Cooling exchanger ducts
View Patent ↗A heat exchange system for use in operating equipment in which a working fluid is utilized in providing selected operations thereof, including for use in lubricating systems for aircraft turbofan engine equipment, the heat exchange system for providing air and working fluid heat exchanges to cool the working fluid at selectively variable rates in the operating equipment developed airstreams. A heat exchanger core is provided in a controlled air flow duct system opening at its entrance to those airstreams and having its outlet end opening downstream in those airstreams.
1. A heat exchange system for use in operating equipment in which a working fluid is utilized in providing selected operations thereof, the heat exchange system providing air and working fluid heat exchanges to cool the working fluid at selectively variable rates in airstreams occurring with uses of the equipment, the system comprising:
a cooling duct extending through at least a portion of a stream structure that is positioned providing access to the airstreams occurring during use with air accessed at an entrance opening at an upstream side of the cooling duct flowing therethrough, the cooling duct having an entrance opening on the upstream side and an exit opening on a downstream side;
a moveable entrance flap disposed on the upstream side of the cooling duct such that the moveable entrance flap covers at least a portion of the entrance opening, when in a closed position to thereby restrict the air from entering the cooling duct and permits a selected flow of the air through the cooling duct when in an open position;
a moveable exit flap disposed on the downstream side of the cooling duct such that the moveable exit flap covers at least a portion of the exit opening when in a closed position and permits flow of the air through the cooling duct when in an open position; and
a heat exchanger core provided in the cooling duct between the entrance and exit openings thereof and having a plurality of passageway structures therein about which the air passes in flowing therethrough with the passageway structures being coupled to an input conduit at one end thereof and coupled to an output conduit at an opposite end thereof to enable the working fluid to be provided, and removed from, interiors of the passageway structures through interiors of the input and output conduits.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said stream structure is a selected one of a) a fan duct lower bifurcation structure positioned between the bottom of the wall of an engine core cowling about the engine compartment and the inside of the outer cowling of an engine pod for a turbofan engine with the end of the cooling duct located about at or outside of the end of the fan duct nozzle of the turbofan engine, b) a portion of an engine core cowling about the engine compartment for a turbofan engine with the end of the cooling duct located about at or outside of the end of the fan duct nozzle of the turbofan engine, and c) a portion of the outer cowling of an engine pod for a turbofan engine.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the cooling duct extends through the engine core cowling at a first location to from there extend through a portion of the engine compartment about which the engine core cowling is provided and to then again extend through engine core cowling at a second location.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the entrance flap is positioned at the cooling duct entrance opening and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to an axis intersecting opposite edges of the cooling duct entrance opening.
5. The system of claim 2 wherein the exit flap is positioned at the cooling duct exit opening and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to an axis intersecting opposite edges of the cooling duct exit opening.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first flap actuator being connected to a mechanical linkage that is also connected to both the entrance and exit flaps so as to allow the first flap actuator to force the entrance and exit flaps to change positions.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the entrance flap is opened by the mechanical linkage to expose more cross sectional area of the entrance opening than the exit flap is opened by the mechanical linkage to expose cross sectional area of the exit opening.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein the entrance flap is closed by the mechanical linkage over the entrance opening if the exit flap is closed by the mechanical linkage over the exit opening.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first flap actuator being connected to the entrance flap so as to allow the first flap actuator to force the entrance flap to change positions, and further comprising a second flap actuator being connected to the exit flap so as to allow the second flap actuator to force the exit flap to change positions.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the entrance flap is opened by the first flap actuator to expose more cross sectional area of the entrance opening than the exit flap is opened by the second flap actuator to expose cross sectional area of the exit opening.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein the entrance flap is closed by the first flap actuator over the entrance opening if the exit flap is closed by the second flap actuator over the exit opening.
12. A heat exchange system for use in lubricating systems for aircraft turbofan engine equipment in which a lubricant is provided under pressure to spaces bounded at least in part by surfaces moving relative to one another, the heat exchange system for providing air and lubricant heat exchanges to cool the lubricant at selectively variable rates in fan airstreams occurring on a stream side of an engine fan duct wall during at least some operations of the turbofan engine where the fan duct extends between the turbofan engine fan and a fan duct nozzle, the system comprising:
a cooling duct extending through at least a portion of a stream structure that is positioned providing access to the airstreams occurring on the stream side of the engine fan duct wall with air from such airstreams flowing therethrough, the cooling duct having a duct entrance opening to the fan airstreams of the turbofan engine and a moveable exit flap to at least in part cover a portion of an exit opening of the cooling duct;
a flap actuator which forces the exit flap to open or close to a selected extent over the exit opening; and
a heat exchanger core provided in the cooling duct between the entrance and exit openings thereof and having a plurality of passageway structures therein about which the air passes in flowing therethrough with the passageway structures being coupled to an input conduit at one end thereof and coupled to an output conduit at an opposite end thereof to enable the working fluid to be provided, and removed from, interiors of the passageway structures through interiors of the input and output conduits.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein said stream structure is a selected one of a) a fan duct lower bifurcation structure positioned between the bottom of the wall of an engine core cowling about the engine compartment and the inside of the outer cowling of an engine pod for a turbofan engine with the end of the cooling duct located about at or outside of the end of the fan duct nozzle of the turbofan engine, b) a portion of an engine core cowling about the engine compartment for a turbofan engine with the end of the cooling duct located about at or outside of the end of the fan duct nozzle of the turbofan engine, and c) a portion of the outer cowling of an engine pod for a turbofan engine.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the exit flap is positioned at the cooling duct exit opening and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to an axis intersecting opposite edges of the cooling duct exit opening.
15. The system of claim 13 wherein the cooling duct extends through the engine core cowling at a first location to from there extend through a portion of the engine compartment about which the engine core cowling is provided and to then again extend through engine core cowling at a second location.