An example apparatus includes a wall having an opening and a panel attached to the wall over the opening. The panel includes a shape-memory material (SMM). An example method includes bending the panel away from the wall via the panel at least partially changing from a first crystal phase to a second crystal phase. The panel bends away from the wall in response to a temperature of the panel increasing. The method further includes bending the panel toward the wall via the panel at least partially changing from the second crystal phase to the first crystal phase. The panel bends toward the wall in response to the temperature of the panel decreasing.

Aircraft with an emission-free drive and method for emission-free driving of an aircraft. The aircraft includes an aircraft thruster structured and arranged to generate thrust force on the aircraft, an aircraft lift device structured and arranged to generate lift on the aircraft, and a heat engine, which is structured and arranged to convert thermal energy into kinetic energy to drive the aircraft thruster, that includes at least one flat-plate Stirling engine drivable by solar thermal radiation.

Described embodiments provide a rotor mounting boom assembly for a personal aircraft. The rotor mounting boom assembly includes a rotor mounting boom releasably attachable to a wing of the personal aircraft, one or more vertical lift rotors, and one or more rotor controller assemblies. Controller assemblies for each rotor are positioned on the rotor mounting booms such that downwash from the rotor causes increased airflow across the controller assembly to cool the controller assembly components. A rotor controller enclosure includes an air inlet and an air outlet to allow airflow through the enclosure to cool the controller components. The air inlet is positioned relative to the path of the rotor blades such that the downwash from the rotor that flows into the air inlet is maximized. The structure of the enclosure includes features for increasing the airflow through the enclosure.

Aircraft with an emission-free drive and method for emission-free driving of an aircraft. The aircraft includes a drive device structured and arranged to generate thrust, a lift device structured and arranged to generate lift, and a heat engine structured and arranged to convert thermal energy into kinetic energy to drive the drive device. The heat engine includes at least one flat-plate Stirling engine drivable by solar thermal radiation.

Disclosed are the thermal protection and drag reduction method and system for an ultra high-speed aircraft. A cold source is and a cold source driving device are arranged inside a cavity of the ultra high-speed aircraft. A plurality of micropores are arranged on a wall surface of the cavity. The cold source driving device comprises an air pump, a cold source reservoir and a buffer. The air pump supplies compressed air to a cold source reservoir during operation. The cold source enters the buffer and is vaporized under the action of air pressure. High-pressure gas is ejected from the micropores to form a gas film on the outer surface of the cavity. The gas film not only can perform thermal protection on the ultra high-speed aircraft, but also can effectively reduce viscous drag between the aircraft and the external gas, by virtue of which the thermal barrier phenomenon is alleviated or eliminated. Therefore, security of the ultra high-speed aircraft is improved and service life is prolonged.

An aircraft includes: a fairing which covers a lower part of a fuselage having a main landing gear bay (MLG bay), and defines a ventilation cavity communicating with the MLG bay between the fairing and the fuselage; and a heat removal system which removes heat generated from the MLG inside the MLG bay to the outside of the MLG bay by suctioning/discharging air through an inlet port and an outlet port leading from the ventilation cavity or the MLG bay to external air. The fairing defines a wheel opening through which a wheel of the MLG enters and exits, and defines a ventilation port, which functions as one of the inlet and outlet ports, between the fairing and an outer peripheral part of the wheel exposed from the wheel opening to the lower side of the MLG bay when the MLG is retracted.

The present invention disclosed a cooling system for unmanned aerial vehicle, which includes a main body, four arms disposed on the main body, two clockwise rotating propellers and two counterclockwise rotating propellers disposed on the arms respectively; wherein at least one air guide hole on each of the arms, which guide air to a middle of the main body; the two clockwise rotating propellers are disposed diagonally and the two counterclockwise rotating propellers are disposed diagonally; a clockwise rotating propeller is on a left-front arm; each of the clockwise and the counterclockwise rotating propellers rotates to generate an airstream which is configured to sweep towards the arm, the airstreams are configured to flow to an internal part of the main body by the air guide hole. The cooling system is able to cool down the whole unmanned aerial vehicle.

A ram air system includes a bay comprising an exterior wall defining an interior volume that at least partially encloses a ram air duct. The ram air duct includes an outlet configured to discharge an exhaust airflow at a first temperature. At least one of the exterior wall and the ram air duct defines an aperture therein providing for flow communication between the bay interior volume and the exhaust airflow such that cooling air flows from the interior volume to form a boundary layer between the exhaust airflow and the exterior wall downstream of the outlet. The boundary layer is at a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature.

A cooling system includes a first heat exchanger, an evaporator coupled to a thermal load of an aircraft. first and second cooling circuits coupled to the heat exchanger, the first and second cooling circuits selectable via a set of cooling circuit valves that are arranged to direct a refrigerant through the first circuit, the second circuit, or both the first and second circuits based on air passing through the first heat exchanger at ambient conditions of the aircraft, and a receiver configured to accumulate reserve refrigerant to provide flexibility in system operation as the cooling system operates in sub-critical, trans-critical, and super-critical modes of operation.

Aircraft comprises a heater system, a conduit system thermally connected to fuel cell stacks, a pump system, and a controller. The heater system is configured to heat a coolant. The coolant flows through the conduit system. The pump system is configured to circulate the coolant through the conduit system to the fuel cell stacks. The controller is configured to control the heater system to heat the coolant to form a heated coolant. The controller is configured to control the pump system to circulate the heated coolant through the conduit system. The controller is configured to control the conduit system to circulate the heated coolant to a subset of the fuel cell stacks, wherein the heated coolant causes the subset of the fuel cell stacks to reach an operating temperature.