Aircraft Air-Conditioning System For The Individual Air Conditioning Of Regions Of An Aircraft Cabin With A Liquid Coolant

Abstract

An aircraft air-conditioning system is disclosed, which includes at least one heat exchanger (14) to which coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system and air are fed. The coolant cools the fed air in the heat exchanger (14), and the air leaving the heat exchanger (14) enters the aircraft cabin. The coolant of the cooling system is always in the liquid state in the cooling circuit. The liquid coolant can also cool an aircraft seat (2) or a sitting area of the aircraft seat (2).

Description

The invention is now described in more detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of the aircraft air-conditioning system, in which air is fed from an air supply line to a heat exchanger;

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of the invention, in which cabin air is fed to a heat exchanger;

FIG. 3 is a third embodiment of the invention, in which an aircraft seat is tempered; and

FIG. 4 is an aircraft air-conditioning system according to the prior art.

FIG. 1 shows a plurality of aircraft seats 2, which are arranged on a floor 6 of an aircraft cabin. Each aircraft seat 2 and/or its surroundings forms a region that is to be individually air conditioned.

The aircraft seat 2 includes a seat feed line 8, which branches off air from an air supply line 4. The air supply line 4 can be connected to a central air-conditioning system of the aircraft, which provides fresh air and/or a mixture of fresh air and recirculated air. A heating device 22, for example an electrical heating device, is arranged in the seat feed line 8 in order to heat the air in the seat feed line 8 according to the wishes of a passenger. In addition a heat exchanger 14 is located in the seat feed line 8, by means of which the air in the seat feed line 8 can be cooled. An air feed valve 10 arranged in the seat feed line 8 can control the amount of air discharged through a nozzle 12.

The heat exchanger 14 is connected to a so-called low temperature bus. The low temperature bus is a bus-type cooling system which feeds liquid coolant via a feed line 18 and a valve 16 to the heat exchanger 14. The low temperature bus supplies a plurality of heat exchangers with liquid coolant, in which connection the plurality of heat exchangers can be arranged in parallel and/or in series in the low temperature bus. The heat exchanger 14 can discharge the coolant in the gaseous or liquid state into a return line 20. Since a liquid coolant can dissipate relatively large amounts of heat, the feed line 18 for liquid coolant can be designed having a relatively small cross-section, whereby it can be placed in a relatively flexible manner underneath the floor 6 of a cabin of an aircraft.

Means (not shown) for adjusting the set temperature of the air leaving the nozzle 12 as well as for adjusting the amount of air leaving the nozzle 12 can be provided at the aircraft seat 2. A control device (not shown) controls the heating device 22, the valve 16 and the air feed valve 10 in such a way that air at the desired temperature as well as in the desired amount exits from the nozzle 12. Instead of the control device, a regulating device (not shown) and sensors (not shown) for determining the temperature and the amount of air leaving the nozzle 12 can also be provided. In this case the passenger in the aircraft seat 2 is provided with a particularly high degree of thermal comfort. The heating device 22, the heat exchanger 14, the valve 16 and the air feed valve 10 can be arranged in the region, for example in the aircraft seat, to be individually air conditioned.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention, in which identical or similar parts are identified by the same reference numerals. The second embodiment of the invention does not include an air supply line 4. A drawing device 24 supplies cabin air to the seat feed line 8. A fan (not shown) can be arranged in the seat feed line 8 in order to generate an air flow in the seat feed line 8. The air in the seat feed line 8 flows through a heat exchanger 14, where it is cooled by a liquid coolant, which is fed through a feed line 18 of a low temperature bus. The coolant is discharged in the gaseous or liquid state from the heat exchanger 14 by means of a return line 20 of the low temperature bus. A valve 16 controls the amount of the liquid coolant flowing into the heat exchanger 14. An air feed valve 10 controls the amount of air discharged by the nozzle 12. Otherwise, the second embodiment according to FIG. 2 corresponds to the first embodiment according to FIG. 1. The second embodiment can, like the first embodiment, include a heating device in the seat feed line.

Since the second embodiment in contrast to the first embodiment does not include an air supply line 4, the second embodiment can be used in a particularly flexible manner for the air conditioning of an aircraft cabin and/or a region thereof. At least one feed line 18 and a return line 20 of a low temperature bus simply have to be placed underneath the floor 6 of a cabin of the aircraft.

Reference is now made again to FIG. 4. In an aircraft air-conditioning system of the prior art an air supply line 104 is, as already mentioned before, provided in order to air condition regions of an aircraft cabin, for example the aircraft seat 102 and/or its immediate environment. Since air can dissipate only a relatively small amount of heat, the air supply line 104 in an air-conditioning system of the prior art must have a suitably large cross-section. Reference is again made to FIG. 2. In contrast to an air-based aircraft air-conditioning system of the prior art, the second embodiment of the aircraft air-conditioning system according to the invention includes the feed line 18 for liquid coolant and the return line 20 of a low temperature bus. Since liquid coolant can dissipate significantly more heat than a gaseous coolant, the feed line 18 and the return line 20 have a significantly smaller cross-section than the air supply line 104 of an aircraft air-conditioning system of the prior art. Other components of an aircraft accordingly have more available space. In addition the arrangement of the aircraft seats 2 can easily be altered, since only the feed line 18 and the return line 20 have to be placed anew and, due to their relatively small cross-section, spatial restrictions have to be taken into account only to a small extent.

The first embodiment and the second embodiment have been discussed on the basis of an aircraft seat 2, in which connection the aircraft seat 2 and/or its surroundings constitute a region of an aircraft cabin to be individually air conditioned with which a passenger is associated. It is to be understood that the features of the invention illustrated for the aircraft seat 2 can also be applied to other regions to be individually air conditioned. Such a region to be individually air conditioned includes for example a first-class compartment, a sleeping section, an area for the crew and the like. It is to be understood that these regions can also each be associated at least one person. The liquid coolant of the low temperature bus can also be used to cool a refrigerator or water cooler associated with the region of the aircraft cabin to be individually air conditioned.

Each region to be individually air conditioned can accommodate at least one passenger. The passenger or passengers in the region to be individually air conditioned can adjust the temperature in the corresponding region independently of the temperature of other regions of the aircraft cabin. A central air-conditioning system can be provided for replacing the air in the region to be individually air conditioned.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention, in which an aircraft seat 2 is itself tempered. A suction device 24 draws air from the interior of the aircraft seat 2, the air being cooled in a heat exchanger 14 by liquid coolant and returned through an air outlet 26 into the aircraft seat 2. A fan can be arranged between the suction device 24 and the air outlet 26 in order to generate an air flow through the heat exchanger 14. Furthermore, a heating device (not shown) can be arranged between the suction device 24 and the air outlet 26 in order to discharge heated air into the interior of the aircraft seat 2. The mode of operation of the third embodiment corresponds in other respects substantially to the mode of operation of the second embodiment. The third embodiment can also be combined with the first embodiment or with the second embodiment.

Further, in the third embodiment the coolant/air heat exchanger 14 is not necessary. Hose lines (not shown) can be arranged in the aircraft seat 2, in which lines circulates the liquid coolant of the low temperature bus. The hose lines form a heat transfer device. The heat transfer device is thermally coupled to a sitting area or reclining area of the aircraft seat.

The invention has been explained in such a way that air is cooled by means of a liquid coolant in a heat exchanger 14. It is however also conceivable that a refrigerating machine (chiller) is associated with the region of an aircraft cabin to be air conditioned, the machine releasing its waste heat, produced for example by condensation, to the liquid coolant. In this way temperatures can be reached in the region to be air conditioned that are lower than the temperature of the liquid coolant.

The invention has the advantage that the feed line 18 for liquid coolant and the return line 20 of the low temperature bus require less space than an air supply line 104 of an aircraft air-conditioning system of the prior art. The aircraft air-conditioning system according to the invention can therefore be installed relatively easily in an aircraft. Due to the relatively small cross-section of the feed line 18 for liquid coolant and the return line 20 of the cold bus, the cabin can be reconfigured relatively easily, since fewer spatial limitations have to be taken into account compared with an aircraft air-conditioning system of the prior art.

The region to be individually air conditioned can accommodate an arbitrary number of persons, for example passengers and/or crew members.

The aircraft air-conditioning system according to the invention can be configured so that the coolant in the feed line 18 and in the return line 20 is in the liquid state. It is however also conceivable for the coolant in the return line 20 to be in the gaseous state.

If the coolant in the cooling circuit is always in the liquid state, then the aircraft air-conditioning system can be configured particularly easily, since no thermodynamic constraints have to be taken into account. In this case it simply has to be ensured that the temperature of the liquid coolant flowing into the heat exchanger 14 is lower than the lowest set temperature of the region of the aircraft cabin to be air conditioned.

A water-propylene glycol mixture or a water-glycol mixture can for example be used as coolant.

Claims

1. Aircraft air-conditioning system comprising at least one heat transfer device, which cools a region (2) of an aircraft cabin that is associated to at least one person, and to which is fed a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system, wherein the coolant of the cooling system is always in the liquid state in the cooling circuit.

2. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one heat transfer device is configured as a heat exchanger and the coolant and air are fed to the at least one heat exchanger (14), wherein the coolant in the heat exchanger (14) cools the fed air and the air leaving the heat exchanger flows into an aircraft cabin.

3. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that the air fed to the heat exchanger (14) is drawn from the cabin.

4. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that the aircraft air-conditioning system is configured so that the temperature of the air leaving the heat exchanger (14) can be adjusted.

5. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that the aircraft air-conditioning system is configured so that the amount of air leaving the heat exchanger (14) can be adjusted.

6. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that a valve (16) is associated with the heat exchanger (14), by which the amount of coolant flowing through the heat exchanger (14) can be adjusted.

7. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that the heat exchanger (14) is associated with a region (2) of an aircraft cabin with at least one passenger, wherein the temperature of the discharged air and/or the amount of discharged air can be individually adjusted for this region (2).

8. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 7, characterised in that the aircraft air-conditioning system furthermore includes a heating device (22) that heats the air flowing into the region (2).

9. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 8, characterised in that the heat exchanger (14) and the heating device (22) are arranged in series flow relationship.

10. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 7, characterised in that in the region of the aircraft cabin means are arranged for adjusting a set temperature of the air flowing into the region (2), and/or means are arranged for adjusting the amount of air flowing into the said region.

11. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 2, characterised in that the region is the surroundings of an aircraft seat (2).

12. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 11, characterised in that the heat exchanger (14) and/or the heating device (22) are arranged in the aircraft seat (2).

13. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 7, characterised in that the aircraft air-conditioning system includes a plurality of heat exchangers (14), each of which is associated with a region (2) in the aircraft cabin, wherein the temperature of the discharged air and/or the amount of discharged air can be adjusted individually for each region.

14. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 13, characterised in that in each region (2) of the aircraft cabin, with which a heat exchanger (14) is associated, means are arranged for adjusting a set temperature of the air flowing into the respective region, and/or means are arranged for adjusting the amount of air flowing into the respective region (2).

15. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 7, characterised in that the aircraft air-conditioning system is configured in such a way that it operates independently of a central air-conditioning system that supplies at least one region of an aircraft cabin with air conditioned air.

16. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one heat transfer device is designed as a heat exchanger and the coolant and air are fed to the at least one heat exchanger (14), wherein the coolant in the heat exchanger (14) cools the fed air and the air leaving the heat exchanger enters the interior of the aircraft seat.

17. Aircraft air-conditioning system according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one heat transfer device is arranged in a sitting area of the aircraft seat.

18. Aircraft air-conditioning system, comprising at least one heat exchanger, which cools a region (2) of an aircraft cabin that is associated to at least one person, and to which a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system, and air from a central air-conditioning system of the aircraft are supplied, wherein the coolant cools in the heat exchanger the supplied air, the air emitted from the heat exchanger enters the aircraft cabin, and the coolant of the cooling system is always in the liquid state in the cooling circuit.

19. Aircraft seat, comprising at least one heat exchanger, to which a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system and air from the interior of the aircraft seat are supplied, wherein the coolant cools in the heat exchanger the supplied air, the air emitted from the heat exchanger enters the interior of the aircraft seat, and the coolant of the cooling system is always in the liquid state in the cooling circuit.

20. Aircraft refrigerating system, comprising at least one heat exchanger, to which a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system and a refrigerant of the refrigerating system are supplied, wherein the refrigerant condensates in the heat exchanger, and the coolant of the cooling system is always in the liquid state in the cooling circuit.

21. Method for the air conditioning of at least one region (2) in the aircraft cabin including the following step: feeding coolant circulating in a cooling circuit of a cooling system to at least one heat transfer device (14), which is associated with at least one region with at least one person,wherein the coolant in the cooling circuit of the cooling system is always in the liquid state.

22. Method according to claim 21, characterised by the following steps: causing air to flow through a heat transfer device formed as a heat exchanger (14) in order to cool the air; andpassing the air cooled by the heat exchanger (14) into the cabin.

23. Method according to claim 22, characterised by the step of feeding cabin air to the heat exchanger (14).

24. use of a cooling system in which a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit is always in the liquid state, for tempering at least one region (2) in an aircraft cabin associated with at least one person.