Processing vapor exhausted by thermal management systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration systems face challenges in cooling temperature-sensitive loads due to weight and power consumption issues, particularly in airborne platforms where disposing of refrigerant vapor is problematic, as it may recirculate and pose health risks or require engine modifications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an open circuit refrigeration system that exhausts refrigerant vapor into the jet engine's exhaust stream, where it is incinerated, thereby safely removing the vapor and reducing weight and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If an open circuit refrigeration system is used to reduce weight and power consumption, then cooling efficiency is improved, but refrigerant vapor exhaust handling becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful refrigerant vapor exhaust into a beneficial fuel source by directing it to the engine combustor, where it is burned to produce additional thrust. This eliminates the harmful recirculation issue while providing useful energy recovery, transforming a waste product into a resource that benefits the vehicle's propulsion system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the refrigeration system exhaust stream with the engine exhaust system by connecting the refrigerant vapor outlet to the engine combustor inlet. This integration allows the refrigerant vapor to be processed through the same thermal management pathway as the engine exhaust, eliminating separate handling systems and reducing overall vehicle weight.
2Device complexity
If refrigerant vapor is discharged directly into the environment, then exhaust handling is simplified, but environmental and health risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of simply venting the harmful refrigerant vapor to the environment, the system captures and combusts it in the engine, converting the harmful substance into useful thermal energy and preventing its release into the environment where it could recirculate and pose health risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine combustor acts as an intermediary processing unit between the refrigeration system and the environment. Rather than direct discharge, the refrigerant vapor passes through the combustor where it is thermally processed, serving as a mediating step that eliminates the harmful effects before any potential environmental release.
3Reliability
If a closed circuit refrigeration system is used, then refrigerant recovery is improved, but weight and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the refrigerant vapor from the traditional closed-loop refrigeration cycle and redirects it to the engine combustor for disposal and energy recovery. This removes the need for heavy components like condensers, expansion devices, and refrigerant storage tanks, significantly reducing system weight while maintaining effective refrigerant management.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine combustor serves multiple functions: it provides primary propulsion thrust and simultaneously processes and destroys refrigerant vapor exhaust. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate refrigerant handling systems, reducing overall vehicle weight while ensuring reliable refrigerant disposal.
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
This solution effectively manages refrigerant vapor exhaust in airborne platforms, ensuring safe disposal and reducing the need for engine modifications, while minimizing weight and power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
Burning the exhaust in engines that provide propulsion for such airborne platforms most likely will require modifications to such engines. That requirement is highly undesirable in flight-certified jet engines. In addition, in some platforms such as helicopters, there will be significant levels of air turbulence such that discharging refrigerant into the air could recirculate back into the cockpit and affect the health of pilots.
Implementation Method 2
an open circuit refrigeration system configured to remove heat from the thermal load transferring heat to refrigerant in the open circuit system to transform the refrigerant into a refrigerant vapor
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a mechanism to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of a thermal management system that is used to cool a thermal load by a vehicle, such as an airborne vehicle. The thermal management system includes an open circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configured to store a liquid refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configured to extract heat from the thermal load that contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to provide an open refrigerant fluid flow path. Other implementations of open circuit refrigeration systems include the use of a gas receiver, a pump and an ejector are also described, as are other mechanisms to exhaust refrigerant vapor resulting from operation of the thermal management system.