Patent · US Expired

Environmental control system utilizing two air cycle machines

US6257003A · kind A · utility

62Cited by
13References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 4, 2000
Grant dateJul 10, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 4, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T50/50
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

An environmental control system and method are provided for conditioning water-vapor compressed air for supply as conditioned air. The environmental control system (8) includes two air cycle machines (9, 10) that rotate independent of each other. The air cycle machine (9) includes a turbine (11) that drives a fan (12), and the air cycle machine (10) includes a turbine (15) that drives a compressor (16). The environmental control system (8) further includes a primary heat exchanger (19) upstream of the compressor (16), a secondary heat exchanger (20) downstream of the compressor (16), are heater (21) downstream of the secondary heat exchanger (20), a condenser (22) downstream of the reheater (21), a water collector (24) downstream of the condenser (22), and three bypass control valves (28, 30, 32). In combination, the turbine (11), reheater (21), condenser (22), and water collector (24) form a dehumidification loop (34) for the environmental control system (8). In one mode of operation, the environmental control system (8) further compresses the compressed air in the compressor (16) and then dehumidifies the further compressed air in the dehumidification loop (34) before expanding t…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.