manages peak heat loads by utilizing expendable media, enabling smaller and lighter components by allowing conventional cooling during normal operations and direct coolant management during peak loads, thus preventing overheating and equipment damage.
Implementation Method 1
The first type of coolant is cooled at an air-to-liquid heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
the first type of coolant is cooled by a second type of coolant having a greater specific heat capacity
Implementation Method 3
a second type of coolant having a greater specific heat capacity
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system includes a main coolant loop through which a first type of coolant (e.g., water or glycol) circulates to cool a heat load. During normal operation, cooling of the first type of coolant is performed by a heat exchanger using ambient or ram air. During peak loads, however, cooling of the first type of coolant is supplemental using an expendable coolant (e.g., supercritical carbon dioxide, liquid helium, liquid nitrogen, etc.). The expendable coolant can be vented from the cooling system after use in cooling the first type of coolant.