AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH A SYSTEM FOR THE THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF OIL AND OF PRESSURIZED AIR

Abstract

Air conditioning system of an aircraft, comprising a thermal management system supplied with air, referred to as pressurized air (12), by at least one compressor (14) of the aircraft, and supplied with non-pressurized flow air (206; 208) from at least one engine of the aircraft, and characterized in that the thermal management system comprises: at least one pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger (20) designed to provide heat exchanges between a stream of pressurized air (12) and a first oil circuit (26), allowing heat to be transferred from the pressurized air (12) to the oil of the first oil circuit (26); at least one oil/flow-air heat exchanger (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d) designed to provide heat exchanges between a second oil circuit (28) and the flow air (206; 208), allowing the heat from said second oil circuit (26) to be transferred to the flow air (206; 208); and at least one circuit (30) connecting the first oil circuit (26) and said second oil circuit (28).

Claims

1. An air conditioning system of an aircraft, comprising a thermal management system supplied with pressurized air, by at least one compressor of the aircraft, and supplied with non-pressurized flow air from at least one engine of the aircraft, the thermal management system comprising: at least one pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger designed to provide heat exchanges between a stream of pressurized air and a first oil circuit, allowing heat to be transferred from the pressurized air to the oil of the first oil circuit; at least one oil/flow-air heat exchanger designed to provide heat exchanges between a second oil circuit and the flow air, allowing the heat from said second oil circuit to be transferred to the flow air; and at least one circuit fluidically connecting the first oil circuit and said second oil circuit.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the oil is an engine oil and the thermal management system comprises a lubrication passage designed to lubricate and cool bearings of the engine of the aircraft by means of the engine oil, said lubrication passage being integrated in the first oil circuit or the second oil circuit.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the oil/flow-air heat exchanger is a heat exchanger arranged in the engine of the aircraft and designed to have a heat exchange surface in direct contact with the stream of flow air passing through the engine.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the oil/flow-air heat exchanger is arranged in an engine casing of the aircraft.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 4, wherein the oil/flow-air heat exchanger is arranged at a flow-air inlet in the engine casing of the aircraft.

6. The air conditioning system according to claims 1, wherein the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger and the oil/flow-air heat exchanger are arranged in series.

7. The air conditioning system according to claims 1, wherein the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger and the oil/flow-air heat exchanger are arranged in parallel.

8. The air conditioning system according to claims 1, wherein the thermal management system comprises at least one circuit for bypassing the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger, which circuit is designed to be controlled by a module for controlling the temperature of the pressurized air.

9. An aircraft, comprising at least one engine, at least one compressor and an air conditioning system comprising a thermal management system supplied with pressurized air, by at least one compressor of the aircraft, and supplied with non-pressurized flow air from at least one engine of the aircraft, the thermal management system comprising: at least one pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger designed to provide heat exchanges between a stream of pressurized air and a first oil circuit, allowing heat to be transferred from the pressurized air to the oil of the first oil circuit; at least one oil/flow-air heat exchanger designed to provide heat exchanges between a second oil circuit and the flow air, allowing the heat from said second oil circuit to be transferred to the flow air; and at least one circuit fluidically connecting the first oil circuit and said second oil circuit.

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

[0050] Further aims, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, which is provided solely by way of non-limiting example, and which refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0053] For the sake of illustration and clarity, scales and proportions are not strictly adhered to in the drawings.

[0054] Moreover, identical, similar or analogous elements are denoted using the same reference signs throughout the drawings.

[0055] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an air conditioning system 10 according to a first and a second embodiment of the invention.

[0056] The air conditioning system 10 provides refrigeration and air conditioning for a cabin 100 of an aircraft during the flight of said aircraft. The aircraft comprises at least one engine 200.

[0057] In this embodiment, the engine 200 is of the turbofan-engine type, comprising a casing 202 surrounding a turbine engine 204 which conventionally comprises a compressor, a combustion chamber and a turbine (not shown). The turbine engine 204 generates a primary stream 206. A fan 210 connected to the turbine engine generates a secondary stream between the turbine engine 204 and the casing 202. The primary stream 206 and the secondary stream 208 are directed in the direction of the arrows representing said streams and constitute flow air of the engine.

[0058] The turbine engine 204 is supplied by at least one oil circuit, allowing said engine to operate correctly, in particular by allowing bearings of the turbine engine 204 of the engine to be lubricated and cooled. This oil heats up during operation of the engine and has to be cooled.

[0059] The air conditioning system 10 is supplied with air, referred to as pressurized air 12, by a compressor 14. According to different embodiments of the invention, the compressor 14 can be part of the conditioning system and be mainly dedicated to supplying the pressurized air 12, or be part of the engine 200 of the aircraft, in particular can be the compressor of the turbine engine 204. The compressor is supplied with bleed air 16.

[0060] The pressurized air 12 is treated by an air conditioning pack 18 for adjusting the temperature, pressure and humidity of the pressurized air 12 so as to obtain conditioned air which can be sent to the cabin of the aircraft. The air conditioning pack 18 can, for example, comprise a water extraction loop to reduce the humidity of the air, at least one turbine to reduce the pressure of said air, and at least one exchanger to control the temperature of said air.

[0061] The air conditioning system 10 comprises a thermal management system for reducing the temperature of the pressurized air 12. The thermal management system comprises at least one pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 designed to provide heat exchanges between the pressurized-air stream and an oil circuit, allowing heat to be transferred from the pressurized air to the oil. The oil comes from the turbine engine 204, circulates in a first oil circuit, enters the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 through an oil inlet 20a and exits again through an oil outlet 20b. The pressurized air 12 enters the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 through a pressurized air inlet 20c and exits again through a pressurized air outlet 20b.

[0062] The pressurized air 12 is thus cooled as it passes through the exchanger and transmits some of its heat to the oil.

[0063] The thermal management system is also designed to cool the oil, and thus comprises at least one oil/flow-air heat exchanger designed to provide heat exchanges between the oil and the flow air, allowing the heat from the oil to be transferred to the flow air.

[0064] In particular, in this embodiment, the oil/flow-air heat exchanger consists of a plurality of skin exchangers, four of which can be seen here: two skin exchangers 22a, 22b are located at an engine-air inlet 212, at one end of the casing 202. These exchangers can thus have a de-icing function which prevents the formation of ice at the engine-air inlet, which is a region that is usually susceptible to the risk of ice formation. Two skin exchangers 22c, 22d are located on the casing 202 downstream of the fan 210.

[0065] The oil circulates in a second oil circuit and passes through each skin exchanger. The skin exchanger allows heat exchange with the flow air. Due to their positioning inside the casing 202, the skin exchangers 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d exchange in a preferred manner with the secondary stream 208 of the flow air.

[0066] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention, in which the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 and the skin exchangers 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d forming the oil/flow-air heat exchanger are arranged in series: the first oil circuit and the second oil circuit form a single circuit 24.

[0067] In particular, the oil exiting the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 through the outlet 20b is then guided to a skin exchanger, in the same oil circuit. The heat recovered by the oil in the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 is transmitted directly to the flow air to heat said air (cooling the oil as it passes).

[0068] In this embodiment, depending on the desired temperature of the pressurized air 12, bypass circuits can be set up, for example via a bypass valve 21a for preventing the oil from passing through the pressurized-air/oil exchanger 20, or via a bypass valve 21b for preventing pressurized air 12 from passing through the pressurized-air/oil exchanger 20, or both, as shown here.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention, in which the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 and the skin exchangers 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d forming the oil/flow-air heat exchanger are arranged in parallel.

[0070] The first oil circuit 26 and the second oil circuit 28 are separate but connected by a connecting circuit 30, which can be, for example, an oil tank in which the oil from each circuit mixes and balances its temperature: the oil from the first circuit is heated as it passes through the pressurized-air/oil heat exchanger 20 and the oil from the second circuit is cooled by the oil/flow-air heat exchanger, and, due to the mixing in the oil tank, the temperature going from the tank to the exchangers is the same for the two circuits.