EP-4741290-A1 - COOLING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFTS, AND AN AIRCRAFT TAILCONE COMPRISING SAID COOLING SYSTEM

Abstract

The present invention refers to a compact cooling system (1) suitable to be installed in an aircraft tailcone (100). Said cooling system comprising a heat exchanger (10), and a fan (20) located inside the heat exchanger (10). Thus, the cooling system (1) integrates both the heat exchanger (10) and the fan (20) within the aircraft's tailcone (100) into a single, cohesive solution, which not only optimizes the available space but also enhances the overall efficiency of the cooling process. Another object of the invention is to provide an aircraft tailcone (100) comprising said cooling system (1).

Inventors

• MOLINA PARGA, ALBERTO
• TEJELO MANZANO, ALFONSO
• RUIZ-RICO RUIZ, Antonio José

Assignees

• Airbus Operations, S.L.U.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20241111

Claims (10)

1. Cooling system (1) for aircrafts, the cooling system (1) comprising: - a heat exchanger (10), and - a fan (20) located inside the heat exchanger (10).
2. Cooling system (1) according to claim 1, wherein both the heat exchanger (10) and the fan (20) define corresponding longitudinal axes, such that the inner dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the heat exchanger (10) is similar to the outer dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fan (20).
3. Cooling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both the heat exchanger (10) and the fan (20) are installed such that they share the same longitudinal axial axis.
4. Cooling system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the heat exchanger (10) comprises micro-tubes.
5. Cooling system (1) according to claim 4, wherein the micro-tubes are arranged longitudinally.
6. Cooling system (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein both the heat exchanger (10) and the fan (20) have a cylindrical configuration.
7. Cooling system (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the fan (20) is a radial fan.
8. Cooling system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fan (20) comprises a control device to control the fan speed depending on the mass flow of air required to dissipate a certain amount of heat.
9. Aircraft tailcone (100) comprising the cooling system (1) described in any of the preceding claims 1-8.
10. Aircraft tailcone (100) according to claim 9, further comprising a grid (110) formed by a plurality of ventilation slots distributed along the surface of the aircraft tailcone (100).

Description

Object of the invention The present invention belongs to the technical field of cooling systems for aircrafts. An object of the invention is to provide a compact cooling system suitable to be installed in an aircraft tailcone. Another object of the invention is to provide an aircraft tailcone comprising said cooling system. Background of the invention Aviation industry always aims to reduce weight within the aircraft in order to have potential savings in fuel blocks. Besides, new technologies within aviation are more focused on electrical components which may require larger heat dissipation. In this regard, thermal management systems (hereinafter as TMS) in aviation are critical for ensuring optimal performance and safety of the aircraft, particularly in modern high-performance aircraft where high power densities lead to significant heat generation. The management of this excess heat is vital, especially in components like avionics, power electronics, and various propulsion systems. Due to the large amount of heat that needs to be rejected in case of installing a non-gas turbine auxiliary power plant (based on Fuel cell, Internal Combustion Engine, others) a high performance heat dissipation device needs to be integrated within that area. Considering traditional solutions, the typical approach would have been to install a ram air channel to drive and maximize the air mass flow from the external atmosphere through an air-liquid heat exchanger including an axial fan to suck air to cover ground operations (no air speed energy can be considered). As there is a limited space in the tailcone area, the efficiency and specific fuel consumption (hereinafter as SFC) of the full non-gas auxiliary power plant is key and the air flow required for an air-liquid heat exchanger is huge, this solution requires to have the maximum heat exchange volume with a minimum power consumption. Therefore, traditional solutions for plate heat exchangers and axial fans embedded in a ram air channel would lead to non-efficient coiling systems and bulky architectures which would lead to considerable weight penalties at aircraft level. Summary of the invention The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a compact cooling system suitable to be installed in an aircraft tailcone. Another object of the invention is to provide an aircraft tailcone comprising said cooling system. The cooling system and the aircraft tailcone according to the present invention are defined in the corresponding independent claims. The dependent claims include further features, that are optional. The cooling system of the invention comprises a heat exchanger and a fan located inside the heat exchanger. Preferably, both the heat exchanger and the fan define corresponding longitudinal axes, such that the inner dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the heat exchanger is similar to the outer dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fan. More preferably, both the heat exchanger and the fan are installed such that they share the same longitudinal axial axis. In this way, the heat exchanger and the fan, form a compact system positionable within the tailcone of an aircraft. Thus, the compact cooling system described herein encompasses both the heat exchanger and the fan, providing an integrated solution within the tailcone of the aircraft. The cooling system of the invention optimizes the volume of the thermal management system (TMS). In this way, an overall reduction in weight is achieved, and consequently a substantial reduction in fuel consumption. In this way, it is possible to eliminate the traditional APU (Auxiliar Power Unit) in the tailcone of an aircraft., and to place the cooling system of the invention in the volume of said traditional APU. In a preferred embodiment, the heat exchanger comprises micro-tubes. The micro-tubes technology used in the heat exchanger, increases heat transfer between air and coolant, thanks to a larger exchange surface area compared to plate heat exchangers. In other words, these micro-tubes exchangers are highly efficient due to their large heat transfer surface area relative to volume, which makes them well-suited for compact designs where weight and size are constraints, such as in aircrafts. At this point, it is worth mentioning that microtubes heat exchangers have a lower air pressure drop compared with a plate heat exchanger. The heat transfer is due to the passage of cold outside air around the micro-tubes. The coolant heated by the aircraft systems flows through the micro-tubes. In a preferred embodiment, both the micro-tubes heat exchanger and the fan have a cylindrical configuration. This cylindrical arrangement increases the front surface compared with a planar arrangement for a similar volume. It should be clarified that the term "front surface" here refers to the first surface of the heat exchanger that is perpendicular to the direction of air flow. In other words, i