A coupling is disclosed providing fluidic continuity between first and second orifices of two portions of an air circuit which includes a flexible sleeve, a first frame connected in fluid-tight manner to a first end of the flexible sleeve and having a first opening, and a second frame, connected in fluid-tight manner to a second end of the flexible sleeve and having a second opening. The coupling is deformable so that the flexible sleeve may adapt to the variable spacing between two avionics racks and is able to compensate for a misalignment between the orifices of two portions of an air circuit.

A thermal management system for an aircraft is provided. The thermal management system may comprise a first vapor compression circuit, a second vapor compression circuit, and an intercooler. The first vapor compression circuit may define a first flowpath for fluid compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation. The second vapor compression circuit may define a second flowpath for fluid compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation. The intercooler may be disposed in cascading thermal communication between the first vapor compression circuit and the second vapor compression circuit. Generally, heat generated by the aircraft may be transferred to the first vapor compression circuit during aircraft operation.

A cooling system for an aircraft includes a first cooling circuit having a first evaporator and a second evaporator, and a second cooling circuit having a third evaporator and a fourth evaporator. One of the first and second cooling circuits includes a first set of valves arranged to direct refrigerant through a first cooling sub-circuit, a second cooling sub-circuit, or both the first and second cooling sub-circuits based on ambient conditions. Two of the evaporators are installed on a first side of the aircraft, and the other two of the four evaporators are installed on a second side of the aircraft opposite the first side, and the first and second cooling circuits reject heat, via a heat exchanger, from their respective cooling circuit to air passing into an engine of the aircraft.

One embodiment of the present disclosure is a unique airborne electrical power and thermal management system. Another embodiment is a unique aircraft. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for aircraft and electrical power and thermal management systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

A 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.

A liquid system for circulating a liquid through a circulation loop includes a liquid pump, a primary liquid reservoir and an auxiliary liquid reservoir. The liquid pump pressurizes liquid within the circulation loop. The primary liquid reservoir has a primary variable volume expandable to accommodate volumetric expansion of pressurized liquid up to a threshold volume. The auxiliary liquid reservoir has an auxiliary variable volume expandable only after the threshold volume is exceeded up to a maximum volume.

A vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle and a cooling system for the unmanned aerial vehicle. Heat dissipation in an arm of an unmanned aerial vehicle is achieved by providing a forward-facing opening at the front end of each of a left linear support and a right linear support of the unmanned aerial vehicle, thereby achieving the purposes of lowering temperature in the arm and protecting equipment in the arm.

A thermal management system for tightly controlling temperature of a thermal load (e.g., onboard an aircraft) includes: a pressurized tank for storing an expendable coolant; a control valve downstream of the pressurized tank for controlling a flow rate of the expendable coolant; a heat exchanger downstream of the control valve for transferring heat from a thermal load to the expendable coolant at a predetermined temperature; a back pressure regulator (BPR) downstream of the heat exchanger, the BPR having a set point controlled to maintain the expendable coolant at the predetermined temperature in the heat exchanger; optionally, a sensor or orifice downstream of the heat exchanger for determining vapor quality at an exit of the heat exchanger; and a system exit downstream of the BPR for removing some or all of the expendable coolant from the thermal management system after transferring heat from the thermal load to the expendable coolant.

A system for cooling a plurality of electrical equipment components inside a mobile platform may include at least one manifold and a plurality of flexible tubing ducts. The manifold may have an outlet, and a plurality of inlet tubing connections in fluid communication with the outlet. The outlet may be coupled to an interface of a cooling system of the platform by exhaust tubing. Each of the flexible tubing ducts may have a proximal end and a distal end. Each proximal end may be selectively connectable to the inlet tubing connections. Each distal end may have an air intake port that is alternatively positionable in two or more thermal dissipation zones of the electrical equipment components for permitting an exhaust profile inside the platform to the interface to be reconfigured based at least in part on respective positions of the electrical equipment components.

The system can include an on-board thermal management subsystem. The system 100 can optionally include an off-board (extravehicular) infrastructure subsystem. The on-board thermal management subsystem can include: a battery pack, one or more fluid loops, and an air manifold. The system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.