초록

A hybrid vapor cycle-air cycle environmental control system (ECS) for efficiently providing a flow of conditioned, pressurized air to an enclosed space such as an aircraft cabin.

대표청구항 ▼

An environmental control system to provide a flow of pressurized, conditioned air to an enclosed space, comprising: means for providing a flow of hot, high pressure air; means for cooling at least a portion of said pressurized air flow in air to air heat exchange relationship; vapor cycle means for

An environmental control system to provide a flow of pressurized, conditioned air to an enclosed space, comprising: means for providing a flow of hot, high pressure air; means for cooling at least a portion of said pressurized air flow in air to air heat exchange relationship; vapor cycle means for cooling said same portion of said pressurized air flow in heat transfer relationship with a refrigerant gas within said vapor cycle means; bypass duct means for diverting any remainder of said pressurized air flow from upstream of said means for cooling to downstream of said vapor cycle means for cooling; expansion turbine means for expanding said pressurized air flow while extracting useful work therefrom, said expansion of said air flow reducing the temperature thereof; fresh air duct means for distributing said expanded cooled air from said turbine means to said enclosed space; recirculation duct means for recirculating air from said enclosed space to a location within said fresh air duct means proximate said turbine means; and controller means for controlling the amount of pressurized air diverted through said bypass duct means and the temperature of the air flow delivered to said enclosed space.